A Question of Ratios—Support Is a Must

In the field of education, ratios are seen as a key determinant when assessing educational quality. For parents, the term ‘ratio’ is often associated with ‘class size’—the number of students instructed by a single teacher. The lower the number, the better the opportunity is for more one-on-one instruction in the classroom. Nearly all competitive schools at any educational level publish their ‘class size’ averages in admission pamphlets as a way to entice prospective students.

Within the early childhood education field, public departments of education or other state agencies, in many cases, have implemented regulations relative to the maximum number of students any one teacher can educate in a specific age group. For example, the State of Georgia requires that the maximum number of infants any one teacher can educate is six. At Sunbrook, however, we have improved upon that ratio with a system-wide requirement calling for no more than four students to be educated by each infant teacher. These ‘ratios’ are so important to parents that many who tour Sunbrook Academy will ask about the ‘ratios’ early-on in the tour process.

But let’s apply the ‘class size’ or ‘ratio’ concept to franchising, where the same fundamental principle is at work: when it comes to franchisee support, how many franchise locations are supported by each franchisor-employed field operations manager? This is a question that is rarely asked by prospective franchisees, but one that is critical to understanding the level of support provided to new and existing franchise owners.

At this year’s IFA convention in San Diego, I remember speaking with two franchise company executives about their fast-growing systems. My questions related to how many units each franchisee support manager served were each met with confusion. Fact is, these successful executives did not know the answer and were baffled at the thought of analyzing such a ‘ratio’. At Sunbrook, such ‘FSRs’ (Franchise Support Ratios) are not only important, but essential to our franchising practices. The more diluted a support person’s reach becomes, the more likely that the quality of such offered support becomes diluted. For prospective franchisees, it is crucial to know how vast the responsibilities of the support personnel department may be in analyzing access to critical support. For franchisors, a fresh look at the concept of the FSR may help strengthen the link between franchisor and franchisee.