Detailed on-site assessment, external operational audit, and improvement recommendations at branches of national and global chains
Before work begins, you know in writing what you will receive.
We spend three to five days per branch in a chain, or five to ten days at a single business, looking at your operation through the customer's eyes. We then report what we saw, the reasons behind it, and our recommendations separately.
When this service helps
- You want to find the cause of a drop in revenue
- You want to see how your branches really operate
- You suspect losses and leakage
How it works
We select the branches and days
Together, we agree on which branches we will visit and for how many days.
We observe as a customer would
We observe from the outside at opening, during peak hours, and in quiet periods.
We review records and competitors
We look at the location, customers, competitors, and the records we can access.
We report findings with their causes
We write up field notes, possible causes, and recommendations after the on-site days.
We implement if you choose
We put the selected changes into practice together, then check again.
Details
Who it suits
If these questions sound familiar:
- Why does the same product turn out differently from branch to branch?
- Revenue is falling; what is causing it?
- Do our stock and sales records match?
We work with businesses, chains, and hotels whose revenue is falling, that are on the verge of closing, that want to see how their branches actually operate, or that suspect losses and leakage.
Detailed description
We carry out on-site assessments of 3 to 5 days per branch for chains and 5 to 10 days for a single location, and after the fieldwork we report our notes and evaluations separately. By observing the business in detail as outsiders during opening, peak hours, and quiet periods, we examine operational and management weaknesses, staffing and training needs, product quality, and the customer experience. We assess the likelihood of losses and leakage based on the location, the surrounding customer profile, competitors, marketing practices, and the purchasing, stock, and sales records we can access. We report our field notes, the likely causes of problems, product and product group revisions, alternative strategies, and sister brand ideas. We offer recommendations that could add profitability by using existing capacity without straining the operation, and for chains we compare common problems with branch-specific opportunities. If requested, we support the implementation of the selected changes and follow-up on-site checks.
Steps in detail
- Scope. We define the scope and the branches to be assessed together.
- On-site observation. We observe as outsiders at opening, during peak hours, and in quiet periods.
- Surroundings and records. We review the location, customer profile, competitors, and records.
- Report. We report field notes, possible causes, and recommendations separately.
- Implementation, if you wish. We support the changes you choose and follow-up on-site checks.
Deliverables in detail
- field notes and possible causes
- revisions to products and product lines
- alternative concepts and strategies
- recommendations that may add profit without straining operations, plus additional revenue, virtual brand, and sister brand ideas
- for chains, shared issues and branch-specific opportunities
Fees
We prepare a proposal based on scope; the number of branches and days determines it. Reporting is done separately after the on-site days. Implementation support is optional.
Requirements
The more open your purchasing, stock, and sales records are to us, the deeper our assessment of losses and leakage can go.
Frequently asked questions
- Will staff know they are being assessed?
- It depends on the scope. We observe as outsiders and agree on the details in our meeting.
- Can we just get the report and implement it ourselves?
- Yes. Implementation support is optional.
- Timeline and scale
For chains, 3 to 5 days per branch; for a single store or business, 5 to 10 days on site. Reporting is separate.
What you get
- Notes on operations, staff, and customer experience
- Likely causes of the problems
- Product revisions and alternative strategies
- Ideas for additional revenue, virtual brands, and sister brands
- Branch-to-branch comparison across a chain
