By Jeff Salter
Setting up a franchising business is far more detailed than merely having a good idea that should be replicated. It involves ensuring your business model is proven and scalable, creating a series of complex processes and developing an operating manual that will be used by future franchisees.
But imagine that you could generate this documentation more quickly and with fewer mistakes while you simultaneously check for regulatory compliance issues.
Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and automation are quickly gaining prevalence in the business world and that includes the franchising world. Not only are these technologies changing the way businesses operate, but they can also help businesses improve their customer experience, recruit, train and retain employees, and personalize marketing campaigns.
If you are operating a franchise, you need to consider adding AI to your franchise development strategy if you want to stay ahead of the competition.
An Innovative Brand
In the world of senior home care franchising, technology is not only changing the way franchisees implement a franchisor’s business model, it’s also revolutionizing how caregivers interact with their clients and manage their care.
At Caring Senior Service, for example, our use of AI is helping our franchisees and caregivers automate care plan management across multiple services. It also provides updates and prioritizes tasks so that caregivers can be more efficient.
For most franchisors, their foray into AI usually begins with the use of virtual voice assistants to triage phone calls or to automate repetitive tasks. In other industries, some franchisees are even pushing their franchisors toward automation to solve problems associated with labor shortages.
But no matter how your franchise operates, the fact is that by embracing and adopting AI, ML or automation, you signal to potential franchise owners, employees, and future customers that your brand is innovative and forward-thinking.
And by integrating new technologies, you attract franchise owners who have a proactive mindset. This helps you foster a culture that highlights your willingness to change and take on new challenges.
Tools for Success
From customer service to marketing to operational efficiency, franchisors are always looking for ways to provide their franchise owners with the tools they need to stay a step ahead of the competition in their markets.
Adding AI into your franchising operations helps you analyze vast amounts of data so you can improve the customer experience, predict future trends in your industry and guide your decision-making.
Your franchise owners’ ability to provide excellent customer service is the key to retaining clients. With AI, your franchisees could automate simple tasks like processing orders or prioritizing customer questions so you can free up your customer service representatives to handle more complex issues. This not only makes customers happier, it allows your staff to spend more time with each customer.
AI can also help your franchisees better understand their market by forecasting everything from sales trends to optimizing a client’s care management. AI’s ability to analyze data quickly and efficiently helps you identify patterns and even gauge public sentiment so you can offer the right services for your market.
This combination of providing real-time service and predictive analytics enables your franchise owners to deliver a personalized customer experience while giving them the data they need to proactively plan for future needs or disruptions.
By adopting AI early, you give your franchise owners the tools necessary to have the competitive edge to be No. 1 in their individual service areas.
Investment in Operational Efficiency
For a senior home care franchise, integrating AI is not just about technology for technology’s sake. It builds a more responsive system, so you are assured you are meeting your customers’ needs.
For example, AI can be used to monitor health conditions so caregivers can anticipate a client’s needs. This data can then be used to build a more comprehensive care management plan. It also helps home care franchise owners streamline resource allocation, so they know how best to staff their location.
But to be effective, AI needs to be built into your franchise’s development strategy and delivered throughout your system to support both brand-wide strategies and individual franchisees. This way, your franchise can predict the types of customized care your clients will need, giving your franchisees the competitive edge in their markets.
For example, AI’s predictive analytics can help you decide favorable locations for franchise growth, build personalized strategies for these locations and assist with workflow processes. AI also allows your franchisees to provide ongoing training or certification programs that allow employees to learn at their own pace. Employees can also learn through customized courses that are based on their experience level.
AI can also help your franchise meet regulatory requirements by automating tasks to reduce human error, identifying potential risks and monitoring activities in real-time. This can free up compliance officers to focus on more strategic tasks. If your franchise is required to meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements, adding AI into your operations can make risk assessments less daunting and protect you from data breaches or fines.
But adding AI as part of your operational development can’t be added on a whim. You need to take the time to consider where AI would be best suited in your organization and set clear objectives for incorporating AI, automation or machine learning.
Are you prepared to restructure your operational system to integrate AI into your tech stack? Do you understand the cost of integrating AI throughout your franchise network? Do you have franchisee buy-in, and do employees understand the impact it will have on their workflows?
Your timeline may vary depending on these factors. But if you want the competitive edge that AI, automation and machine learning can provide, you can start making small changes by adding the technology into aspects of your marketing and customer service operations first.
As you and your franchisees grow more accustomed to the technology, you can begin adding it into other parts of your franchise operations.
AI is here. And it’s here to stay. The sooner you begin experimenting with its capabilities, the sooner you can make the changes you need to keep customers happy, help employees do their jobs better and give your franchise the upper hand you need to grow your brand.
Caring Senior Service founder & CEO Jeff Salter began his career in senior care in 1991 working for a home health care agency in Odessa, Texas. Four months later, he started his own senior care service to provide seniors with the non-medical care they need to stay at home. In 2003, Caring Senior Service began offering franchises and today has locations in more than 50 markets nationwide. Salter believes that AI and other machine learning technologies are the future of the home care industry and has spoken at numerous conferences on the subject. For more information on Caring Senior Service, please visit https://www.caringseniorservice.com/.