January 2025 Release Updates[Latest Release]

Content Spaces(Categories): Improve Resource Organization and Content Sharing

Content Spaces enable franchise partners, managers, and frontline employees to quickly locate key resources such as campaign materials, training guides, and compliance documentation. By consolidating resources into categorized spaces for Marketing, Training, and Operations, users can streamline navigation and focus on what matters most.

Key Updates Include:

• Subcategory Visibility: Subcategories are visible only to users with permissions to create Spaces and Subcategories, simplifying the interface for franchisees.
• Pinned Spaces: Content creators can pin spaces to ensure priority items are prominently displayed on the Hub Overview page.
• View All Spaces in One View: Spaces and Pinned Spaces cards display all resources directly on the Overview page, removing unnecessary navigation steps.
• Customizable Spaces Ordering: Drag and drop spaces to rearrange the sequence for better organization and user experience.

To Get Started:

• Navigate to The Hub > Library > Spaces to begin organizing resources into Spaces.

Additional Information:

• Learn more about the new Hub: Overview of The Hub. To enable this feature, use "Grants access to New Hub" permission for user roles. 

New Visit Summary PDF Layout: Clearer and Better Organized Visit Follow-Ups

Help Franchise Partners and Operations Teams quickly locate actionable insights and make informed decisions with the new Visit Summary PDF layout. Tasks are now displayed at the top for better visibility, comments are included only when relevant, and Owner/Consultant responses appear dynamically based on availability.

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Admin > Visits > Configure Summary PDF.
• Enable the new PDF layout (default is turned off).
• Preview the layout and select your preferred option: Compact or Expanded.
• Apply the settings to automatically generate updated PDFs for all visits.

Additional Information:

• Learn more about the new Operations: Introduction to the New Operations. To enable this feature, contact betatesting@franconnect.com.

Corrective Action Tasks Ordering: Alphabetical Sorting for Faster Task Assignment

Corrective Action Tasks are now displayed alphabetically in ascending order in the Compliance Task dropdown, making task assignment faster and more intuitive for field operations teams.

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Operations (Field Ops) > Visits.
• Create a new visit (Audit, Business Review, or Inspection).
• Go to the Tasks tab and click on Add Task.
• Select Compliance Task, now organized alphabetically for streamlined assignment.

Self-Assessments on Field Ops Mobile App: Empowering Proactive Compliance Management and Brand Consistency

Enable owners and managers to proactively identify issues, ensure compliance with brand standards, and prepare for formal visits with the field operations team.

Self-Assessments on the Field Ops Mobile app now allow owners and managers to initiate self-assessments without needing to select consultants. Additionally, owner scores are displayed for owner-conducted visits, and the app identifies the user who completes the visit.

To Get Started:

• Open the Field Ops Mobile app.
• Create a new visit as an owner; the consultant selection is now non-mandatory.
• Conduct the Self-Assessment visit to view and record owner scores.
• Check visit details to see owner scores and identify who completed the visit.

Limited Access Release: To enable this feature, contact betatesting@franconnect.com.

Assign Visits to Franchisees: Comprehensive Business Reviews for Service-Based Brands.

Track performance across multiple territories owned by a franchisee with this enhancement designed for service-based franchise brands. Assign visits at the franchisee level to monitor virtual visits, coaching engagements, business reviews, and action plans. Now available on the Field Ops Mobile app, this feature provides targeted support, actionable insights, and focused improvement efforts.

To Get Started:

• Open the Field Ops Mobile app.
• Navigate to Create Visit.
• Under Related To, select the Franchisee option to assign visits to the franchisee.

Limited Access Release: To enable this feature, contact betatesting@franconnect.com.

Compliance Trends for Site Visits: Advanced Aggregate Reporting with Monthly and Weekly Analysis

Compare compliance trends across different timeframes with new Monthly and Weekly Views in the Site Visit Dashboard. Tab and Section-wise aggregate compliance reporting provides comprehensive insights to support better decision-making and improved performance tracking.

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Analytics > Site Visit Dashboard > Brand Standards.
• Select Monthly View for long-term trends or Weekly View for detailed short-term changes.
• Analyze Tab and Section-wise data and performance metrics from your Visit Forms to refine strategies and enhance decision-making.

