What Is Franchise Management Software for Service-Based Businesses?

Franchise management software you use for your franchise should inspire that same trust. 

Its inner mechanisms should streamline all your key operations — from appointment booking, and transactions to inventory. All in one singular platform.

And it doesn’t hurt if it’s customizable too.

But as you know, not even every Swiss watch is the same. What you get depends on the manufacturer. 

The same is true with franchise management software. The industry is expected to reach $72.16 Million by 2030. To compare, it was valued at $16.42 million in 2023. 

For franchisors, this means you have a lot of different management solutions to choose from. Some software specialize in automated marketing. Most are oriented towards appointment bookings.

What should you look for when choosing management technology for your franchise?

Here’s what we at MyTime mean by franchise management software.

What Is Franchise Management Software?

Franchise management software is a specialized solution from which franchisors manage and oversee an entire franchise network. In simple terms, you have all your operations in one place — from inventory, booking, and payments to marketing and CRM.

As you grow, your operations scale too. 

There are more bookings, more payments, staff and locations to manage. Your software has to keep up with your growing business.

Also, it should replace any disjointed and manual processes. 

This means moving away from old, siloed and clunky software that isn’t designed for franchise management. It’s time to invest in software that supports multi-site and franchise level service-based businesses.

When you scale your operations, the stakes are higher too. 

Mistakes with bookings and time wasted on time-consuming manual tasks hinder your further growth and potential revenue.

The software you have should help you run a well-organized franchise. It helps you earn topline revenue without complicating your processes at scale.

Who Has Control?

We leave that decision to you. MyTime software management provides different levels of control. Administrators set permissions and different levels of access for users.

Based on employee roles, every person gets assigned an appropriate level of control over the functionalities of the management software.

This means they can access what they need for their roles.

Not everyone needs access to POS, reports, marketing tools, and client profiles. 

For example, you can limit access for a receptionist at a pet grooming salon to the appointment and Point of Sale (POS) part of the system.

You can easily manage access control yourself. Change settings when you hire new employees to the franchise. Or remove the access after the person is no longer part of it.

Access control is there for the safety of your data because it limits who can access more sensitive files.

But it also helps teams to be more productive. The fewer features an app has, the better the user experience. They’ll easily find what they need without getting lost in the labyrinth of the different functions they don’t even use.

As any skilled UX designer will tell you: “Less is more.” Remove redundancies and visual clutter wherever you can.

Can You Do It Yourself?

In short: yes. MyTime franchise management software is user-friendly and fully customizable. Businesses tailor the system to their specific needs without the need for extensive technical expertise.

If something is not clear or you need help, we’ve got your back. Training and any additional support are at your fingertips. Because we want you to make the most out of the software.

For example, we can help you add the booking option to your website. And sync it with all the other places from which clients book appointments (such as Instagram or Google Search).

But you don’t have to take it from us. This is what one of our clients says about MyTime:

“My experience has been 100% outstanding with MyTime. Every email has been answered and every call returned within the day. Their helpfulness has been just great!” 

— Patricia Davis, First Impression Hair Design

Key Management Software Functionalities

Every franchise management software comes with a different set of solutions. Common options are scheduling, CRM, email marketing, billing and invoicing, and lead management. 

For example, MyTime has 9 core capabilities that you can mix and match to suit your business needs.

They include:

1. Online appointment scheduling and management
2. Inventory management
3. Point of sale (POS) systems
4. Customer relationship management (CRM)
5. Franchise marketing and promotion software
6. Reporting and analytics
7. Integration with other systems
8. Franchise management
9. Software training and support

You can use the full stack of these software solutions. Or only those that your franchise needs.

Let’s break them down.

Online Appointment Scheduling and Management

As a service business franchise, an effective booking software is a must. It has to juggle complex scheduling requirements, manage multiple staff and services, and book appointments correctly.

What does that mean, exactly?

From MyTime users, we’ve discover that:

• 43% of bookings happen outside regular working hours of business
• 20% of booked appointments were sourced from the booking channels we added for the business — such as Bing, Google, Facebook, or Instagram
• 85% fewer no-shows happen with automated appointment confirmations

First, the staff sets their availability. Then, the booking function ensures you don’t overbook or underbook and that clients don’t forget their appointments. 

When they can book whenever and wherever they want, your clients are more likely to choose you.

