Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2015 | Page 6

Fromtheeditor’sdesk
BY KERRY PIPES

Franchise
update|Q3
CHAIRMAN
Gary Gardner
CEO
Therese Thilgen

Technology: Be Out Front

E

volving technology in the franchise space is enough to make your head spin.
Whether looking to enhance your development and recruitment, streamline
operations, boost market share in a territory, or track marketing ROI, there
are numerous tools that can give you an edge. Choosing the right one, and integrating into your business and strategic goals can be another story. And, while there are
many off-the-shelf products and services franchises can choose, some brands have
unique products and services or distinctive processes in how they conduct business.
They need a more customized solution.
In this, our annual technology issue, we feature case studies of two growing brands—
Oxi Fresh and Jersey Mike’s Subs—that have taken the customized, build-your-own
route to implementing technology to build the brand and serve customers. When it
comes to maximizing technology to achieve their business goals, both are ahead of
the curve, and it shows in their growth.
First up is rapidly expanding Oxi Fresh, which is adding about 50 units a year to
its current count of 280. This cleaning brand is all about technology, from its products to how it assists its franchisees in everyday operations, especially scheduling. In
fact, the company considers itself a technology company that happens to clean carpets. Its home-grown system automates nearly everything for franchises, enabling
them to work more on growing their business, instead of working in it all the time.
Its national scheduling center manages appointments, rescheduling, and much more.
It also provides franchisees with live ROI reports on all their marketing efforts, so
with just a couple of clicks they can easily track what is working in their markets and
quickly make adjustments. And while it wasn’t always this way, especially when the
company began almost 10 years ago, today other service brands are asking to get in
on the action. See page 18.
We also spoke with Jersey Mike’s Subs, which also has been experiencing rapid
growth and is approaching the 1,000-unit mark. Two years ago, our Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference featured a panel that included the company’s president,
COO, CMO, CIO, and CDO, along with a franchisee area director, to illustrate how
technology is at the basis of everything they do. They developed a POS-based solution ѡ