Part One: The Dangers of the Rogue Franchisee

The rogue franchisee might start off as a small annoyance, but this scenario almost always spirals into a much bigger issue that ends in brand inconsistency and loss of customer loyalty. We frequently stress the importance of brand consistency here on the Action Card blog because that is what creates brand loyalty. When people are happy with their experience and know that experience will be consistently delivered, you’ve got them! Creating brand loyalty is hard work, and just one bad experience can make it all for naught.

Quality

Quality assurance is essential in building and maintaining a positive brand. Customers have so many choices. You have to give them a reason to choose you. The quality of your brand is seen and felt through several aspects of the customer experience -greeting, customer care, how issues are addressed, the cleanliness of the environment and the quality of the products and services themselves. When quality isn’t overseen, it slips, that’s just how it goes.

Brand Consistency

The rogue franchisee’s goals are likely not drawn from complacency or laziness, but rather from a drive to build and promote their business. Building and promoting the franchise is a good thing, but only if it’s done with brand consistency. Individual franchises might want their own site, newsletter, blog or social media presence. The result is this franchisee contracts a low budget marketing firm that creates marketing campaigns that aren’t consistent with the brand or standards of the franchise. This whole initiative toward driving business is in all actuality severely diluting the brand, leading to loss of brand loyalty. As this happens with more stores, your brand becomes virtually unrecognizable and there go your brand ambassadors.

Safety/Health Issues

This is a big one. When compliance waivers, you’re putting your brand at a huge risk. You know that girl who got food poisoning from restaurant X five years ago and still brings it up today? Yeah, that’s what you’re up against. And it gets more severe the larger you grow. How many of us heard about the lady getting burned at McDonald’s by her coffee and winning a huge settlement? Word gets around, and fast!

Compliance on safety and health hazards are insanely important to safeguarding your brand. The dangers that a franchisor knows are lurking isn’t common knowledge. What might seem like overkill or unnecessary to a franchisee in a field visit, are the things that keep customers and workers safe.

Never forget the point of your franchise and the point of brand consistency. You promised a quality, consistent experience, so it’s up to you to ensure that is delivered. That’s a big promise, one that ends up in the hands of others to deliver on. Take control of your total brand with Action Card.

The Action Card app simplifies compliance and provides measurable outcomes from your field visits, making rogue franchisees a thing of the past. Let’s talk about how Action Card can fortify your brand consistency today..