How to Build a Five-star Franchisee Success System that actually Works
- jantimms3
- Apr 8
- 9 min read
Updated: Apr 10
What high-performing franchise networks do differently with franchisee support
Introduction
If you’re leading a franchise network, you already know that franchisee success doesn’t happen by chance. It depends on support - not just systems and manuals - but high-quality, well-delivered franchisee support that helps franchisees succeed in the real world of day-to-day operations.
Yet in too many networks, franchisee support is either underdone, inconsistent, or focused on the wrong things. When that happens, frustration builds. Franchisees feel unsupported. Franchisors feel like their investment in field visits isn’t getting traction. And growth stalls.
That’s why rethinking your franchisee support strategy is one of the smartest moves you can make and why I’ve developed the Five Star Franchisee Success System to help franchise networks implement franchisee support that’s structured, targeted, and deeply effective.
This post unpacks the research, challenges, and practical strategies for transforming franchisee support into a high-calibre success driver in your franchise network.
Why Franchisee Support Still Matters - and Why It Often Misses the Mark
I received these kinds of messages time and time again as I interviewed franchisees during my research study:
“We don’t get enough support.” “They show up for a chat, not to help us grow.” “They don’t understand what’s really happening in our business.” |
Sound familiar?
One of the most frequent complaints from franchisees is about support - particularly franchisee support. And while some of those complaints may come from unrealistic expectations, many are rooted in a mismatch between what’s promised and what’s delivered.
It’s not enough to say support is “available.” It must be:
Well-resourced
High calibre
Designed to evolve as franchisees mature
What’s more, support must deliver on your Unifying Vision. If your network’s purpose is to develop and replicate successful franchisee partners, then your franchisee support system must be built to do exactly that.
What the Research Tells Us About Franchisee support
In my seven-year research study, franchisee support came up again and again as a critical success factor in franchise performance. But not just any support - high-calibre, professional support that builds capability and fosters real growth.
Here’s how the research defined calibre in franchisee support:
“The ability, quality, competence, and talent of franchisee support managers to mentor, coach, and support franchisees.”
More importantly, we found that franchisee support isn’t just operational. It’s relational. The best field teams don’t just enforce compliance - they coach, advise, motivate, and partner with franchisees to help them succeed.
But the current state in many networks is far from ideal. The research uncovered five major issues holding franchisee support back:
Unrealistic workload expectations: field staff are often stretched too thin to do the job properly.
"Messenger" mentality: field staff are used to pass on messages from head office rather than drive change.
Departmental silos: poor collaboration between franchisee support and marketing, training, and other functions.
Compliance-first focus: excessive attention to standards, not franchisee growth or capability.
Inadequate calibre: field staff who lack the coaching, communication, or business acumen to earn respect.
These aren’t small issues, and they’re often deeply ingrained.
Which is why your franchisee support system needs more than a tweak. It needs a redesign. A new approach.
Building the Right Mindset - Coaching Over Compliance
Too many field visits revolve around checklists, metrics, and quick chats. While operational standards matter, they’re only a starting point.
What your franchisees really need and what your field team needs to deliver is coaching. Real, business-focused, context-aware coaching that supports growth, not just adherence.
That means the franchisee success team must:
Understand what it's like to be in the franchisee’s shoes
Ask insightful questions
Offer practical advice, not just observations
Recognise opportunities for growth and development
Adapt their support based on the franchisee’s stage of business maturity
This is where calibre really counts.
A story that illustrates this beautifully comes from a UK based franchise brand Pass The Keys. As part of their Success Formula implementation journey, they decided to rename their franchisee support team the Franchisee Success Team. A deliberate and powerful move to align with their vision of helping franchisees thrive, not just comply!
This change wasn’t just cosmetic. It signalled a fundamental mindset shift in how the business viewed franchisee support from administrative oversight to strategic enablement.
I have since suggested this name/mindset change to other franchisor clients and its taking off!
