The tutoring franchise's ability to pivot and adapt to the changing world stands its franchisees in good stead
As a result of the pandemic, Tutor Doctor has introduced various new programmes to its franchise opportunity. When the world plunged into lockdown, the tutoring franchise pivoted to meet the demand for parents and students across the globe, simultaneously offering new avenues to allow franchisees to continue to operate. After witnessing an overwhelming success during the last six months, these elements are now available to existing and new franchisees alike.
The first thing the company implemented was an ‘Innovation Squad’ – a group of on-the-ground innovators who were reacting and responding accordingly to any announcements. When Tutor Doctor witnessed a 120 per cent increased demand in its online tuition option within weeks of being locked down, it became vital to discover new ways to move forward through this changing landscape. Tutor Doctor’s president, Frank Milner, knew just how important it was to look at new measures.
“The whole education sector changed overnight,” he says. “We knew that we had to respond quickly, and our only choice was to create a group of on-the-ground innovators who reacted to the unfolding events and planned the most effective way to move forward. In collaboration with franchisees and the home office team members, the programmes they introduced saved the day. They were imperative for our survival during this challenging period and will only be a benefit when all of this is over.”
One of the programmes that offered a lifeline to many students was the ‘Global Tutor Share Programme’. This is an initiative which allows franchisees, no matter where they are in the world, to find the right tutor for their student by tapping into the brand’s global pool of tutors. Within 10 days, this programme was fully operational, with over 60 franchisees and 200 tutors signed up, which is only expected to increase as the year draws to a close.
Another strategy was a ‘Pivot-to-Profit’ programme, which introduced a social-selling expert to franchisees to help them grow their business during the pandemic. With a focus on Facebook Groups, franchisees received two months of training to get them up to speed. One franchisee was lucky enough to join the network at this critical time. Richard Taylor, who launched his Tutor Doctor business in Crawley, West Sussex, was thrilled to be starting his journey when there was a real need for educational support.
He says: “I worked as managing director in the education division of a catering company for four years, providing meals to schools, whilst also teaching children about health, wellness and nutrition. I left at the beginning of this year and knew that I wanted to remain in the education sector, as I’d always thrived on making a difference to other people’s lives. Tutor Doctor presented itself as the perfect opportunity, enabling me to have the impact I desired and provide a solution when people are crying out for support.”
Once Taylor had made his mind up that Tutor Doctor was the one for him, he prepared for his training. It was held virtually due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he didn’t let that extinguish his enthusiasm.
“The training was excellent and it was great to finally get the wheels in motion,” he explains. “Although I was the only UK franchisee on this cohort, it was amazing to meet the other like-minded individuals who had the same passions as I did. It was the best preparation to get my business off the ground, and it immediately paid off – I signed up two clients within 10 days of starting.”
