Technology Savvy!

By Pamela Gold

Welcome to a new age in franchising. Everything these days seems to be accomplished with the help of a computer, and the franchise industry is no exception. From Extranets, where franchisees can come together, learn about new products, and brush up on company policies and procedures, to unified software that truly allows every location of a franchise to be run in a similar manner, wherever in the world it might be located. Franchisors and franchisees are equally embracing what technology and the Internet can offer them.

Entrepreneurs Find Their Perfect Franchise Online

Fact: More than 600 million people are now online throughout the World.

With such a huge percent of the population traveling through cyber-space, franchisors are realizing that an efficient and effective place to find new prospective franchisees is online.

Online, entrepreneurs looking for the perfect business or franchise opportunity can choose from an extensive list of opportunities. Real-time changes mean that franchisors can make frequent updates to company information and prospect data can be swapped in seconds. Convenient search tools, like the Franchise Finder available on Franchise Solutions' web site, allow prospects to search for the exact opportunity they are looking for. They can then submit their information and the franchisor will be in contact with them as quickly as that exact day. Today, prospects and franchisors find online advertising to be an integral part of matching entrepreneurs with business opportunities:

"We have been a client of Franchise Solutions almost since the day we started franchising. A lot of our success has been due to the Internet and largely Franchise Solutions," stated Jerry Clum, Founder and CEO of Comfort Keepers, the extremely successful non-medical, home-care franchise.

Use of the Internet and the Extranet

From web sites advertising the services of a single franchise unit, to corporate web sites where a brand is being developed and prospective franchisees are finding their perfect dream opportunity, web sites work. They're effective ways for a franchisee to gain local traffic and they work to spread brand awareness throughout the unlimited lands of the cyber world.

Before a Marble Slab Creamery ever comes to a town near you, you can visit their Internet home and get hooked on their products. With a full menu of mouth-watering ice creams, various flavors of cones, coffees and baked goods, cyber visitors are intrigued and brand awareness develops. This is the power of the Internet. While at the web site (and many similar web sites), visitors can learn about the franchise opportunities available to them. Multiple purposes are served 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to visitors throughout the world. Truly the power of technology at work!

Extranets are yet another amazing tool for franchisors to use and offer to their franchisees. For example, U-Save Auto Rental realized that their franchisees were so busy that they might not have time to always touch-base with the home office and share tips they've learned with their fellow franchisees. So, the company has come to the rescue of its more than 425 franchisees with Zee Net, a corporate-wide extranet that provides harried franchisees with a smooth, quick and direct connection to company headquarters and uses the Internet to network franchisees together so they can help one another solve business challenges. Extranets are becoming more and more popular with franchisors, large and small.

Online Tools

Franchises are also discovering the incredible world of tools that are now accessible online. CruiseOne, the nation's largest franchisor of independent cruise agents, recently implemented a new multi-million dollar technology tool designed to create new business opportunities for its nearly 500 franchisees. "Cruise Control Express," a proprietary reservation and customer relationship management system, provides franchise owners with the latest information about cruise line products, increases their productivity and allows them to better manage their client database. Franchisees and their sales associates can administer cruise bookings from remote locations with this web-based program and they can access information on more than 25,000 cruise departures.

"With this technology, franchisees can take customer service to a whole new level. They can expand their business locally, while helping CruiseOne grow nationally. It puts CruiseOne at the forefront of technology, and strengthens our position as the industry leader in sales," stated Joe Ewart, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for CruiseOne.   

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As the world gets smaller and day-to-day business gets quicker, easier, and more unified, the franchise community has grasped technology and used it to its advantage. Today, you'll find opportunities to own businesses that incorporate technology into their business system. You'll find software that allows you to do the basics quickly and easily so that you can concentrate on growing your business. You might have your own personalized web site which markets your franchise location, or you may stay in touch with fellow franchisees through an Extranet. The possibilities are endless. Welcome to the age of technology.