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Business is rapidly developing networks. It needs PRM technology to keep growing

According to the report prepared by the Polish Franchisor Organization, there are currently as many as 1,350 brands operating in the partnership model on the Polish market, and the number of their outlets has long exceeded 85,000 and is still growing. The PRM (Partner Relationship Management) technology, which allows to increase the potential of the partner network, can help in the further development of companies operating in the franchise model.

When it comes to the popularity of the franchise model, Poland is no exception. According to Statista analysts, in 2021 there were over 750,000 franchise outlets in the United States. Virtually the entire world is betting on this business model. Franchise brands operate today in many industries, from food, through catering, to education and healthcare. However, the business challenges they face are common. These are often problems with communication with a growing number of partners, smooth business processes or expanding the network with new franchisees.

Below we present four reasons why it is worth implementing the PRM (Partner Relationship Management) platform in your organization, which addresses most of these challenges.

Better communication = greater involvement

Improving communication within the organization and in cooperation with partners is one of the keys to the success for companies operating in the partner model. By improving the flow of information, you can save time and money, and act more efficiently.

– Our experience from the already completed large PRM projects shows that improving communication increases the involvement of partners and motivates them to develop within the network. This, in turn, directly translates into loyalty and trust – explains Wojciech Zarębski, CEO at PowerPRM. – When developing a partner network, you should take care of tools that will ensure efficient communication within the organization. This facilitates the process of onboarding new partners, which affects their positive perception of the brand and proves the professionalism of the company – he adds.

In companies operating in a distributed model, the exchange of files and documents is a major challenge. Most often, this is confidential information that must be transferred securely. One of the modules of the PRM platform is a space for just such purposes. Documents are stored in one place and only authorized users have access to them.

PRM gamification: greater partner involvement

The PRM platform may also contain elements of PRM gamification, i.e. mechanisms known from the world of games, which increase the involvement of partners in everyday business operations.

PRM gamification trend in partner network management

We see great potential in gamification, and the PRM gamification trend is one of the strong business trends. Competition naturally inspires people to act and introduces an element of fun to work, says Zarębski. – We will not implement gamification mechanisms on our platform right away, but this is an interesting direction in which we would definitely like to go in the future – emphasizes the head of PowerPRM.

According to Statista, more than 3 billion people worldwide play video games, and this trend has led to the growing popularity of gamification models in various industries, including PRM gamification in partner networks. It is expected that by 2027, gamification will grow at a rate of 26.5% per year, and companies that implement it will record a several hundred percent increase in conversion rates.

Automation of business processes = time saving

Ensuring the smoothness of business processes is one of the most important problems in companies operating in the network model. They should be designed in such a way as to best manage the available resources. The PRM technology helps in optimizing processes.

– Engaging the team in processes that can be easily automated is a real loss of potential for the entire network – notes Wojciech Zarębski. – A well-designed and automated process has a low error rate. In the case of the traditional model, there is also the human factor – someone enters something wrong or attaches the wrong document and the process does not work as it should. It is better to free people’s time for more important activities that affect business development, and intelligently automate the processes they were involved in on the PRM platform – the expert suggests.

The automation of business processes also translates into more effective management of tasks and projects in relations with individual partners. Operations can be performed faster because there is no need to wait for someone on the other side to perform an action that can eventually be automated.

Greater transparency = greater loyalty

PRM is a tool that offers organizations an overview of the full lifecycle of partners. This means that they do not have to prepare as many reports and documents, because most of the information can be found on the platform. This approach increases the transparency of the functioning of the entire organization, which can positively affect the level of trust of partners. As Wojciech Zarębski says, the key to building loyalty is getting to know each other’s expectations. This allows you to later select the appropriate modules within the ready-made PRM platform or design a system that takes into account the specific needs of the organization

– The PRM platform can automatically signal risks and negative trends as it consolidates information from multiple sources. If irregularities are detected, audits and inspections can be planned to help eliminate undesirable phenomena – emphasizes the CEO of Power PRM.

Easy business scaling = faster network development

The rapid development of franchise and partner networks must be accompanied by easily scalable technology such as PRM. The creators of this platform assumed in advance that organizations operating in this model would need support in expansion planning and full support for new partners in the event of the implementation of these plans. The modular design of the solution means that each client, with the substantive support of PowerPRM consultants, can develop a platform that best suits his needs. If, as a result of the business development of the network, these priorities change, nothing stands in the way of redesigning the platform.

– The great advantage of the PRM platform is the streamlined process of implementing a partner to the network based on a defined path, as well as a fully automated way of managing the organization, regardless of the number of entities that create it – notes Wojciech Zarębski. – We have created a ready-made PRM-class solution, which is characterized by high flexibility and scalability, and these play a key role in a business carried out in the network model – concludes the head of Power PRM.