Inventory Management

Managing inventory across multiple locations can be challenging. How to streamline ordering, reordering, and make sure the inventory is fully stocked at all times?

With MyTime franchise management software, the inventory is directly linked to the POS systems.

This means that you can:

• Automate reordering
• Track inventory levels in real-time
• Get notified when you need to reorder your bestsellers

Out-of-stock products are one of the leading causes of customer frustration. When everything is synced and up to date, you can prevent oversights that might lead to it.

Point of Sale (POS) Systems

Clients want convenient payment options.

This means having the ability to pay either via your app, website, in person, or their phone.

Management software for a franchise helps you handle all payments and sales taxes in one place.

It also provides you with detailed revenue reports for every location of your business — as well as for every client. That data is significant when you are looking for more room for growth.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customers are the heart of any service-based business. MyTime’s customer relationship management (CRM) feature helps you manage customer interactions and track their preferences.

With 2-way messaging over text with photos or email, staff can easily communicate with clients and from their location.

Customers and clients want to feel heard. 

MyTime can help you discover and answer negative feedback early. It notifies you when a customer leaves a review.

Franchise Marketing and Promotion Software

As a marketing manager, specific client data helps you launch successful email marketing campaigns, social media promotions, and loyalty programs.

Franchise management software helps you create and manage marketing campaigns backed up by customer data.

Our clients increased their number of visits using automated marketing by 30%. That’s because they know their customers, how they behave, and which days are the most profitable ones.

As a result, your marketing efforts make sense for the clients who use your service.

For example, you can:

• Offer discounts for predicted slower days
• Automate reminders that it’s time to book their next appointment
• Pre-schedule emails offering special promo codes for loyal customers

With every campaign you launch, you can see the results from the integrated booking, marketing, and transactions.

This means that you can measure your marketing success based on how many bookings you’ve received and the revenue generated by each campaign.

Reporting and Analytics

Real-time analytics are the key to making informed business decisions. Whether you’re a franchise owner or marketing manager who uses the software, you need detailed reports. 

Reliable data helps you predict the future of a business and decide the next steps.

For example, MyTime insights provide you with a report of:

• How many appointments are booked in a week
• Which channel the customers use to book their appointments (socials, website, or something else)
• How many appointments were booked, canceled, or resulted in no-shows
• Key performance indicators (such as revenue and productivity)

Having all that data gathered in one place helps you optimize your operations. And show which franchisee needs your support most.

Integration With Other Systems

If you’re like most businesses, your finance manager, IT teams, or marketing managers have already gotten used to the software they use every day.

For example, you might already have accounting software or preferred marketing automation platforms. 

If that’s the case, you can integrate them with MyTime.

Franchise Management

As a franchisor, you can use this software to manage franchise agreements, communicate with the franchisees, and set up royalties.

MyTime helps you manage your scaling franchise operations from a single point of view.

Software Training and Support

MyTime management software is fully customizable. Once you set everything up, from your preferred design to workflows, you’re good to go.

But we also offer comprehensive training and support to ensure you get the most out of all the software and its features.

What Is the Best Service-Based Franchise Management Software?

You’ll find many different franchise management software on the market. Which one is the best for you depends on the unique needs of your franchise.

For example, if you have a retail franchise, you won’t need a booking appointment functionality. 

The table below shows how MyTime management software can help people working in different roles across varied industries. And which functionalities they might use in the day-to-day.

MyTime is fully customizable. 

You get a tailored solution that fits like a glove to your unique needs and workflows. Add only the features that make sense for your business.

Do I Need Franchise Management Software?

Are you managing a franchise with 5 or more locations? And want to open doors in more locations?

Having the right tools to streamline your operations is the backbone of a well-organized business. 

No matter how big you get, you have everything under control in one place. 

That’s what MyTime franchise management software is born to do. It streamlines operations, facilitates communication between franchisees and franchisors, and gives you all the tools you need to grow.

Whether you’re in pet services, beauty and personal care, wellness, salon, spa, or industry, you can always do more in the name of growth.

Reach more people. Book more appointments. Improve your marketing efforts. The software uncovers growth opportunities every step of the way. Because it gives you the data you need to help you make informed decisions.

Want to grow with less complexity and get time back on your side?

Book a free demo with MyTime.