In this article published by Entrepreneur, iFranchise Group CEO and expert franchise consultant, Mark Siebert, revisits the topic of how best to implement Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in franchise systems.
“It’s no longer a question of if or when to implement artificial intelligence in training, recruiting and marketing programs,” he states in the article, “but rather what it has already cost you if you haven’t.”
Siebert discusses the usefulness of A.I. in formulating timely, automated responses to both consumer and prospective franchisee inquiries. He also reviews the benefits that A.I. can bring to internal operations and training programs. He notes that A.I. can also serve a purpose in data and trend analysis, to help prepare franchisors for future operational periods, by providing predictive data and competitive research to help inform future activities.
Siebert, however, provides some cautions for franchisors when implementing A.I. in their systems. Considerations to take into account include the financial costs, the importance of maintaining brand integrity, and ensuring that these technologies are not implemented solely for the sake of their “newness” factor, but for their actual benefit to the organization as a whole.
