Written by Keith Gerson, CFE — Gerson Advisory Services
As a franchisor, it can feel awkward to refer to franchisees as customers. But in many ways, they are. The franchise agreement defines what the franchisor can require, but franchisees are independent business owners, not employees. Their daily execution is influenced through the quality of the system, support, coaching, communication, and overall franchise experience.
The Franchise Experience Conundrum
Most people enter franchising looking for success and profitability. But finances are not the only thing that shapes the relationship. The franchisee experience changes throughout the lifecycle of ownership.
A new franchisee may need extensive help learning the product, technology, marketing, operations, and local market. Years later, that same owner may need support with business valuation, succession planning, multi-unit growth, or an eventual exit.
The support model therefore cannot be one-size-fits-all. A brand-new franchisee may contribute relatively little revenue at first while receiving intensive support to get the unit launched successfully. At the other end of the spectrum, a long-tenured, high-performing franchisee may contribute some of the largest royalty dollars in the system while placing fewer demands on support teams.
That can create a problem: high performers may eventually feel that the system gives them less relevant support precisely because they need less day-to-day help. The franchisor has to understand where each franchisee sits in the journey and adapt the experience accordingly.
Introducing the CFXO
The franchisor of the future may benefit from a Chief Franchise Experience Officer (CFXO): an executive focused on continuously improving the franchisee experience across the entire lifecycle.
Harvard Business Review has made the case for a Chief Experience Officer. In franchising, the same concept can be adapted specifically around the franchisee.
For starters, the CFXO should understand why franchisees fall into lower-performing segments even when Franchise Business Consultants and support structures are already in place. The role is not simply about satisfaction; it is about understanding the relationship between franchisee experience, performance, engagement, retention, and growth.
Why Franchisee Experience Matters
There are practical reasons to take franchisee experience seriously:
- Some finance providers may view high franchisee turnover as a sign of system risk.
- Departed franchisees can appear in the Franchise Disclosure Document for a period after leaving, giving prospects visibility into turnover during due diligence.
- Franchisee losses can affect morale and confidence across the rest of the network.
The CFXO’s central responsibility is to understand and improve every significant interaction a franchisee has with the brand.
Use Franchisee Journey Mapping
Journey mapping can help make the franchise experience visible. If a role touches the franchisee — or supports someone who does — it becomes part of that journey.
Mapping those interactions creates empathy and helps identify where the experience breaks down. Over time, that becomes a core organizational competency rather than a one-time project.
The CFXO also differs from a traditional Franchise Success Manager. Rather than owning every individual interaction directly, the CFXO can create accountability across departments and ensure the system delivers the right support at each phase of the franchisee lifecycle.
The goal is a situational success model: new franchisees, mature operators, multi-unit owners, and long-tenured high performers should not all receive the same support simply because they share the same brand.
Make Franchisee Experience a Growth Function
A franchise system grows more effectively when the experience of owning the business supports performance, engagement, retention, and advocacy. Treating franchisee experience as a strategic function helps leaders focus on the health of the entire network rather than isolated support interactions.
