Latest / Franchise Conversations with Fexingo: Buying, Running, and Scaling Franchise Businesses / How Franchisees Use Employee Scheduling Gamification to Boost Productivity
Transcript
- Lucas: So you walk into a QSR unit — say a sandwich chain, a pizza franchise — and the schedule on the wall looks like every other schedule: names, shifts, maybe a handwritten note. But behind that schedule, there's a game running. Luna: A game? Like, employees get points for clocking in on time? Lucas: Exactly, but it goes way deeper. I'm talking about leaderboards, achievement badges, shift-bidding systems where seniority or performance earns you first pick of prime weekend shifts. Some franchisees are building entire reward ecosystems around scheduling — and the numbers are eye-opening. Luna: Okay, I've heard of gamification in sales — top performers get trophies, bonuses — but for scheduling? That feels different. Scheduling is usually a chore, a headache. Lucas: Right, and that's exactly why it works. A lot of franchisees treat scheduling as a logistical puzzle — fill the slots, avoid overtime. But what if the schedule itself is a tool to drive engagement? I've been looking at a multi-unit franchisee — operates twelve pizza stores in the Midwest — and they implemented a shift-bidding system using a platform called 7shifts. Luna: 7shifts — that's the scheduling software built for restaurants, right? Lucas: Yeah, it's popular in the franchise world. But this operator didn't just use it to publish schedules. They turned on the gamification module. Employees earn points for reliability, for covering shifts, for hitting certain sales targets during their shift. Those points translate into priority bidding for desirable shifts — Friday nights, holiday shifts with higher tips, that sort of thing. Luna: So instead of the manager manually assigning shifts based on availability, employees compete for them? Lucas: More or less. But the key is that the criteria are transparent. Everyone knows that showing up on time for two weeks straight earns you ten points. Covering a sick coworker's shift earns fifteen. Hitting a check average of $12.50 per customer earns a bonus five. The system publishes a real-time leaderboard. Luna: And that doesn't create resentment? People at the bottom feeling demoralized? Lucas: That's the risk, and the franchisee addressed it by having multiple categories. It's not just one 'overall' leaderboard. There's one for reliability, one for sales performance, one for team spirit — that's peer nominations. So someone who's not a top seller can still win badges for perfect attendance or helping train new hires. Luna: I can see the appeal for retention. If you give employees a sense of control — 'I can earn my way into the shift I want' — that's more motivating than just being told what to do. Lucas: Exactly. The numbers back it up. This franchisee saw their labor cost percentage drop from around 32 percent to 28 percent over six months. But more importantly, employee turnover — which in QSR often runs 100 to 150 percent annually — dropped by 18 percentage points. That's huge. Luna: And the labor cost improvement — is that because fewer no-shows mean less overtime, or because the bidding system naturally schedules the best people for peak times? Lucas: Both. When employees know they're being scored, they show up. And because the system rewards performance, the higher-performing employees tend to bid for the busiest shifts — which is exactly when you want them on the floor. The franchisee also saw a three percent increase in same-store sales, partly because the best staff were working the highest-traffic hours. Luna: Let's talk about the tech. 7shifts isn't the only platform doing this. Deputy, When I Work, even Homebase have gamification features now. But adoption among franchisees — is it widespread yet? Lucas: Not yet. I'd say maybe fifteen percent of franchisees in food service use any kind of gamified scheduling. Most still use pen and paper or basic spreadsheets. The barrier is mindset — scheduling is seen as a cost center, not a strategic tool. But the early adopters are seeing real ROI. Luna: What about the franchise brands themselves? Are they mandating this, or is it still operator-level innovation? Lucas: Mostly operator-level. Some forward-thinking franchisors are starting to recommend platforms in their operations manuals, but they're not requiring it. The franchisee I talked to said his area developer was initially skeptical, then after seeing the numbers, asked him to present at the annual conference. Luna: That's a pretty strong endorsement. But let's be real — not every franchisee has twelve units and the tech sophistication to pull this off. What about a single-unit operator with fifteen employees? Lucas: That's the beautiful part. The platforms are cheap — 7shifts starts at around $30 per location per month for the basic plan, and the gamification features are included. You don't need a dedicated IT person. The setup takes an afternoon: enter your employees, define the point rules, and turn on the leaderboard. Luna: But there's a cultural shift required. You can't just install software and expect it to work. The manager has to actually talk about the leaderboard, celebrate the winners, make the badges feel meaningful. Lucas: Absolutely. The franchisee I spoke with said the first month was awkward. Employees didn't understand why they were getting points, and some felt like they were being watched. But he held a brief huddle every Monday to announce the top performers in each category, and within two months, people were asking 'How do I earn more points?' Luna: That's engagement. And engagement leads to retention. Let's talk about the flip side — any cases where gamification backfired? Lucas: Yeah, there are cautionary tales. One franchisee in the Southeast tried a system that only rewarded sales, and it created cutthroat competition — employees hoarding tables, not helping each other. Within three months, turnover actually increased. The lesson is: you need balanced metrics. You can't just reward revenue; you have to reward behaviors that build a positive culture. Luna: So the design of the game mechanics is everything. Points for sales, but also for teamwork, for punctuality, for covering shifts. Lucas: Exactly. And you also need to make sure the rewards are desirable. If the prize for being top of the leaderboard is a $5 gift card, nobody cares. The franchisee I mentioned used shift priority as the main reward, plus a reserved parking spot for a week, plus a 'Golden Spatula' trophy that sits at the winner's station. Luna: Golden Spatula — that's fun. And inexpensive. It's not about the monetary value, it's about recognition. Lucas: That's the psychology. Now, one thing I want to highlight: this approach ties directly into the broader trend of employee experience in franchises. We've talked about employee ownership plans, dynamic pricing, labor scheduling AI — but gamification is the layer that makes the operational systems feel personal. Luna: It's the human interface. The schedule becomes a tool for motivation rather than just a document. Lucas: If these conversations have moved your work forward in some small way — maybe you've tried a new scheduling tactic or thought differently about your team — we hope you'll consider supporting the show. A handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that literally funds making this many episodes ad-free. We keep it going because of that support. Luna: It's a small group, but it makes a big difference. And it means we can keep diving into niche topics like this without any commercial pressure. Lucas: So back to the practical side — for a franchisee thinking about trying gamified scheduling, what's the first step? I'd say pick one metric. Don't try to gamify everything at once. Choose 'on-time arrival' for the first month. Set a simple goal: if the store collectively hits 95 percent on-time arrival for two weeks, everyone gets a free lunch. That builds buy-in. Luna: Then expand from there. Add shift coverage next, then sales targets. Lucas: Right. And use the software's reporting to track whether it's actually moving the needle. If you see labor cost percentage dropping or turnover slowing, you'll know it's working. The data is right there in the dashboard. Luna: Any favorite platform for smaller operators? The thirty-dollar option is nice, but what about the learning curve? Lucas: 7shifts has a good free trial. Deputy is also strong for multi-location. But honestly, the best one is the one your team will actually use. I'd test two platforms with a small group of employees for a week. See which one gets better engagement. Luna: So the key is experimentation, not perfection. Lucas: Exactly. And remember, the goal isn't just a better schedule — it's a more motivated team. When employees feel they have agency and recognition, they stay longer and serve customers better. That's the real win. Luna: I'm going to try this with my own team. Start small, see what happens. Lucas: Let us know how it goes. Maybe we'll do a follow-up episode.