Page 95 - Business Plans that Work A Guide for Small Business

86 • Business Plans that Work

The following sections Turnkey On-Site Operational Systems Including
provide greater detail on
what Lazybones is “selling” the Following:
to the franchisees. Be careful
to prioritize this message
based on customer percep- • High-efficiency “green” commercial laundry equipment
tion of importance.
optimally sized and selected for services
• Custom site design maps and layout of equipment, staff, and workflow
• Licensed and professional installation by plumbers and electricians
• Computers, routers, card swipers, and barcode scanners for laundry and
storage workstations
• Detailed operational instructions for each workstation in the laundry and
storage processes
• Handheld scanning units for work done in the field
• Video surveillance systems with Web integration for offsite monitoring and reviewing
• Global Positioning System and associated software for tracking the location of
franchisee’s delivery vans
Investors will look for
how these central functions
scale and create economies Access to Centralized Functions:
of scale.
• A Web database system for managing the entire operation, automatically
tracking invoices, customers, processes, and employee work hours, as well as
processing credit card sales transactions into franchisee bank accounts. This
database includes tools for identifying problems with a customer’s laundry
(lost items for instance), for communicating those problems to key members
of the organization, and for tracking them to solution. The database is also set
up to post sales invoices and payment data directly to QuickBooks accounting
software.
• A central Web site and server for answering customer questions and
registering new customers and taking their payments.
• Integration with our customer service phone bank for taking customer orders
and receiving and handling customer complaints and concerns. Use of the call
center is an additional fee for franchisees and is intended as extra support
during extreme seasonal times, during times when the service is short staffed,
or when customer traffic simply reaches higher-than-normal volumes.
• An online communications hub for use by both franchisees and company
store managers. This will include a complete directory of email addresses, cell
phone numbers, and online chat addresses; a suggestion blog maintained by
the company’s franchising personnel; and a discussion bulletin board. The chat
features of the company are integrated at each workstation to facilitate rapid
response time in a fast-paced environment.
• As the local franchise grows, our system provides efficiency reports and
extensive metrics with which franchise owners can better evaluate, manage,
and motivate their staffs. Payroll efficiency in this labor-intensive industry is
directly linked with any franchisee’s bottom line.