IT Support for Franchise Groups
Exodesk provides franchise IT support across head office and individual sites. We work with the franchisor, participating franchisees and software suppliers to agree which systems are covered, who approves changes and where staff go for help.
The arrangement can include agreed devices and networks, Microsoft 365 access, vendor liaison and consistent technology requirements, with responsibilities and costs documented so each business understands the service it receives.
Tell us about your sites, your current suppliers and how the group is organised
What does franchise IT support cover?
Franchise IT support covers the agreed technology across a franchise group: head office systems, site devices and networks, Microsoft 365 access, coordination with group software suppliers and the standards each site works to.
We work with the franchisor on group-wide support and standards, and with individual franchisees who engage Exodesk within the group requirements. Our Christchurch and Dunedin teams scope the work around your sites, existing suppliers and franchise arrangements. Technology schedules and opening or exit procedures can support that work, with contractual provisions reviewed by your legal adviser.
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989. Today, our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide.
Support for head office and every participating site
Recurring support and project work are kept separate, so the group and each site can see what they are paying for.
Group systems
Support for head office users and the systems the group runs centrally.
Site devices and networks
Agreed devices, WiFi and connections at participating sites.
Microsoft 365 access
Accounts, guest access and permissions designed around the group model.
Vendor liaison
Coordination with point-of-sale, booking and other group software suppliers.
Technology standards
Required outcomes, approved exceptions and a record of who decides.
Site opening and exit
Documented steps for a site joining or leaving the group.
Agree who decides, pays and supports each system
We help the group record what is required, what can vary by site and who approves an exception. Funding and support are agreed separately for each service, and the record explains how costs and responsibilities change when systems or sites change.
Sorting systems into required, recommended and optional is a useful start, but it does not settle who pays. A franchisor can fund, buy or administer a service for franchisees where the arrangements allow it, and a franchisee can pay for a required system under agreed terms. For each system, four answers are recorded separately: the standard and authority, the purchase and cost, the support and recovery route, and the information and access rules.
The effect of a technology schedule, the operations manual and later changes depends on the actual agreement and applicable law. Exodesk prepares the technical scope and procedures, and the group lawyer confirms contractual authority, incorporation and any variation or consent needed.
One first contact, coordinated across suppliers
Site staff should not have to work out whether the network or the application is at fault before they can get help. A single service desk can coordinate several providers without taking responsibility for every component.
- Support route. An agreed route based on the affected service and its impact, with a contact card at the till that matches the actual contract
- Triage. A named owner for faults where the cause is unclear, plus who can authorise paid work and who updates the site
- Service levels. Coverage hours, priority definitions, escalation, response versus resolution, exclusions and any recovery commitments
- Supplier boundaries. We agree which application issues Exodesk handles and which need the specialist supplier, with a named escalation route and who keeps the site informed
Ongoing technology leadership across sites is available through our vCIO services, and broader advisory work through IT consulting.
Choose the identity design for the group
There is no default answer to one tenant or many. The design follows administration, information separation, applications, licences and exit requirements, and a group with both group-owned and separately owned sites may use more than one approach.
With B2B collaboration, staff from a site tenant can use their existing sign-in, while the group still manages their guest objects, permissions, policies and reviews. Cross-tenant access settings control which collaboration and trust are allowed; they do not grant every application or SharePoint permission by themselves.
Licensing is checked with the supplier: the product, users, permitted entities, purchasing arrangement, reassignment and exit terms. Group purchase does not automatically cover every site, and separate entities do not automatically rule it out.
When a site joins or leaves the group
Blocking sign-in, revoking access, removing a licence and deleting an account are different actions. Microsoft treats them as separate steps, and we plan preservation, authorised handover and retention before anything destructive happens.
- Opening a site. Devices, network, accounts, supplier access and the support route set up from the agreed standard
- Access on exit. Guest and application access, sessions, delegated permissions, shared links, third-party accounts and device administration
- Records on exit. Authorised records exported or migrated and checked before the access needed for the handover is closed
- Backups. Retention and recovery planned before the exit, as our Microsoft 365 backup guide explains
A separate tenant does not mean a departing site keeps all group information, and a group tenant does not make a lawful transfer of site records impossible. The permitted data, formats, timing, retention and costs are agreed first. Businesses being combined rather than franchised are covered by IT integration after an acquisition.
Customer, staff and incident responsibilities
We record the actual information flows: who holds and uses customer data, and the role of each party. Contractual access and permitted use must fit the Privacy Act rather than replace it, including the disclosure principle.