New Reporting Status Groups on Franchise Sales Optimization: Enhanced Lead Management and Performance Insights

The Franchise Sales Optimization Dashboard now includes advanced status grouping to help sales teams organize, evaluate, and optimize lead performance. Review lead counts, analyze funnel metrics, and categorize leads to gain targeted insights and refine sales strategies.

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Analytics > Franchise Sales Optimization > Status Grouping page.
• To configure the Franchise Sales Dashboard based on your reporting needs, contact betatesting@franconnect.com.

Forecast Trends for Franchise Leads: Empowering Franchise Sales Teams with Predictive Insights

Leverage the Forecast Trends feature within the Franchisee Sales Optimization Dashboard to analyze historical data and forecast performance trends for New Leads, Closed Leads, and Status Activity over the next three months. This enhancement provides actionable insights to optimize lead management, refine strategies, and make proactive, data-driven decisions.

To Get Started:

• Access Analytics > Franchise Sales Optimization Dashboard.
• Navigate to Performance by Status > Overview > Trends.
• Review projected performance trends for the next three months for New Leads, Closed Leads, and Status Activity, alongside historical trends.

P&L Submission and Analysis: Tailored Insights for Strategic Financial Alignment

Enhance P&L oversight and operational decision-making with tailored access and tools designed for Finance Teams, Franchise Owners, and General Managers.

Collect P&L data directly from locations through QuickBooks Online integration, data imports, or form submissions to ensure accurate and actionable financial reporting.

To Get Started:

• • Navigate to Financials > Profit and Loss.
  • Select from the available options based on your system settings to Import or Enter P&L data.
  • Access Analytics > P&L Analysis Dashboard to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), benchmark financial performance, and analyze trends for data-driven decisions.

Recurring Workflows: Automate Routine Location Notifications and Follow-Ups

Ensure consistency in operational standards, maintain effective communication, and streamline repetitive processes, allowing teams to focus on strategic objectives without manual intervention.

Recurring Workflows simplify recurring task management and notifications by enabling teams to schedule actions like daily reminders, weekly notifications, and monthly data requests.

To Get Started:

• Access Information Manager > Workflows.
• Select Create Workflow and enable the Recurrence option.
• Choose a date field and configure recurrence intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly).
• Define start and end dates, and assign actions such as:
  • Emails with Embedded Webforms for data collection.
  • Tasks to track follow-ups and ensure accountability.
• Review and activate the workflow.

Transition to New Store Summary: Simplified Location Management

Get a simplified, cohesive view of franchise location data and key metrics, ensuring streamlined access and improved usability.

Location data management, previously spread across separate views in Information Manager (In Development, Terminated, Franchisees, and Corporate Locations), is now unified within the Store Summary, organized by lifecycle stages. Additionally, the Dashboard, previously located in Information Manager, is now seamlessly integrated into the Command Center.

To Get Started:

• Go to Information Manager > Store Summary to view franchise locations organized by lifecycle stages.
• Navigate to the Command Center to access the newly integrated location data and metrics.

Important Update: Transition to the new Store Summary by October 2025 for uninterrupted service.

Royalty Manager Usability Enhancements: Optimized Financial Management

Streamline royalty management workflows and improve the user experience for Finance Teams and Franchise Owners with enhanced features designed for efficiency and clarity.

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Royalty Manager > Sales, Invoices, and Payments.
• Access streamlined column widths for improved content readability.
• View store type attributes in the sales details page for enhanced visibility.
• Adjust page sizes and explore customizable pagination to simplify bulk operations like approvals.
• Open Sales reports and Invoices in full-page views with improved load times and efficient navigation.

Archive Royalty Agreements: Streamlined Agreement Version Management for Financial Contracts

Easily manage royalty agreements to reflect economic changes, market competition, or other factors without compromising efficiency or accuracy.

Copy and edit agreements with franchise locations mapped to the new agreement, and the older one archived automatically to keep your records accurate and organized.

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Admin > Royalty Manager > Agreement Versions.
• Use the new Archived View in the Agreement Versions Summary page to view and manage archived agreements.

