By selecting FranchiZeManager you have made a substantial step towards getting your franchise network organised and under control. As with all systems implementation there are some important decisions you will need to make. This guide is designed to help you make those choices in the right order, and make your implementation as stress free as possible.
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Complete the New Customer Details form online, this establishes you in our accounting system. Please note we can’t schedule your implementation until this form has been completed.
When complete we will schedule your implementation and provide you with a date that your site will be available. Please remember that your monthly billing starts from the day after we issue your first login, therefore if you wish to start from a particular (later) date you need to inform us by entering the date on your sign-up form.
As a minimum you should appoint two key roles in your organisation for the implementation of FZM. They can be the same person, especially if you are a smaller company.
Project Sponsor: This is a high level role, they are the billing contact and will sign-off on System Change Requests.
Project Co-ordinator: This is a hands-on role, they will become the ‘power-user’ of the system, responsible for coordinating data gathering, answering user’s questions and providing support to franchisees (if they are using the system). They will test system changes and customisations, plus they may write (or coordinate the writing of) the system User Guide for your business.
Our support team prefers, and strongly recommends, that all systems questions and requests for changes are channeled through your appointed Project Co-ordinator. It is more efficient and effective for both parties.
Anyone involved in implementing FZM, and especially the Project Co-Ordinator, should read the Getting Started section of the User Guide. This Guide will answer many of the questions regarding how to set-up your data in FZM. It doesn’t take long and will be invaluable to your understanding. Some key questions it will help answer include:
It’s good to have some idea about what modules you wish to use during Phase 1. It is common to start with a smaller set of modules at ‘go-live’ to make implementation easier.
Review the demo site and the FranchiZeManager.com website. Also work through the Implementation Pack to answer some key questions on the modules you wish to use. For modules you don’t want to use immediately we can hide the menu items from the system to make it easier for your users to navigate.
When you know your modules just email them to the FZM support team.
You can import data into any module of FZM. Usually data is commonly imported into these modules:
There are also other modules, so consider all your current sources of data, include all your spreadsheets being kept around National Support Office and of course filing cabinets and shared hard drives and services like Drop-Box.
As a general rule if you have less than 15 records of data for a module then manual entry is usually faster and easier than importing.
The process is simple. For each FZM module there is an Excel template. You fill in the template, email it to FZM Support and we will import it into the system.
Sometimes it is recommended you enter one record manually using the front end of the system into the relevant module first. This will help you to understand the system and ensure all the fields you require are in existence before we import your data. When you have one record imported we will email you a CSV template file that lists the column headings and your one sample data record. You simply add additional rows into the CSV file, adding your data in a new row for each record. When complete just email it back to FZM Support and we will import the data and notify you when complete.
There is a separate data import template for each module:
Enquiries: click here
Franchisees: click here
Franchise Partners: click here
Staff: click here
Users: click here
Store Opener: click here
Note: if you find it difficult to match your data to column headings just contact support and they will assist (or do it for you!)
You now have a working system with your data entered. It’s time to think about developing usage policies (and business processes) that you want to be applied to your new system. This will help ensure great user adoption, with everyone in your business clear on what modules are used and who is responsible for maintenance.
We suggest you document these policies and make them available to staff. If you’re using the Noticeboard feature of FZM then make your first notice about your FZM usage policies. For example: “A Note must be entered into FZM following every substantial conversation with a Franchisee. A ‘substantial’ conversation is one where…”.
Now you have your usage policies make sure your staff members know about them. Consider each module and who is responsible for maintaining the data in that module. Make these responsibilities known in your organisation. For example: “Sally Smith (Legal & Compliance Officer) is responsible for all data in the Lease module”.
Your users will have questions about how the new system works. Determine in advance how these questions are going to be submitted and answered. This role is usually performed by your Project Co-ordinator, since this person is your ‘power user’ they are the best person to answer your User’s queries, as they understand your business and the new system.
If a bug is discovered, or a system change is required, the Project Co-ordinator will be responsible for submitting the support request to FZM Support. A great ticket makes it much easier for our team to deliver great support. If you’re the Project Co-ordinator please read this Knowledge Base article on How to Submit a Great Support Ticket.
For the first few months it’s important to keep an eye on how your users are utilising the system, and ensure your business processes and policies are being followed. The Timeline feature is a good method for this, you can view individual’s actions on their User record and also across the whole FZM system (see Admin > User Management menu).
It’s likely that after the initial set-up, when you’ve been up and running for a few weeks, you will spot some opportunities to customise the system and adjust it better to match your business processes. Reach out to FZM Support to discuss these and arrange a session with us to walk through the system and review how your system is going.