2015 AFDR Highlights: Website Response - Still Lacking

By: Eddy Goldberg
Published: May 4th, 2015

This newsletter continues to present highlights from the 2015 Annual Franchise Development Report (AFDR). The 2015 AFDR is based on responses from 139 franchisors representing 36,313 units (32,693 franchised and 3,620 company-owned). This week: how franchisors franchisor website response to inquiries.

This portion of the AFDR's mystery shopping was conducted by Luis Zuniga, Mile Marker 10, who researched 140 brands by posing as a qualified buyer based on each brand's stated criteria. The results were not encouraging, by any stretch of the imagination.

Comparing this year's results with those of the three previous years finds mixed results.

• The number of franchisors responding by phone to the qualified prospect within 24 hours rose from 21 percent in 2013 to 35 percent in 2014. However, this number also means two out of three franchisors took longer - if they responded at all.
• For instance, the number of franchisors who never sent an email to the prospect rose from 22 percent to 36 percent (although this was down from 49 percent in 2012), while those who never called back to the qualified prospect rose from 52 percent to 63 percent!

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