How to Avoid 10 Traps of Franchisee Surveys

Yes, it’s tough to get frank and honest feedback from franchisees, especially when your network is facing challenges (which is often the case).

Your enemy is the natural defensiveness that can arise when reading a report that contains criticisms or suggestions for improvement.

Our experience reviewing hundreds of franchisee surveys is that this feedback, whether good, bad, or indifferent, provides golden opportunities for franchisor teams to build greater trust and credibility.

How to get the most out of your franchisee surveys

The key to unlocking the value in these reports is to be aware of the tricks our minds can play that can derail a constructive response.

#1: Be curious about why franchisees feel as they do. Think about what might be driving certain trends. Be like a scientist trying to uncover the truth of what’s going on in your network. Don’t jump to convenient conclusions that support your own beliefs but might hide the truth.

#2: Beware the drama triangle. This refers to three dysfunctional patterns we tend to revert to when criticised. The Victim feels helpless and whines, “It’s not fair.” The Persecutor seeks to blame and punish others and wants to know “Who said that?” The Rescuer wants to prematurely jump in to save everyone and says, “It’s okay, I’ll fix it.”

#3: Adopt a growth mindset. Seek to improve rather than prove yourself. You asked for the feedback, so welcome it. Don’t rationalise the findings by saying things like “They clearly don’t understand what they are talking about!” (a Persecutor response).

#4: Focus on the positives. Rather than becoming obsessed with specific criticisms, identify and build on what is working. Often, we see franchisor executives get derailed by one or two critical comments amongst a sea of positives.

#5: Respect confidentiality. If you promise confidentiality or anonymity to franchisees, it is vital you respect this and not try to find out how individuals responded or who said what. This is the value of using an external agency.

#6: Embrace the SARA response. (This stands for Shock, Anger, Reflection and Acceptance). It’s normal to initially feel shocked, angry or disappointed by criticism or negative findings. This will pass if you treat the findings as useful insights into how people felt when they completed the survey.

#7: Provide prompt feedback to all stakeholders. You will build credibility with franchisees if you are prompt and open with the findings, no matter how bad these are. Remember that the franchisor team also need to get access to this feedback promptly.

#8: Seek follow-up feedback. Ask trusted franchisees, perhaps on your FAC, to help you understand what could be driving certain attitudes and beliefs, or trends in the data. A well-organised “Group Scoop” with franchisees can also be a great initiative to unlock further insights and encourage collaboration to improve things.

#9: Turn insights into actions. Work with your team and advisory committees to establish specific goals and targets for improvement, and regularly review progress on agreed actions as part of your meeting rhythms.

#10: Keep franchisees informed of progress. This will build your credibility as a leadership group and give them confidence that you are genuinely listening and acting on their feedback. It will also build engagement and optimism for the future.