Importance of procuring the right staff in franchising

Marcel Strauss, managing executive of The Fish & Chip Co.

Marcel Strauss, managing executive of The Fish & Chip Co., shares some insights on how new franchisees need to go about hiring the best team for their store.

It is said that franchising offers a nearly guaranteed way of becoming a successful business owner, as its building blocks are cemented on the successes of other aspiring business pioneers. The franchising model is a promising one indeed as it affords franchisees the freedom to run their own stores, with the added bonus of structures and guidelines in place to steer them in the right direction.

It is important to note, however, that even though franchise businesses usually come with tried-and-tested plans and practices there are still some things that are the sole responsibility of the new owner. Hiring the correct staff is one of these responsibilities that the franchisee needs to be held accountable for.

Employees are the first point of contact

For any business to attract customers and attain them in the long haul, hiring the right staff is crucial. The employees should be considered the first point of contact with any brand and should they be ill-equipped or lacking the ability to deal with customers, the franchise and brand as a whole could be impacted on. By staffing a business with a team of skilled, efficient and friendly employees, the future of the store is set on the fast track to success.

New franchisees need first to determine how much help they will need to run the store effectively and the franchisor will be the best point of contact to advise on this. At The Fish & Chip Co. we are on hand to help franchisees work out how many team members they will need, which can be adjusted once the trading patterns of the new store has been established.

As a guide, a new The Fish & Chip Co. store will typically start out with the following:

• Two grillers
  
• One potato operator
  
• One to two kitchen assistants
  
• One co-ordinator or kitchen supervisor
  
• One order dresser
  
• One cashier
  
• One manager
  
• One delivery staff member

Once the number of people needed, as well as how much budget is available to pay each in their designation, has been established, the meticulous process of interviewing and appointing staff begins. An important factor to consider is the unique vision, mission and voice that the brand has, as this will determine the types of attributes that are essential in a staff complement.

When conducting interviews it is important always to question if people will be ideal candidates to represent the business. They need to have an ability to work well with other staff, follow instructions with a good attitude, be punctual at all times, have good personal hygiene and communicate well. All of these requirements need to be present in a candidate who will be serving customers and representing the brand.

Once procurement has taken place, management of human capital is more vital than ever. Making the transition to being an employer of a full staff complement needs to be a thorough one and a large amount of time will need to be devoted to managing and training the new recruits to ensure that they live up to the standards set by the brand and its customers. Only in doing so will longevity and success in franchising be secured.