Whether you’ve got a few locations for your current business or you’re looking to expand, one of the biggest challenges you’ll face is how to manage a multi-location business. You’ll want things to be consistent across the board, even when working with different employees in different places. For that reason, you’ll need to get creative about ways that you can keep things consistent, ensure that your various locations can access the same information and uphold the same standards. If you’re looking to learn more about how to best manage a multi location business, keep reading to learn more.
Use Technology to Make it Easier
You’ll want to invest in an intuitive CMS (Content Management System) that can be accessed in a variety of locations. A multiple location CMS will allow you to ensure that your business runs smoothly, no matter where it’s being accessed from. You can also use technology, like Zoom, in order to have remote meetings whether your employees are traveling or just spread out. If you’re going to try to manage multi location businesses, you’ll need to implement as much technology as humanly possible to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Have a Clear Framework for Everything
As in most areas of your life, consistency is key, and having a clear framework that is easily accessed and duplicated in each location will make your life much easier. If your business is a customer-facing chain, for example, then a priority will be ensuring that your customers get the same level of care in each of your establishments. You’ll also want to invest the time to ensure your training manuals, business policies and even your company vision is uniform across the board. This will become even more critical as you grow and expand, so it’s worth getting right from the beginning.
Prioritize Communication
This is especially critical if you are unable to be on site regularly at your other business locations. Having effective and clear communication between you and your staff will help you catch any issues before they escalate. Again you can implement technology to help make this easier for you. It may be worth creating a group chat for all of your branch managers or including them on the same email thread so you don’t have to repeat communications.
Invest in Good Management
Having managers onsite that you can trust to utilize technology properly, follow your company’s framework and policies and prioritize communication is essential. You want to hire the best managers that you can afford, as they’ll be your eyes and ears on the ground. They’ll also be in charge of leading your team and ensuring that there’s a good sense of camaraderie. Be sure to regularly bring your entire team together face-to-face whether for meetings or fun activities to increase job satisfaction and employee retention.
Managing a multi-location business can feel absolutely overwhelming, but with these tips I’m sure you’ll be able to manage your business well, no matter how large it grows.