AI & Franchising: how networks are rethinking their recruitment

In franchise networks, growth is not only about opening new outlets. It also – and above all – depends on the ability to attract the right profiles: store employees, motivated franchisees, network developers, etc. And when volumes explode, deadlines get shorter, and talents become scarce… AI becomes a solution for networks to stay competitive and reduce the processing time of lower value-added tasks. Discover below our article published in June 2025 in the media: Toute la franchise!

In very popular sectors today such as fast food or retail, HR teams face a real challenge: sorting through hundreds of resumes, responding to applications within deadlines, organizing interviews, all while maintaining a good candidate experience, which is essential for the brand image of the network.

Today, AI solutions are being developed and improved to automate part of these processes considered too time-consuming. This includes resume sorting, application scoring, prequalification by voice assistant, or even chatbots. The goal here is to provide relief when workload threatens the quality of exchanges and to reduce the time spent processing applications.

By relying on AI, recruiters could therefore dedicate more time to what constitutes the heart of recruitment: in-person interviews, human exchange, and later on, onboarding.

In other words, everything that cannot fit into a database.

Attracting new franchisees is not just about “compatible” profiles. It is above all about the meeting between a motivated personality and a concept that resonates. Not to mention an alignment of values, ambition, and the ability to undertake within a structured framework.
Here too, AI comes into play. Today, some types of tools are already being deployed allowing – for example – the automation of information gathering from the very first exchanges: online forms, analysis of responses, annotation of data in a tracking document, etc. For the candidate, this helps refine their understanding of the expectations from the franchise they are targeting. For network developers, this first step allows them to collect as much information as possible before a first meeting and to conduct the interview with more targeted data. The result? A valuable time saving and a way to focus efforts on truly engaged candidates.

Some brands can go even further by building fully automated journeys.

For example, from an Excel file filled with contacts, a voice assistant can even make automated calls, complete missing information, then trigger actions such as sending documents, scheduling interviews, or even displaying a profile’s scoring.
These systems combine several technological building blocks: a voice AI, workflow automation, and data enrichment. These possibilities are beginning to become accessible, even for mid-sized structures.

Of course, not all barriers have been lifted yet. The cost of tools, but also integration complexity or team training, can slow down these new internal process methods. But with APIs becoming more affordable every day, interfaces simpler, and resources more expert, everything should evolve very quickly.

These automation logics, although still emerging in the world of recruitment, are arousing growing interest among experts in network digitalization. At Seenaps for example, these uses are currently the subject of exploratory work to imagine smooth, data-driven journeys designed to strengthen human performance. Reflections are underway on concrete applications of voice AI and automated scoring, both for employee recruitment and for engaging future franchisees.

Let’s be clear: AI will never replace the intuition of a good recruiter, nor the relationship of trust built with a franchisee. For this, human contact remains the preferred entry point. Artificial Intelligence therefore appears more as an effective tool to gain responsiveness, accuracy, and quality of service.

But this new reality is under construction, made of rapid advances and increasingly concrete feedback. By streamlining processes and better targeting profiles, AI allows teams to refocus on what really matters: creating connection, evaluating people, building a trust-based relationship. For networks ready to take the leap, the field of possibilities is expanding. It remains to choose the right tools, at the right time.