Effective communication is essential to the success of any business franchising. Use these tips to help keep your franchisees up-to-date and engaged.

Many of the problems that franchise companies face can be put down to communication failures. For example, a franchisor that neglects to share security information or franchisees that launch promotions that are not aligned with the brand. The "secret ingredient" for successful franchisor-franchisee relationships is effective communication.

The good news is that effective communication is not a difficult skill to learn. Let's cover seven different ways to communicate better with your franchisees .

1. Ensure consistency with your franchisees

Consistent communication is essential to reinforce your reputation and accountability, as well as to build trust with your franchisees. It also allows you to align and measure your efforts. Regular contact with your franchisees will help you gain insight into what is positive, such as how effective your marketing is or what they hear from customers.

There are many ways to establish a consistent dialog with your franchisees. For example, you can send a newsletter with interesting news and relevant updates or send out a survey to gather feedback and opinions.

2. Prioritize face-to-face communication

It is easy to forget the importance of face-to-face communication in the age digital. Tools such as email, social networking and instant messaging offer convenience, but they cannot replace the personal bonds that can only be built through face-to-face interactions. And text-based communications often miss important subtleties, leading to even the most well-intentioned emails being misinterpreted.

Try to have face-to-face meetings with your franchisees, especially if you have to discuss important topics or goals. Emails can be very slow - readers cannot ask questions, so emails are subject to long discussions while people ask for further clarification. So face-to-face meetings may be the most efficient way to transfer a large amount of information.

If your franchisees are spread over a large geographic area, use video tools like Zoom, Join.me, GoToMeeting, and Google Meet for regular face-to-face communication. Note that online video conferencing is not a complete substitute for human contact.

3. Create feedback loops with your franchisees

Communication is a two-way street and should not be directed solely by the franchisor. Feedback loops are essential to help you understand what you need to improve, what interests your customers, why certain locations have better results, etc. It is not only demoralizing for franchisees if they feel they are not listened to, but you will also be missing out on crucial information and opportunities that can transform your business.

4. Meetings and action points

It is unreasonable to expect everyone to remember every detail of a meeting. Having an agenda is important, and you should also write down the key action points and decisions discussed at each meeting, share agendas and minutes with participants (and anyone else who couldn't attend), and follow up on action points to ensure that meetings have objectives and don't need to be repeated.

5. Provide support to franchisees

First-time franchisees with little experience running a business may feel overwhelmed at first. However, franchisors have traveled this road and have accumulated a wealth of knowledge over years of hard work and perseverance. Share your lessons and best practices with franchisees through written materials and other forms of communication such as meetings, Q&A sessions, and informal discussions. When franchisees feel supported and invested in, they will have confidence, perform better, and reinforce their trust in the brand.

6. Helping franchisees "sell" themselves effectively

The success of franchisees is a win-win situation for both parties. The more they sell, the healthier your business will be. Marketing is key to informing customers about the existence of your franchise and ensuring a healthy bottom line.

Encourage franchisees to focus on marketing initiatives. Not everyone comes from a marketing background, so it's important to give franchisees a solid foundation to help them get started. For example, you can provide a marketing plan that covers the first three months of a franchise location's operation. You should provide specific promotional materials, timing, and costs for each marketing activity, both online and offline.

7. Employ support and automation tools

In the chaotic world of running a franchise business, it is critical that your franchisees have the information they need to do their jobs effectively. Emails get lost in inboxes and meetings get sidetracked. Here are some great tools to help make communication with franchisees as smooth and efficient as possible.

• Calendar: This meeting scheduling software helps you find the perfect time to hold a meeting with ease.
• DocuSign: Use this application to collect digital signatures and complete important franchise agreements in minutes, wherever you are.
• Dropbox: A great tool for storing and sharing content about the franchise, such as marketing materials and operating manuals, allowing easy collaborations with franchisees .
• Google Docs: Use this platform to create, access and edit shared documents and collaborate with others in real time.

Facebook Groups: An informal outlet for franchisees to connect and share their ideas and experiences, discuss common issues, and organize activities.