Franchisee support: setting clear timescales and defining the scope of help

It is easy to promise to ‘support partners at every stage’, but difficult to deliver without clear boundaries. Before selling a franchise, the owner of an established business should decide what help partners will receive after opening, how quickly and at what cost. Clear support rules help maintain trust within a franchise network: franchisees know what to expect, while the franchisor avoids becoming the round-the-clock manager of someone else’s outlet.

1. Turn promises into a list of services

Start not by buying a support ticketing system, but by reviewing the questions that managers of your company-owned outlets ask head office. Separate routine advice from tasks that require a standalone project: explaining how to write off stock and organising an outlet’s relocation involve very different amounts of work.

For each type of support, draw up a brief description covering:

• the subject of the enquiry and the circumstances in which help is available;
• the actions the franchisor’s specialist will take;
• the information the franchisee must provide;
• the expected outcome of the consultation;
• limitations and exclusions;
• whether the service is included in recurring fees or charged separately.

For example, help with falling sales might include reviewing a report, discussing the causes and providing written recommendations. It does not mean that the franchisor must find customers itself or guarantee a particular level of revenue. This distinction should be clear before the agreement is signed.

Separately list the matters partners must handle themselves, such as bookkeeping, employment disputes and their obligations as tenants. If you recommend an external specialist, clarify who will engage them and pay for their work. Do not present an introduction to a contractor as a legal or accounting service you provide yourself.

2. Align the rules with the agreement and the law

In Russia, commercial concession arrangements—the legal framework used for franchising—are specifically governed by Chapter 54 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Support rules therefore cannot rest solely on a marketing promise or an internal document the partner has never seen.

Article 1031 of the Civil Code requires the rights holder to provide the user with the necessary technical and commercial documentation and other necessary information, and to instruct the user and their employees on how to exercise the rights granted. In addition, unless the agreement provides otherwise, the rights holder must provide ongoing technical assistance and advice, including help with employee training and professional development.

These are separate provisions: the qualification ‘unless the agreement provides otherwise’ does not automatically apply to all the rights holder’s obligations. You cannot simply state that all assistance is voluntary and consider the matter settled. A lawyer needs to check the support limitations against mandatory legal requirements and the overall structure of the transaction.

A commercial concession agreement must be made in writing. It is the grant of the right to use the package of exclusive rights—not the advisory service itself—that must be registered with Rospatent, Russia’s intellectual property office. A support policy is no substitute for formally documenting and registering those rights.

A practical option is to attach a schedule to the agreement setting out the support available and the procedure for submitting requests. Specify its title, version and date. Important obligations should not be hidden on an editable page in a partner portal: the procedure for changing agreed terms must also be defined.

3. Distinguish response times from resolution times

‘We will respond quickly’ provides no measurable standard. Set working hours, a time zone, official contact channels and rules for handling out-of-hours requests. If you do not provide round-the-clock cover, do not promise it in your franchise presentation.

Distinguish between three events:

1. Request logged: the system or a member of staff confirms receipt of the request.
2. First substantive response: a specialist has reviewed the issue, requested information or suggested initial steps.
3. Outcome: the issue has been resolved, or the partner has received recommendations explaining the next steps.

An automated acknowledgement should not count as substantive advice. At the same time, you cannot guarantee the same final resolution time in every case: restoring an external service may depend on its provider.

Introduce urgency categories based on the impact on the outlet. An inability to process sales calls for a different response from a question about a planned promotion. Set a realistic initial response time and a frequency for progress updates for each category. These are contractual service standards, not statutory requirements.

Explain what happens when information is missing: what details will be requested, when the agreed response or resolution clock will pause, and how it will restart. Franchisees should be able to see the status of their requests rather than having to guess why no one has replied.

4. Set clear boundaries for fees and responsibility

Match the support services to the franchise fees. If routine consultations are included in the agreed fees, do not issue a separate invoice for an ordinary enquiry. Agree any additional work before it begins, specifying its scope, price and intended outcome.

For example, a remote review of an outlet’s performance figures might be included in ongoing support, while an extended visit by a specialist could attract an additional charge. In that case, establish in advance how the visit, travel costs and accommodation will be approved.

Put a procedure in place for missed deadlines: a follow-up request, escalation to the responsible manager, a record of the reasons for the delay and agreement on corrective action. Discuss the contractual consequences of breaches with a lawyer. Do not promise an automatic royalty refund unless the relevant mechanism has been agreed and takes account of the fee structure.

5. Test whether you can deliver before selling the franchise

Run real requests from your company-owned outlets through the proposed support process. Measure not only response times, but also the specialist time needed to resolve issues, the number of clarification requests and the proportion of repeat enquiries. This will reveal promises you do not yet have the resources to fulfil.

Before signing your first deal, check that three documents are consistent: the franchise presentation, the agreement and the support policy. ‘Ongoing support’ should mean the same thing in all three. Then show the procedure to an outlet manager: can they understand where to turn and what outcome to expect without further explanation?

Practical takeaway: first draw up a measurable list of support services, then set achievable timescales and record them in the contractual documents. Good support is not a promise to solve everything, but a clear framework for working together.