Australian Franchise News – 16-12-14
With over 45 franchise systems and 830 quick service retail (QSR) outlets across Australia on its books, Shift8’s specialist point of sale and business management software speaks for itself and the company has just been recognised for its significant contribution to the development of Australia’s franchising sector.
Headed up by ex-Foodco financial controller Jonathan Britton and franchising specialists Yvette Anelli, Amy Renae and Alden Zhou, Shift8 was awarded Supplier of the Year at the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) Excellence in Franchising Awards in Sydney for its innovative software platform that enables franchisors to obtain more meaningful data on individual stores and provide better guidance on enhancing operational performance.
Shift8 was also recognised for its assistance to the franchising community including the introduction of the Emerging Franchise Systems Program. This program tests franchise systems with fewer than 10 outlets, in key areas to determine suitability for the Shift8 platform and then offers successful candidates access to the systems with the same functionality and support levels afforded to larger established franchisors.
Mr Britton said the combined operations and IT knowledge of the company’s senior team and industry-leading product technology meant Shift8 had forged an important role in supporting the franchising sector.
“We are very proud to receive this award as we have worked really hard to develop a product that answers a real industry need,” he said.
“We have grown by over 500% since we opened and the response to our offering has been overwhelming and very reassuring that we have developed something the industry really needed.
“Through our combined 45 years involvement in franchising we understand personally, the challenges franchisors face with finding a technology solution that provides meaningful data that is not time consuming and expensive to obtain.
“Outdated technology makes it very difficult to maximise productivity, stock control and turnover, particularly in food franchises, so there’s a real need for a fast and reliable ‘real-time’ management suite that isn’t expensive to implement or maintain and is supported by a team which understands franchising.”
He said many retailers, particularly food franchises, were desperate for items and services that provided convenience for both businesses and consumers.
“Businesses need to interact with their customers through technology that encompasses the expanding requirements of mobile applications, electronic loyalty systems, online ordering and third party software integration, which simply isn’t possible with many traditional point of sale software systems.