Modern technology has certainly changed the way consumers research, purchase and use products and services. Technology has also changed the way corporations hire, train and manage employees. Innovators such as Subway have adapted technology-based solutions to help organize and serve their unique workflows and processes that have made them successful.
The road to providing an effective and efficient training program to employees, or partners, is no cake walk. There are a lot of resources involved in developing training programs, and will continue to grow due to the ever changing nature of technology and proprietary systems. Subway understood this concept long before competitors saw the opportunity for improvement and started integrating online, in-store and classroom training together to deliver a successful training program to franchisees.
How does Subway train their franchisees?
Once the franchise agreement is signed, each franchisee attends the University of Subway online training program. University of Subway houses all training and communication documentation for not only franchisee owners, but also their employees. University of Subway is an intricate part of Subway's training regimen, which is apparent by the time and effort it took to design and implement their LMS platform.
Each position holds a different curriculum to be completed within University of Subway but there are a few staple courses that are assigned to everyone regardless of position. Andrew VanSumer, Director of Development for Subway adds, "These important courses are the main learning points that each employee needs to fully comprehend and follow in order to better understand the menu items, how the company runs, and what is expected of you as an employee."
After completing the required courses and successfully passing, new franchisees continue their onboarding training journey at Subway's headquarters in Milford, Connecticut. Franchisees will spend two weeks training in a store and in a classroom setting. Subway requires their corporate team to spend at the minimum 70 hours with each new franchisee partaking in hands on training before, during and the few weeks after opening. It isn't uncommon (and is encouraged) for the corporate team to spend a combined total of well over 70 hours with each franchisee and their new team.
Once corporate successfully leads the new location through their grand opening, ongoing support and training goes into effect immediately. Subway's ongoing support comes in many forms including local development offices, e-learning training courses, and a weekly newsletter communication. "All of our ongoing training is administered online." VanSumer explains, "We require stores to have a dedicated training station, equipped with a computer and all the tools necessary, to complete training right in their location. Each employee has a unique login and password so they are only able to view and participate in courses/activities that are directly related to their position."
Subway's franchise support system features: training, product development advertising, purchasing cooperative and field support. VanSumer explains, "Each location is assigned a business consultant or field representative that is dedicated to their success. Each month the business consultant visits the store to contribute to a monthly status meeting with the franchisee owner and managers on that state of the business." The business consultant is responsible for the sale, development and support of the franchisee and focuses on in-store issues and coaching for greater success.
About Subway
Subway is an American fast food restaurant franchise originally founded in 1965 under the name "Pete's Super Submarines." The worldwide recognized brand has grown to be the largest single-brand restaurant chain and the largest restaurant operator in the world. Now housing over 44,500 restaurants in 111 countries and territories it's hard to believe Subway missed their initial goal in 1965 of opening 32 stores in 10 years, falling 16 store openings short. Subway's international headquarters is in Milford, Connecticut with regional offices for franchises located in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Australia, Brisbane, Beirut, Lebanon, Singapore and Miami, Florida.
In the United States and Canada the franchise fee is $15,000. In countries outside of North America the initial franchise fee ranges from $10,000 - $15,000. The total investment is estimated between $116,000 - $263,000 in the United States and $102,000 - $234,000 in Canada.
For more information on Subway franchising visit subway.com.
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