Maui Wowi, a leader in flexible franchise concepts specializing in Hawaiian coffee and all-natural smoothies, is going digital with new iPads for incoming franchisees.
Gone are the days of heavy-to-carry operations manuals as the company transitions to a completely comprehensive and fully loaded iPad that will transform the way it does business into a streamlined digital approach.
“The iPad will be used as a reliable tool to help support our franchisees,” says Erin Hicks, executive vice president. “It will house their operating manuals, social media, intranet, marketing, and more, creating a more hands-on training experience where our franchisees get to actually work with the programs they will be using on a daily basis.”
The first crop of franchisees to go digital will arrive in June for Mainland Training at the Maui Wowi offices. Their new device will come already set up with a designated company email account, social media accounts, approved graphics, and everything they will need to get their business up and running.
“The cool thing about providing our franchisees with the iPad is that it will allow us to do everything in real time and make resources available to them with the click of a button, even when they’re on the go,” Hicks says.
She adds that it will be a transition and learning process for those who are unfamiliar with the Apple product, but says it will be worth it in the end.
This initial step of incorporating a more digitally focused training and support has ancillary benefits as well, such as less paper waste and the potential to become the franchisee’s all-inclusive point-of-sale system, Hicks says.
The company, which has been in business for more than 30 years, is continuing to grow and has franchise opportunities available both domestically and internationally.
Maui Wowi recently announced it will be opening stores in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; Boynton Beach, Florida; and on Long Island in New York.
With iPads coming soon, Maui Wowi enters a new age of technology-driven operations for its franchisees that it hopes will make doing business easier for both fixed retail and mobile models.
