For in-store visits to have a strong impact on improving a restaurant chains operations, they must provide actionable content with photo imbedded field assessments. This means that the assessment should provide concrete and specific examples of which components of the location operated successfully and what areas have room for improvement. Having images saved and organized throughout each assessment with the precise task they are associated with are crucial. With an excel sheet, it is challenging to properly match individual photos with the corresponding task.
Accomplishing this however, can be difficult without the proper tools in place. For many organizations, a common mode of execution is nothing more than paper and excel field assessments. Arming your district managers to use this method for store visits, wastes valuable opportunities to gather detailed information.
Here are three reasons why including photos into field assessments can help your operations:
- Clearly identify store infractions
- Track historical images for improvement
- Ensure Franchise and corporate compliance
For your District Managers, having the ability to add photos into each report can help improve the documentation of issues marking quite clearly, what’s been done correctly and incorrectly. Also, you can now require photo updates to see the historical difference between assessments. Doing this gives a definitive remark on whether the area of concern has improved. From here, management can ensure that their franchisees and General Managers are compliant with store regulations and requirements. If a dispute arose, there is no contention when there is photo evidence.
In some cases, district managers take photos using their cell phones as they conduct the assessment. Here, they attach the photos later in one bulk upload. This can be troublesome when photos are in the personal folder on the team members phone. The potential for some photos to be forgotten, or even uploading photos that were not meant to be included is a consideration. The largest issue with this method is that, the photos can’t be verified as to the specific task or area they are associated with.
With a digital solution, these problems can be solved simply, easily and in a cost-effective manner with photo imbedded field assessments.
