It certainly seems great when your repair business is profitable. However, once that is achievable, you can create more employee ships and open up new locations for your repair business.
No doubt, small business owners dream of having the freedom to open multiple franchises in different cities at a time. In addition to this, managing multiple locations is also part of the dream.
Here the only issue is that different locations may have logistical problems. For example, it is
impossible for you to be present in two places at the same time. For that, a straightforward solution is to use a repair shop software. It will help you automate and streamline all your repair shop processes while efficiently managing all your store locations and franchises.
In addition to this, there are other things you can do to make sure all processes are running smoothly at your repair store locations. If you don’t adopt ways to manage all your locations while giving quality attention, you can end up losing everything.
It’s understandable that dealing with two or more locations can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. To help you with this problem, here are a few challenges with tips that will help you manage all your locations and franchises.
1. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
When running multiple locations for your repair business, it is humanly impossible to be present in all locations. You can only focus on the problems of the location you are physically present in. And you might end up only overlooking other locations.
For instance, your primary concern while running your repair business will be to ensure that every store is being taken care of. Because each location needs equal time and attention.
Indeed, you can assign tasks to other team members. But the main thing your focus should be on is to visit every location frequently to monitor your business personally. It will ensure that everything is running smoothly.
2. Bad Communication
According to a survey, 80% of businesses claim poor communication as a significant concern.
Your communication needs to improve if you want to manage all the locations of your business. In addition to this, repeating the same ideas and plans on multiple occasions is a big challenge when you start running in more than one location at a time.
Therefore, you can conveniently solve these issues through easy guidelines and training items for each employee so that they can perform their tasks properly.
You can add all data relating to employee onboarding, training, and repairing devices on your cell phone repair shop software for better communication. Your employees can easily access all the information, thus making your repair shop communication better.
3. Scarcity of Leaders
Currently, if you’re planning to expand your repair business, make sure you pick the right employees.
The reason being that some business requires a supervisor who is determined to handle all the employees. Because there will be some employees who will have trouble finishing all their tasks on time. To make sure they fulfill all their assignments on time, you will need leaders who can keep an eye on them and help them if need be.
It is humanly impossible for you to become a mentor for all your employees at different locations. Handing over crucial tasks to employees you can trust is the ideal solution in this situation.
Hence, these trustworthy employees can delegate tasks to other employees. In this way, you will be able to focus on other priority tasks at the managerial level. Consequently, taking all your woes away.
4. Lack of Cohesiveness
Unhealthy competition can start when you run more than one franchise. You may notice aggressive competition between the two locations.
So, you need to pinch that “Us VS. Them” concept in the beginning so that you don’t have to face any problems.
No doubt it is pretty standard that employees of every location don’t know each other. But, if they don’t know them, it can lead to serious competition.
As a business manager, ensure that every employee of each location is aware that there is no competition among branches. All of them are on the same team.
The solution to this problem is having regular meetings between teams of each location. Ensure that all your employees discuss their questions and provide suggestions that can enhance your repair business. You can also train your employees on new updates to your POS software.
Hence, when you give a healthy environment to your team, they will enthusiastically take part in the growth of their branch. Moreover, they will happily share their ideas with one another, sharing goals, activities, etc.
For other recreational activities, you can have outings for your employees where you allow them to enjoy themselves together as a team.
5. Demand for Weekly Reports
Weekly progress reports have an essential role in the development of your repair business. When you keep asking for reports, it may sound unbelievable, but employees will provide their 100%.
They will not want to be highlighted as the one who doesn’t work correctly. So they will reduce all the extra activities and put all their attention on their repair tasks.
Even if you visit your locations every day and everything seems fine, you still have to make sure. For this, a weekly progress report will show everything.
You can even set goals for employees and check whether or not they have achieved them. This way, you won’t even have employees faking to do work even when not doing it. Because the reports will show everything.
Final Word
We hope that you don’t feel that it’s impossible to manage locations after reading this article.
So, whether you are opening a new location or multiple locations, for that matter, these tips will put you on the right path to success. But first, make sure you use the right repair shop software for effective communication and navigation of processes.
Remember, once you get everything streamlined, things will get easier for you.
