Leading sign and graphics specialist FASTSIGNS UK has reported a double-digit increase in sales revenues for their UK franchisees, for the first six-months of the year, following major investments in technology.
So far in 2019, the global signage and visual communications network has rolled out three significant technological advancements: A new point of sale (POS) system, a franchisee Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and a new App-based training platform.
The POS system, Corebridge, has been rolled out to 90% of the UK network with the remaining 10% expected to convert before the end of 2019. The centres that are actively using this innovative, cloud based POS system are reporting that it is helping to stimulate growth, by streamlining customer service processes and providing a centralised dashboard for salespeople to respond to customers while offsite.
The new CRM, Diamond is an internal system that helps FASTSIGNS to ensure franchisee satisfaction. The system allows the brand to gather data on over 700 centres, operating in 10 countries, within the network and analyse the data trends to make informed and strategic decisions for the whole network. This advancement has lead to continued and improved service from the franchisor to its franchise network.
FASTSIGNS’ launched the Gamification Training App at the end of last year. The introduction of the training method marks an exciting revamp to the way the company provides training to its UK franchisees. The offering comes in addition to the brand’s core training methods including their 24-hour web based learning portal and in person training sessions, delivered by experts in the respective field. The app delivers an easily accessible tool for on-the-go training allowing team members to equip themselves with essential skills through their smartphone or tablet, at a time and place that suits them.
Explaining more about the year’s successes so far, John Davies, managing director of FASTSIGNS UK, said: “Customer service is at the heart of everything we do. Bringing in both the new POS and CRM systems allows us to ensure it remains of paramount importance, both internally and externally. Diamond helps us to deliver the highest service levels to our franchise network, which cements their satisfaction in their business. This satisfaction safeguards the level of service they provide to their customers, which the implementation with the Corebridge POS system assists with.”
“Day to day, the running of a FASTSIGNS centre will often mean spending time on location, installing signage and liaising with the project installation teams. Thanks to the new POS initiative, staff can respond to customer enquiries quickly and easily wherever they are.”
“In addition, one thing we pride ourselves on, is the detail and care we put into the training of all our franchisees. Training is not something that should just take place at the start of the franchisee journey – it’s an ongoing process. Finding the time to complete training and run a business can be tricky and this was the driving force for the launch of our Gamification Training App. Since then, it’s been great to see so many of our centre teams engaging with the app and develop their skills in a fun and easily accessible way.”
Further successes from the year also include the launch of the FASTSIGNS York and FASTSIGNS Portsmouth centres, increasing the brand’s reach across the North and South of the UK.
With more new centre launches in the pipeline and plans to expand its digital signage offering further, John added: “We have a number of advanced level discussions happening with potential franchisees, we expect a number of new centres to launch in the UK before the end of the year. In terms of sales direction, we plan to capitalize on the growing consumer demand for digital and interactive signage. Interior décor solutions are also becoming an interesting sales market, new substrates and improvement in print quality allows customers to revamp their work space without completely refitting their fixtures and fittings. They can create a whole new aesthetic by cleverly wrapping their existing furniture and equipment. Interior decor solutions are something we’re really excited about and has become a real area of growth for us over the past year.”
“As we look ahead to the coming months, we expect to announce the launch of a number of new centres and along with the change in ownership of four of our existing centres, as some of our most successful franchisees complete their journey into retirement, in 2019, we predicted a robust increase in productivity for the remainder of the year. We look forward to building on recent successes and celebrating a strong year-end performance.”
Across the UK, the FASTSIGNS network now consists of over 150 employees, working across 22 centres.