The Five Common Franchisee Support Pitfalls Franchisors Must Avoid
Even with the best intentions, franchisee support often falls short. Based on insights from my research and field experience across a wide range of franchise brands, here are the five most common pitfalls that hinder field effectiveness and how to overcome them:
Under-Resourcing the Role
Field managers are often tasked with too many responsibilities and not enough time. When one person is expected to coach, train, report, inspect, and troubleshoot across dozens of sites, quality inevitably suffers. |
What to do instead:
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Using Field Teams as Messengers, Not Enablers
When field visits are used to “deliver messages from head office” rather than to work alongside franchisees on meaningful improvements, credibility erodes quickly. |
What to do instead:
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Working in Silos
Franchisee support often operates in isolation from other departments – especially training, marketing, and operations – limiting their effectiveness. |
What to do instead:
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Focusing Only on Compliance
While compliance matters, overly rigid “tick-the-box” visits miss the opportunity to build capability and trust. This approach often disengages experienced franchisees. |
What to do instead:
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Tolerating Low Calibre
If franchisee support staff lack credibility, commercial experience, or coaching ability, they won’t earn franchisee trust, no matter how often they visit. |
What to do instead:
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Introducing the Five Star Franchisee Success System
So, what’s the alternative to hit-and-miss franchisee support?
A structured, high-calibre system that sets a standard for performance, consistency, and impact across your entire network. I call it the Five Star Franchisee Success System.
This isn’t just a name. It’s a practical framework designed to help you:
Deliver meaningful, high-impact franchisee support
Build franchisee capability over time
Achieve greater consistency in how support is delivered
Align the field team with your broader vision and priorities
Why five stars?
Because it’s a universally understood benchmark of excellence, one that encourages your team and franchisees alike to aim for more than “good enough.”
“Five stars” isn’t about perfection, it’s about professionalism, structure, and the pursuit of real results. |
Whether you're a growing network or a mature system with a national footprint, this framework helps you move away from ad-hoc support and towards a scalable model for enabling franchisee success.
At the core of the Five Star System are three guiding principles:
Structure matters: Franchisee support must be built around clear rhythms, checklists, and priorities.
Capability comes first: The goal isn’t just to monitor performance, but to grow it.
Consistency drives trust: Franchisees thrive when they know what to expect and when franchisee support delivers it, every time.
In the next section, we’ll dive into what those support roles actually look like and the wide-ranging skill set today’s field teams need to master.
Redefining Franchisee support – What Today’s Field Teams Need to Master
Modern franchisee support is not a one-dimensional role. It requires versatility, adaptability, and a well-rounded skill set that goes far beyond compliance checks or brand policing.
Franchisees need a franchisee success team who can step into multiple roles depending on the context and do so with confidence, competence, and credibility.
Renowned franchise expert Greg Nathan outlines the key functions a field manager should be equipped to perform. These include:
Ambassador: Communicates with diplomacy, gaining franchisee support for network-wide initiatives
Business Consultant: Helps analyse financial data and identify ways to improve profitability
Operations Expert: Provides practical, in-store advice to improve day-to-day efficiency
Marketer: Assists with local area marketing aligned to brand strategy
Coach: Motivates and focuses franchisees on specific actions that will improve performance
Trainer: Provides informal, on-the-job training where needed
Facilitator: Runs meetings that engage and align teams
Inspector: Ensures compliance with operational standards
However, Greg’s own survey results paint a confronting picture:
Franchisee support professionals scored 2/10 for marketing support, 3/10 for training, and only 5/10 for coaching. In contrast, they scored 8/10 for inspection, and 7/10 for "having a chat."
These results suggest that while franchisee support is strong in enforcement and relational interaction, it’s often weaker in building capability especially in the areas that drive financial and commercial success.
So what’s needed?
A shift in recruitment, training, and performance expectations. Field teams should be selected not just for franchise experience, but for their ability to mentor, coach, and drive behaviour change.
That means developing what I call CASKs - the Competencies, Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge needed to truly support franchisees as business partners.
