Where does AI genuinely earn its place in a franchise business? Not in abstract promises or overblown futurism, but in the daily pressure points that shape growth, the missed enquiry, the slow follow-up, the uneven customer experience, the local marketing that slips when the day gets away. For franchisees, that is where momentum is won or lost, and where AI is beginning to prove its value.
Franchising has always been built on a powerful tension, repeatable systems on one hand and local execution on the other. The strongest networks know how to protect the brand while giving operators enough room to respond to their own market. AI enters that picture at exactly the right point. It can strengthen consistency, sharpen customer engagement and return precious hours to franchisees who are carrying the weight of growth, people management and performance all at once.
There is already clear momentum behind that shift. The Thryv 2025 Business Index and Consumer Report found 59 per cent of Australian SMBs and 56 per cent of New Zealand SMBs are already using AI, including AI-enabled software. Comfort levels are also stronger than many assume, with 66 per cent of Australian SMBs and 69 per cent of New Zealand SMBs saying they feel comfortable or very comfortable using AI tools. Nearly 80 per cent in both countries say they are somewhat or very confident using technology to drive growth and efficiency.
Those numbers matter because they signal something bigger than adoption. They show the conversation has shifted. Business owners are moving beyond curiosity and into application. For franchise networks, that opens a valuable window. The opportunity now lies in using AI in ways that feel practical, purposeful and commercially useful at ground level.
Why franchising is ready for this moment
Franchise businesses are better positioned for AI than they often realise. They already understand process. They already know the value of playbooks, approved workflows and measurable performance. AI tends to deliver its best work in exactly that kind of environment.
Across Australia and New Zealand, business owners continue to define success through profitability, revenue growth and customer retention. They also point to hiring quality staff, stronger marketing, affordable digital tools, strategic partnerships and more available time as leading growth drivers. Those pressures sit at the centre of franchise life. Every operator is chasing stronger local visibility, better service, more productive staff and cleaner operations, usually at the same time.
That is why AI deserves a place in the franchise conversation. It can help franchisees move faster through the work that clogs the day and steals energy from higher-value decisions. Think enquiry summaries, follow-up prompts, review response drafts, customer segmentation, basic content generation, reporting snapshots and lead prioritisation. None of these remove the operator from the picture. They give the operator more room to lead.
Growth does not stall because ambition disappears
Most franchisees do not struggle with ambition. They struggle with bandwidth.
One of the most revealing findings in the report is how business owners say they would spend an extra 10 hours each week. The answers spread across upskilling, sales, rest and recovery, systems improvement, marketing, customer experience and planning. In other words, business owners already know where growth lives. The problem is finding the time to reach it.
That is where AI becomes commercially interesting. Its value sits in the hours it can free and the friction it can remove. A franchisee with a full team and a healthy pipeline may use AI to create first-draft campaign copy aligned to brand standards. A leaner operator may use it to organise customer enquiries, prompt follow-up and spot which opportunities deserve faster attention. A multi-site franchisee may use it to surface patterns across locations and identify where service speed or conversion starts to slip.
The smartest use of AI in franchising begins with a simple question, where is time being lost in ways that affect growth?
The real prize is consistency at scale
Franchise growth has always depended on consistency. Customers expect the same confidence in the brand whether they walk into a flagship location or a smaller suburban site. That expectation has only become sharper as digital touchpoints multiply.
The report highlights a telling perception gap. In Australia, more than 72 per cent of SMBs believe they have a strong digital profile, however only 49 per cent of consumers agree. In New Zealand, 75 per cent of SMBs believe they have a strong digital profile, while 52 per cent of consumers agree.
For franchise networks, that gap should command attention. A brand can invest heavily in identity, training and standards, yet the customer still judges the business through local experience, response times, reviews, online visibility and ease of interaction. This is where AI can become a quiet force behind brand strength. It can help franchisees respond faster, communicate more clearly, maintain content flow, manage reviews more consistently and reduce the lag between customer intent and business action.
That matters because the basics still shape buying decisions. Websites, search visibility, reviews and social channels remain central to customer acquisition across both markets. Businesses are also increasingly active in encouraging and responding to customer reviews, which shows how strongly reputation now influences growth.
For franchisees, AI offers a way to keep those fundamentals moving, even on the days when operational demands threaten to swallow everything else.
Where franchisees should start
The best AI rollout in a franchise business is rarely the flashiest one. It is the one that solves a real problem quickly and earns trust through results.
Start with customer communication. Every franchisee knows the cost of a delayed response. When an enquiry sits too long, the sale often drifts elsewhere. AI can help organise incoming messages, summarise customer intent and prompt faster follow-up.
Then look at local area marketing. Many franchisees understand what they should be doing, however the challenge sits in producing content consistently and tailoring it to local relevance while staying on brand. AI can accelerate drafts, structure campaigns and reduce the blank-page burden.
The third area is reporting. Franchisees are surrounded by information, however clarity is often in short supply. AI can help pull signals from the noise, identify trends and highlight where attention is needed first.
The strongest advice I can offer is this, pick one pressure point that affects revenue, one that affects customer experience and one that affects time. Start there. Let momentum build through proof rather than persuasion.
The next advantage will look surprisingly practical
There is a temptation to talk about AI as though its value lives in complexity. For franchise businesses, the opposite is often true. The next advantage will come from franchisees who use AI to become more responsive, more visible, more organised and more consistent. It will come from operators who know how to blend intelligent support with strong judgement and local knowledge.
Franchising has always rewarded businesses that can scale trust. AI now offers a new way to do that. Used well, it can sharpen the systems behind the service, strengthen the local execution behind the brand and create more space for the work that actually drives growth.
That is where the real promise sits. In a franchise business, AI earns its place when it helps good operators become even better operators, clearer, quicker and more confident in the moments that count.
About Elise Balsillie
As Head of Thryv Australia and New Zealand, Elise Balsillie is a leader with a deep passion for empowering small businesses to grow and adapt in the dynamic digital environment.
With more than 25 years of experience across media, education, and technology, she has spent two decades at Thryv, driving its success. Elise leads teams across customer channels, focusing on transforming how small businesses embrace digital solutions.
Elise’s greatest reward comes from helping businesses streamline operations, enabling them to grow, hire and focus on what they love. Under her leadership, Thryv has earned the “Employer of Choice” recognition for two consecutive years, reflecting her commitment to people and culture. An engaging public speaker, Elise regularly shares her expertise at industry conferences and podcasts, offering insights on digital transformation, organisational growth and employee engagement.
Balancing her professional role with her personal life as a mother and wife, Elise advocates for work-life balance and continuous learning. She fosters innovation within her team, encouraging collaboration and new ideas. When not at work, Elise enjoys time outdoors in country Victoria and supporting her boys at their sports events.
