A store manual is a guideline that your franchisees and their employees can use to maintain standards. As you might know, franchise branches need to maintain a set quality of service and products because customers expect consistency. For example, a customer would expect the same service, product quality, and even decor from a branch in Melbourne and a branch in Sydney. All franchisees need to have a manual that employees can refer to when they have queries. Here are some things you need to include in them:
This includes paperwork, licenses, business registration, limitation on signage, and council permits for franchise branches.
You need to specify what time the business would open and close, and the opening and closing routines. This routine might include disposing of leftover perishables, cleaning the store, cleaning the cash register, etc.
This usually includes financial record-keeping techniques and procedures. You’ll need to explain how your accounting software works and how to handle things like budgeting, payroll, profit and loss, sales accounts, reimbursements, cash flow, etc.
In this section you’ll have to explain everything related to stock and inventory, which includes minimum and maximum order, ordering process, suppliers, process and software to calculate stock, etc.
Your franchise branches need to maintain a high level of cleanliness and hygiene, especially food franchises. You’ll need to plan a standardized cleaning and maintenance system that you can include in the manual for all franchisees to follow.
Like cleaning and hygiene, you should also lay down guidelines for employee health and safety and this includes everything from safety procedures to gear.
You need to protect your physical and intellectual property so the franchisees follow proper security procedures like locking doors and windows and installing efficient alarm systems.
The section would include procedures to follow in case of emergencies like fire, medical problems, etc.
This section of the store manual should explain how to handle recruitment, interviewing, training, salaries, and evaluations, etc.
Your franchisees and employees should be pleasant and helpful when they interact with people on the phone. This section would include specific greetings, how to solve problems, and how to ask the right questions.
Here you describe the uniforms, name tags, and general appearance of franchisors and their employees during business hours.
This includes how to handle customer service, job time, cooking, and general day-to-day operations of the store.
Here you explain how your franchisees can contact you for complaints, questions, reporting, and other communication.
Provide guidelines on how to handle customers in the store and how to interact with them face to face.
Your franchisees should know how to prepare for company and government inspections and what they need to do to pass them.
Franchisees are required to provide a consistent brand experience, so you need to provide guidelines that include store decor and environment, marketing and advertising, promotions, as well as logos and brand colours on invoices and communications.
If you want to know more about franchising, store manuals, or want some advice, feel free to get in touch with us at The Franchise Institute. You can call us on 1300 855 435 or fill in this contact us form and we’ll reply as soon as we can.
Thanks for reading,
The Franchise Institute Team
1300 855 435
