by Rudolf A. Kotek
As part of the operational function in a well-developed franchise system, you should prepare and provide an effective operations manual that documents the functions of the franchise business in a written, chronological, step-by-step format, so that the franchisee can easily follow them after completing the initial franchise training program.
The Operations manual can easily reach up to 2,000 pages for Restaurant Franchises and 300 pages for simple cart or retail franchises. Your Franchise Consultant will provide you with your tailored manual as part of the Franchise Development service. Each Franchisor’s operations manual is unique, because in a given industry, each successful Franchisor has a quality that distinguishes the business from its competitors.
A sample layout of an operations manual of a franchised business:
• Essential Characteristics
• Pre Opening Activities
• Payment to Franchisor
• Insurance
• Advertising
• Recruiting Personnel
• Payroll
• Personnel Policies
• Non-Competition Agreement
• Job Descriptions
• General Operation Procedures
• Initial Preparation of product
• Product Preparation
• Service Procedures
• Customer Handling
• Cashier Flow
• Daily Store Opening & Closing Procedures
• Cleaning Procedures
• Procurement
• Supply Delivery Procedures
• Recipes (for Restaurants)
• Forms & Reports
• Inventory
Rudolf Kotik is the founder of RK Franchise Consultancy Inc, which developed more than 350 Filipino Companies into Franchise Systems. Email: rk@rkfranchise.com; Websites: www.rkfranchise.com, www.franchise.ph