- Customer data. Collection, use and disclosure need a proper basis and an accurate notice, with access limited to what each role needs
- Indirect collection. Since 1 May 2026, IPP3A can require notice when information is collected from someone other than the individual, such as a site passing data to head office
- Business sales. The business sale exception covers disclosure needed to facilitate a sale, not every termination or customer-list transfer
- Employment records. Employment New Zealand sets six years for wage, time, holiday and leave records, so the employer keeps lawful access after a site leaves
- Incidents. The support contract names the technical lead, site contact, privacy decision-maker and supplier escalation, and a serious privacy breach is assessed and notified as the law requires
Standards work best as outcomes, such as compatible reporting, access controls and recovery requirements. A common point-of-sale system does not by itself give authority over resale prices, which the Commerce Commission treats as a separate matter.
How the work starts
We set up franchise IT support in the same order for each group.
Map sites and systems
List the sites, ownership, systems, suppliers and current support arrangements.
Record responsibilities
Agree standard, cost, support and information answers for each system.
Set support routes
Publish the first contact, triage owner, hours and escalation for each site.
Document opening and exit
Write the joining and leaving steps, then test them with one site.
Review as the group grows
Update the record when systems, suppliers or sites change.
What affects the cost?
Franchise IT support is quoted from the sites, systems and responsibilities involved, with standards work and ongoing support shown separately.
- Standards project. Discovery, the responsibility record, procedures and any updates as the group changes
- Ongoing support. Per-site and head office support, coordination and agreed coverage hours
- Licences and equipment. Software, devices and connections, with the payer for each recorded
- Projects and advice. Rollouts, migrations and legal review, quoted or arranged separately
We confirm inclusions, exclusions, assumptions and GST treatment in writing before work starts.
Franchise IT support questions
What does a franchisor need to put in writing about franchise IT support?
Record the required systems or outcomes, decision authority, costs, support routes, access and information responsibilities. Include change, opening and exit procedures, with contractual wording reviewed through the legal process of the group.
Can a franchisor make a franchisee buy a particular system?
It depends on the franchise agreement, incorporated documents and applicable law. Check the authority and change process before mandating a product or new cost. Exodesk can help define the technical requirement.
What happens to a franchisee customer list when they exit the group?
Agree contractual access and a lawful handover, including permitted use, formats, timing and retention. The Privacy Act still applies, so a data-ownership clause alone does not decide every transfer or future use.
How much should a franchise group budget for a technology schedule?
The cost depends on site variation, existing documentation and the work required. Ask for a quote that separates technical discovery, the schedule, procedures, legal review and any ongoing coordination or support.
Is franchise IT support bought centrally cheaper than every site using a local provider?
It can reduce duplication, but compare equivalent scope, support coverage and total costs. Central coordination and local onsite support can work together, and savings depend on the actual arrangement.
What happens to franchisee Microsoft 365 accounts when they leave the group?
Follow the agreed exit plan. Remove unauthorised access while preserving required records and arranging approved transfers. Blocking sign-in is different from deleting accounts, removing licences or disposing of data.
Who is responsible when a franchised site has a security incident?
Responsibilities depend on the affected systems, information and service roles. Agree technical response, escalation and privacy assessment in advance. Each organisation must meet any legal duties that apply to it.
Does every site in a franchise group need the same point-of-sale system?
A common platform can simplify reporting and support, but it is not required in every case. Define the business outcomes, integration and security requirements, then confirm the standard and any approved exceptions.
How long does it take to agree a franchise IT support standard?
Timing depends on discovery, consultation, supplier input and the approval process in the agreement. Exodesk can scope a programme once the sites, documents and decisions involved are understood.
Does Exodesk work with franchise groups outside Christchurch and Dunedin?
Yes. Exodesk supports New Zealand businesses from its Christchurch and Dunedin teams. The locations covered, remote support, onsite arrangements and escalation are confirmed when the franchise service is scoped.
What is the first thing a new franchise group should do about franchise IT support?
Identify the systems each site needs and agree who decides, funds, supports and administers them. Document access, opening and exit arrangements before rolling the model out to more sites.
Discuss your franchise IT support
Tell us how many sites you have, which systems the group requires and who supports them today. We will suggest a scope and the next step. Please leave passwords out of the enquiry.
Talk to us about your franchise group
Tell us your group, your sites and the systems you rely on, and we will be in touch to arrange a time that suits.
Prefer to talk?
Christchurch
Level 1, 85 Riccarton Road
Christchurch 8011
03 343 3124
Dunedin
Level 3, Bartons Building
2 Stafford Street, Dunedin 9016
03 479 2941