And just as importantly, franchisee support expectations should be clearly documented and shared, both with your field team and your franchisees.
If you haven’t already set mutual expectations for support, now is the time to do it and include it in your franchisee onboarding and operational resources.
Implementing the Five Star Franchisee Success System
You’ve recognised the value of structured franchisee support. You’ve clarified the roles. Now comes the critical part, turning this into a living, breathing system that operates consistently across your network.
Here’s how to get started:
Conduct a Franchisee support Audit
Take an honest look at how franchisee support currently operates:
What are your goals for each visit?
Are franchisees clear on what to expect?
Are field managers clear on their priorities?
Are visits aligned with your Unifying Vision?
Identify gaps, timewasters, and inconsistencies. If visits are unstructured, under-prepared, or treated as routine admin, they need to be overhauled.
Define Your Five Star Standards
What does five-star support look like in your brand?
Establish minimum standards for:
Visit frequency and structure
Pre-visit preparation
Post-visit follow-up
Coaching vs compliance balance
Franchisee feedback loops
Make these expectations visible, internally and with franchisees.
Align Learning & Franchisee support
Franchisee support and learning teams should operate as one cohesive unit.
While formal programs are best delivered by learning specialists, franchisee support managers must:
Reinforce learning during visits
Deliver ad-hoc, just-in-time coaching
Identify capability gaps
Confirm learning transfer through on-the-job observation
Many franchise brands treat these functions separately and that’s a mistake.
Build the Team’s Capability
Equip your field team with the tools, training, and mentoring they need to succeed. Consider:
Business coaching training
Communication and influence skills
Scenario-based workshops
Structured onboarding for new field team members
Regular peer reviews or observation visits
If you want franchisees to level up, your support team must lead by example.
Launch the System and Communicate It Clearly
When you roll out your new Five Star Franchisee Success System:
Communicate the ‘why’ clearly
Involve your franchisees early
Explain what’s changing and what’s staying the same
Set mutual expectations and reinforce them over time
Even mature franchise networks can benefit from reintroducing a refreshed support model that better reflects today’s needs.
And remember consistency is key. A great franchisee support visit in one region and a lacklustre one in another undermines the whole system. The value of a structured, repeatable approach is that it ensures every franchisee, regardless of location, gets high-quality support that actually helps them grow.
CONCLUSION: A Better Franchisee Support System Starts with You
If your franchisees aren’t reaching their full potential or if your team spends more time managing issues than building capability franchisee support is likely the missing link.
The good news? This is something you can fix.
By implementing a structured, high-calibre Five Star Franchisee Success System, you’ll give your franchisees the guidance, motivation, and clarity they need to succeed — while creating consistency and focus across your entire network.
To recap, here’s what makes the difference:
Well-defined expectations for both the franchisee success team and franchisees
A versatile field team that knows when to coach, train, consult, or challenge
Structured systems that make every visit matter
Alignment between learning, franchisee support, and operational strategy
A shared focus on replicating successful franchisees
This isn’t about adding more to your team's plate. It’s about doing what works and cutting what doesn’t.
If you’re serious about driving growth, engagement, and long-term franchisee success, your franchisee success team needs to evolve.
Take the NEXT STEP
Is your current support system helping franchisees thrive or just ticking boxes?If you're ready to make franchisee support your growth engine, the Franchise Growth Bundle is your next step.
For only $97, you can access the Franchise Growth Bundle a complete implementation toolkit for franchisors who want to drive franchisee performance through structured support, coaching, and accountability.
Your bundle includes:
A hardcopy of The Ultimate Franchising Success Formula
Audiobook access - perfect for busy leaders on the go
2 months’ membership to the Get Smart Learning Academy
A complimentary Franchisee Success Diagnostic
A free eLearning pass to ‘Magic FIVE Live’
1 x 60-minute coaching session
Lifetime access to the Franchise Success Resources Vault
Ongoing support via the Success Formula Community
Everything you need to structure and implement your Five Star Franchisee Success System, without reinventing the wheel. |
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