Franchisor Q&A (#11): Vodafone

🕒 Estimated reading time: 4 min.

Vodafonedefinitely do not want to blend in with the rest – they're on a mission to shake up the mobile network industry. In 2018, they were crowned Mobile Network of the Year and it's easy to see why. Between their exciting range of mobile phone plans to more roaming destinations than any other network, they're leading by example with excellent customer service. They are recruiting for ambitious and entrepreneurial franchisees who can bring a whole new perspective to the business. Chris Wilkins, Vodafone's Head of Franchise, explains what makes Vodafone unique and how they can help franchisees to grow a successful mobile phone network of their own.

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What makes Vodafone stand out from other network providers in the UK?

Vodafone’s story is a story of firsts – from making the very first mobile phone call in the UK on the 1^st January 1985 to being the first network to launch unlimited plans on 5G, we are constantly looking to innovate and to lead at every opportunity. We put our customers first which is why we don’t charge a premium for 5G unlike other mobile networks; we let our customers be unlimited – just like our plans. Trusted Reviews crowned us Mobile Network of the Year 2018, and we’re the UK’s best network for roaming with more destinations than any other UK network. We have the largest choice of entertainment and we reward our loyal customers via our VeryMe app. What’s not to love?

Why did you decide to franchise the business and how successful has this initiative been?

With 80% of our global retail estate franchise stores, it seemed like the next logical step for Vodafone UK to follow. It’s given us the opportunity to open stores in new places, with partners who have knowledge of the local area and its community. For us, this initiative has been successful thus far: franchising has provided us with the opportunity to work with external entrepreneurs who have brought fresh eyes to the company, allowing us to learn and develop with their help. We are also accredited members of the British Franchise Association (BFA) and Encouraging Women Into Franchising (EWIF) – another measure of our success.

What kind of training and support can prospective franchisees expect?

We’re using the skills we’ve learnt over the last 20 years to give our franchisees (we call them partners) the best chance to shine. We give partners financial support through our relationships with Franchise Finance, Barclays HSBC and Avensure; this means you don’t have to pay huge amounts upfront. We give our partners quality training with workshops, training and guidance on developing your: business plan; financial projections; marketing strategy, staffing structures and business performance. Our partners spend one month shadowing a fellow partner or store manager so they can hit the ground running, and are also assigned a regional manager to help with hitting KPIs, targets and further training.

Describe a typical day in the life of a Vodafone franchisee.

Every day brings new challenges and opportunities. In the words of one of our partners, Rhian: “Part of the appeal of this venture is there is no typical day. I split my time between working on the business and working in the business. I like to have a presence in my stores and aim to visit them a few times each week, supporting my store managers and teams with coaching, incentivising and rewarding performance. I also spend time looking after the business accounts, managing and processing payroll and understanding the business profit and loss reports. You can use accountants for this, but I wanted to have complete autonomy over my business.”

What is the best feedback you have received about your brand?

Our partners strongly embrace our brand and the Vodafone culture, and this is reflected in their great feedback about us. We feel like our partners are so much more than franchisees – they are our business partners and our relationship is collaborative. We’re proud to say that that our partners feel the same the way; like they are “part of the Vodafone family”, that we are “approachable and supportive” and that they recommend our programme to friends and colleagues.

How do you help franchisees to achieve a healthy work-life balance?

The support and training that we give our partners, combined with the wealth of experience a store filled of fully trained Vodafone employees, means that partners don’t feel a pressure to be in-store every day to ‘keep an eye on things’. Secure in the knowledge that they can be a business owner rather than a store manager, our partners have the ability to be flexible with their time, and therefore maintain a healthy work-life balance. As Rhian says: “I've spent more time with my husband and family than I have done in years."

Learn more about a Vodafone franchise opportunity right here.