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A quick look at Kwik Kopy

Sarah Stowe

“Technology is an enabler,” says Sarah Emms, marketing manager of Kwik Kopy. “It’s simply a means to an end, the end being better and more efficient service for your client base. You need to understand what technology is available and what it can do for you and your clients.”

One example is the growing number of customers who, in the wake of the digital revolution, expect to interact online. In response, Kwik Kopy developed an online ordering system, Zenith, which allows each client to build a personalised catalogue of all of their printed materials. From here, they can amend and proof artwork, look up their order history and place their orders for print. These orders are then passed directly to their Kwik Kopy Centre for processing and delivery.

Clients also expect a broader range of products and services, including digital marketing tools such as email marketing, websites and other digital services.

“We have identified an exciting opportunity for providing end-to-end marketing services for small to medium businesses, from digital services such as email and websites to complementary print products – the complete package,” says Emms. “Variable data and personalised printing will also continue to grow, and clients will be looking to franchisees to help them use, manage and make the most of their database. Clearly, franchisees will need these skills themselves – but one of the strengths of a franchising model is that it keeps you abreast of technology.”

Franchising also provides a proven business model – the best chance of growing a profitable business.

“At Kwik Kopy you’re talking with business clients who value professionalism and quality as much as economy, and who look for long-term business partners rather than mere suppliers,” says Emms. “You’re able to grow your business actively by going out and finding clients rather than counting on them to walk into the store, and the power of the brand opens doors for you.

“Our system takes the guesswork out of doing business, while the franchisor resources take care of all your marketing, allowing you to benchmark your performance against others and keeping you focused on how to make money.”

Franchisees also have an opportunity to access a recent development, a marketing agency brand called 121 Creative. This provides marketing and design agency services to small-to-medium enterprises and also has the resources to take on complex briefs from corporate or government customers. Franchisees who choose to access the 121 Creative brand invest in highly-skilled staff and additional training.

The ideal Kwik Kopy franchisee is a motivated business person with a sales background.

“Everyone must meet a rigorous set of selection criteria,” says Emms. “We believe in our model so strongly that we are prepared to offer significant guarantees and sales incentives to franchisees establishing a new centre. At the same time, we’re very selective because we want people who will operate our brand successfully and we don’t want to take money from people who may be better suited to alternative careers.”

New franchisees have to complete several weeks of pre-training work before attending the 20-day New Owners course in Sydney. They then receive additional onsite support.

“We recognise that learning in a classroom environment is different from actually delivering the goods at the coal face,” says Emms. “Local business development managers provide ongoing support, and specialist help is available from the IT, technology, operations, marketing, finance and personnel departments.”