International Franchise Association

buy into a brand ethos that is communicated to the public. As with all businesses, the pandemic drove faster adoption of technology. In the franchise world, meetings with franchise CEOs and franchisees now take place over Zoom calls, as well as staff training. During COVID, IFA created its own webinars due to demand. Now IFA has an entire online community, the IFA Academy, where franchise professionals can access classes to make them better players. A recently revitalized certification is the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE™) program, which was compiled in partnership with the University of Louisville. The six-week curriculum is conducted online in 25-person, instructor-led classes. At the end of the course, individuals are Certified Franchise Executives through IFA and the University of Louisville’s Global Center of Franchise Excellence. “This has been a game changer in the professional development and education in the franchise channels,” says Haller. Haller argues that there is no replacement for developing relationships in person. “Franchisors are still doing lots of in-person meetings and training, but the technology element has met the opportunity of educating on demand by creating online educational modules that allow vendors to acclimatize to guidelines at their own speed,” says Haller. There were a number of issues associated with COVID, namely supply chain problems and labor shortages. With regard to supply chain problems, franchises were able to buck those trends by securing stock for their franchisees. While in labor shortages, franchises that pay their employees a premium wage have faired better than those that don’t. But it has still been a challenge for many franchises to find quality labor. This being said, the push for technological solutions has meant many franchise outlets require less labor - especially in the restaurant industry. Whether it’s via the use of third-party apps, smaller dining rooms, or more drive-throughs, the investment into new technologies has lowered the overall requirement for labor. IFA is also represented by regional groups called Franchise Business Networks that gather and host events in their communities. Currently, there are 40 of these networks operational across the county. Moving into the second half of 2023, IFA’s main focus is to ensure that its strong membership base is supported while continuing to create events that educate and promote the business model and liaising with the government to ensure policymakers understand how the business model works and why we need policies that support it, not bring it harm. Overall, Haller summarizes that the franchise business model has never been stronger. 6 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 06