The home care provider HomeWell Care Services is again bolstering its franchisee support systems. Its Learning Lab – launched in May – has led to the “LaunchWell” program, which will help potential franchisees from all walks of life get accustomed to home care.
LaunchWell will emphasize continued learning, as opposed to live, long in-person sessions that HomeWell didn’t believe franchisees were getting a lot out of. Staff training is also a part of the program.
“We created role-based learning paths for all those key associates that typically work at the agency level,” Michelle Cone, SVP of training and brand programs at HomeWell, told Home Health Care News. “We also wanted to be able to scale and meet the needs of our growing system. We’ve had record year-over-year signings.”
HomeWell Care Services – which is franchised under HomeWell Franchising Inc. – provides personal care and homemakers services for seniors in over 50 locations across more than 100 markets.
Cone mentioned that the characteristics of franchisees have changed after the pandemic, which is part of the reason the company is providing more learning services and support.
“It’s been very interesting in this post-pandemic landscape,” she said. “We talk often about the spotlight on home care. But there was also a spotlight on home care franchising. So, for the past 18 months, we’ve seen interest in home care franchising like we’ve never seen before. It has allowed for innovation, an investment in learning, and more tools and resources that our owners can tap into.”
The LaunchWell program is also available to longtime operators within HomeWell’s system. But, for the new franchisees, the company has taken note of new types of expectations.
LaunchWell, is, in part, helping HomeWell meet those expectations. Cone said the feedback from the program has already been “great.”
“We wanted to move away from that talking heads type style, and provide them with more flexibility in their learning, a more engaging platform, more relevant topics,” she said. “We want it to be much more interactive, giving them the confidence to be able to launch their business, to make a difference in their communities and to be profitable.”
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