Activ launches new franchise management platform

The Keep has several features that allow activ franchisees to seek support, advice and order services from the head office team as well as organise their own roster of clients

A brand new franchise management platform named The Keep has been developed and launched to benefit and provide additional support to the team of franchisees at activ Digital Marketing.

Established in 2008, activ offers budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to run their own digital marketing agency, straight out of a box, with full head office support during the business setup process, providing initial and continued training as well as an ongoing resource. It has now enhanced this support package further with the addition of The Keep.

The Keep has several features that allow activ franchisees to seek support, advice and order services from the head office team as well as organise their own roster of clients.

The system includes:
• Dashboard: Upon logging in, the franchisee will see a snapshot of their current client list, the number of websites they have live and the number of marketing retainers they maintain.
• Service orders: This function allows users to communicate directly with their client to create a service order that they can sign digitally, keeping paperwork to a minimum.
• Head office service agreements: Franchisees are able to place an order for head office support to fulfil some of their marketing services for clients.
• Ticket log: Should they encounter an IT issue, the franchisee can log a ticket for the technical team to investigate and fix.
• Knowledgebase: An area where users can access business logos, manuals, form templates, fact sheets and workshops.
• Communications: The platform allows franchisees to stay fully up to date with business communications from new service launches to new training slides.
• Mobile-friendly: Franchisees can access the platform on the go when they’re away from the office, making a busy working life much easier.

Franchisee of 12 years, Lisa Smith, welcomes The Keep and was invited to test the system before launching. She says: “The Keep is exactly what we’ve been looking for, for some time. Everything is in one place; it’s user-friendly in design and everyone is kept updated regularly with comms from activ. I’ve been signing up new clients with ease and it makes me feel professional asking them to sign a digital booking form.”

activ’s managing director Katie Bullon adds: “I am extremely proud of our technical team for launching an excellent system. The Keep has been a short-term goal for the business and it’s hugely satisfying to see it come to fruition this month. Our long-term goal is of course to support franchisees to run more efficient and successful businesses; The Keep allows them to do just that.”

activ’s technical projects manager Tom Marley has overseen the project from start to finish and alludes to further development features on the way. “It’s always satisfying to see a project launch, but none more so than The Keep. Being able to offer our team of franchisees a fantastic resource and involve them in the development process has been hugely beneficial for the business. We have plans to develop the system further with e-learning modules and a forum area to allow our teams to share best practice and enhance collaboration between franchisees and head office. We will also continue to gather franchisee feedback on the system to make improvements,” he explains.