Note: Manual archiving can only proceed if all associated locations have sequentially completed sales data within the lifespan of the agreement version. If there are gaps in reporting periods, a pop-up will notify the user and provide a list of the blocking franchises. The sequential reporting requirement applies exclusively to the active period of the agreement version, excluding earlier data. Upon successful archiving, all location mappings are removed from the agreement version.

Limited Access Release: To enable this feature, contact betatesting@franconnect.com.

 

Enhanced Payment Status Visibility: New "In Progress" Status for Royalty Invoices

improved transparency, streamlined invoice management, and greater clarity for finance teams and franchisees during payment processing.

Track payment status for royalty invoices included in EFT transactions processed from NACHA files with the new "In Progress" status. 

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Royalty Manager > Invoices.
• View the new "In Progress" status alongside Unpaid, Partially Paid, and Fully Paid statuses on the Invoice Details page, PDF, or within the Payment Status Filter to monitor EFT payment progress in real time.

Limited Access Release: To enable this feature, contact betatesting@franconnect.com.

 

Other Updates

Multi-Language Support: New Language Packs for Global Operations

Improve accessibility, enable personalization, and ensure a user-friendly experience for users worldwide.

The FranConnect platform now supports additional languages, allowing users to select their preferred language for seamless interaction. Languages supported include:

• Canadian French
• Danish
• Dutch
• English (Australia)
• English (US)
• Finnish
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Norwegian
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Spanish
• Spanish (LAC)
• Spanish (Spain)
• Swedish
• Traditional Chinese

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Options > Change Profile Info > Language.
• Select your preferred language from the available options.
• Save changes to enable platform interaction in your chosen language.

Note: To review the available languages for your platform, contact betatesting@franconnect.com.

Configurable FranConnect System Email Templates.

FranConnect now allows customers to configure the content of several system email notifications, providing flexibility and ensuring alignment with organizational branding.

Additionally, the default FranConnect templates have been updated to be on new FranConnect notification templates. 

Templates Available for Customization:

• Welcome Email: Triggered upon successful user creation within the FranConnect system.
• OTP Email: Triggered when a user receives an OTP during their first login.
• Reset Password Email: Sent when the user clicks on Forgot Password on the login page.
• Update Password/Password Expiration: Sent when the user's password is about to expire.

To Enable: Contact betatesting@franconnect.com.

Consistent Opening and Active Projects Checklist Assignment.

The checklist assignment process is now unified for easier management of opening and active projects across lifecycle stages.

Key Updates Include:

• In-Development Locations with Opener:
  • Add/Modify Location
  • Store Summary
  • Store Details
• Active Locations with Projects:
  • Store Summary
  • Store Details

This enhancement simplifies checklist management, ensuring consistency and improving usability.

Privacy Policy Link: Enhanced Compliance and Transparency.

FranConnect’s Privacy Policy link on the login page ensures compliance with Meta’s standards while enhancing transparency on data privacy practices.

Improved Division and Area Dependency for Location Provisioning for Training Access

Ensure accurate and consistent location provisioning using the Area dependency on the Division during location creation and modification. 

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Admin > Locations to create or modify a location.
• When creating a location:
  • The Division field will now appear above the Area/Region field.
  • Select a division first; the available areas/regions will be filtered based on the chosen division.
• When modifying a location:
  • The Division field will be displayed in read-only format.
  • Only areas/regions associated with the displayed division can be selected.

Note: This feature is available for systems integrated with World Manager for Owner and Frontline Employee Training and Development.

Seamless Owner-Employee Role Updates: Manage Transitions to Support Operational Needs

Manage ownership transfers, promotions, or operational restructuring without disrupting existing associations, improving operational consistency, and reducing administrative overhead.

Easily manage role transitions between Employee and Owner roles, ensuring operational flexibility and accurate location-role assignments. 

To Get Started:

• Navigate to Admin > Franchise Users.
• Select the desired user and click on the Change to Owner or Change to Employee option in the action menu.
  • Change to Owner: Converts an employee into an owner for all their associated locations.
  • Change to Employee: Assigns an owner as an employee across all their associated locations.
• Confirm the changes to seamlessly update the user's role and location associations.

Note: This feature is available for systems integrated with World Manager for Owner and Frontline Employee Training and Development.