Franchise software relief fund increased from $200,000 to $2,000,000

There has never been a tougher time for Australian franchise businesses than what they are facing right now. After several years of wage scandals, a senate enquiry, an ongoing rental crisis and a global pandemic resulting in stage-4 lockdowns in Victoria, many groups are struggling to survive.

Melbourne based enterprise software firm Op Central, has announced an increase to its franchise relief fund from $200,000 (announced in March) to $2,000,000 for eligible Australian franchise groups impacted by COVID-19.

Op Central’s software is used by 7,700+ Australian businesses (8,900+ globally) to manage and share internal policy updates, online learning, news, compliance auditing, marketing resources, staff engagement surveys and business performance reporting.

In recent months, usage of Op Central has surged by 718% in the franchising sector as franchisors work to empower their franchisees with COVID related resources, HR support, operating procedure updates and staff check-in surveys. Op Central automatically notifies franchisees and staff of each relevant policy update, requiring them to complete a mobile sign-off process, which can include a verification quiz to ensure that everyone understands and complies.

In many cases, Op Central’s trackable policy sign-off data has made the difference between businesses being able to safely re-open or not.

Fund Overview

Op Central’s initial $200,000 relief fund has been almost completely exhausted, with $182,500 being allocated to the hardest hit of Op Central’s clients across the industries of hospitality, fitness, retail, beauty, personal grooming, accommodation, healthcare  and more.

This additional $1,800,000 will be allocated for any Australian franchise group affected by COVID irrespective of whether they already use Op Central.

“A significant spike in Op Central’s usage rate in the franchising community has coincided in a major reduction in that sector’s revenues due to forced closures. We feel a moral obligation to lend a hand to these businesses right now when they need us the most.” said Op Central’s Managing Director, Josh Cairns.

The $2,000,000 relief fund provides free access to Op Central's software suite to hardest hit franchise groups as follows:

• $0 setup, onboarding and data migration fees
• $0 monthly license fees until March 2021

Many businesses are using this lockdown period to put in place the systems and operational processes which will make their businesses smarter, stronger, faster and better prepared for success on the other side of this COVID crisis.

More information about the relief fund can be found here: https://opcentral.com.au/relief-fund

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Applying for the fund

• For existing Op Central clients, please contact your personal account manager.
• For franchise groups not currently using Op Central, fill in the application form here: https://opcentral.com.au/relief-fund-application

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About Op Central

Op Central is an Australian owned software company, with cloud based products used by 56,000+ users in 8,900+ businesses of all sizes, across 37 countries.

Their product suite includes; Learning Management System, Online Operations Manual, People and Culture, Site Auditing, Digital Contracts and Franchisee Relationship Management along with integration capabilities with all of the most popular enterprise platforms.

Many of Australia's best businesses use Op Central, including; The Cheesecake Shop, Baby Bunting, Bounce Inc., The Cotton On Group, KX Pilates, Snap Printing, Bedshed, Barry Plant Real Estate, Spudbar, Haymes Paint and Amcal Pharmacies.

More information can be found at: https://opcentral.com.au