DIGITAL

MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISE INNOVATORS
Franchisees Harness
Technology to Help
Improve Operations,
Effi ciency
Franchising’s highachieving,
multi-unit
franchisees share
views on key topics.
Question: How have you moved more toward using technology to
enhance the customer experience?
In July 2006, Chris and Angela
Ashcraft opened their Mobile, Ala.
Express office to assist local job
seekers in finding employment
and helping area businesses
find qualified employees. The
Ashcrafts fulfilled their dream
of helping others through a
successful business and decided
to open a second Express office in
Summerdale, Ala. in March 2013. In
2014, the Mobile and Summerdale
Express offices put 2,000 people
to work.
CHRIS AND ANGELA ASHCRAFT: Our vision at Express Employment
Professionals is to help as many people as possible find good jobs by assisting clients in finding good
people. Our franchise system currently has its sights set on putting one million people to work annually
through a franchise network of 750 locations in the United States, Canada and South Africa. We
depend on technology to help us enhance the customer experience.
We have moved toward technology, especially social media, to connect our two customer types:
“Associates” and “Clients.”
Social media has allowed us to communicate quickly with our customers. On a daily basis, Express
Employment Professionals advertises on Facebook with hot jobs that need to be filled quickly. We
post content that resonates with and engages our audience, including the latest on the employment
situation, the economy or local business trends in Mobile or Summerdale, Ala.
On Twitter, Express shares content based on what’s happening in employment, as well as
motivational and leadership articles. We use Twitter and LinkedIn to post jobs on a regular basis for our
professional staffing line of business. While connecting quickly with customers, we are very careful to
protect the names of our clients and associates.
At two office locations, we also use email marketing and a localized website specific to our markets
to enhance the customer experience. We send hot job alerts to recruit associates, as well as email
clients about top candidates who are in the recruiting pipeline. Being proactive with this technology
helps us generate numerous new job orders.
The move toward technology, both locally and from our international headquarters in Oklahoma City,
has helped us reach prospective candidates faster, satisfying their need for a job and our client’s desire
to fill job openings quickly.
70 FRANCHISING WORLD NOVEMBER 2015