So, They Told You SharePoint Was a Fast and Easy Way to a Franchise Intranet
Why SharePoint—despite being a powerful enterprise tool—is often the wrong choice for franchise operations. The complexity, cost, and lack of vertical focus create more problems than solutions.
Let's Be Honest About SharePoint
Most of your franchisees and co-workers take their jobs seriously. Whether they're based at central office or in local outlets, they really just want to get things done. But sometimes this determination creates problems when workers need information but don't have the right ways to find it.
When information about procedures isn't freely and easily available, people tend to solve tasks in their own way based on what they perceive to be the "right" solution. This can work out well in some cases, but it can also create serious trouble.
When workers step outside the conceptual and brand boundaries with which you run your franchise brand, they generate a range of undesirable consequences. If your network is delivering mediocre performance, this might be the root cause.
The SharePoint Instinct
This is where an effective intranet based in the cloud comes in handy—allowing each person in your network to access every bit of information and knowledge they need.
This is also where many organizations instinctively reach for SharePoint, thinking: *"It's Microsoft, so it has to be good, and we should have it."*
If you and your management team think like this, think again.
Start with Why, Not How or What
Let's take technology out of the equation and ask some fundamental questions. When you ask yourself what you really want, you'll come to the same conclusion we did at Chainformation—people simply want a way to be more productive with less effort.
They want an easier way to find the information they require, collaborate, and share knowledge. They want to bring the best bits of the social tools they privately use every day into a business environment. Ultimately, they want to get their work done faster and more easily.
Technology and IT systems are tools, and tools are supposed to support an organization in getting the job done in the easiest possible way. But if a tool solves the task, is it automatically the right one to use?
It's easy to get lost in a swirl of features and technology, and to forget the overall goals that triggered the need for a new platform in the first place.
You Don't Need a SharePoint Intranet—You Need a Franchise Intranet
As a franchisor, your core business is to operate and support your brand and local franchisees, not running IT projects or owning and managing systems.
SharePoint is certainly a very competent system, but it's a bit like renting a truck to remove autumn leaves from your garden. It will be tricky to maneuver into place, it requires a lot of adjustments and workarounds to get it where you want it, and the costs will be high as well.
Sure, it'll get the leaves off your property, but is it really the right tool for the task?
The Real Cost of SharePoint for Franchises
Although SharePoint remains a common tool for Fortune 1000 enterprise-level companies, smaller and mid-size organizations—franchises in particular—are questioning its value.
The primary issue is complexity:
At every round of customization, franchisors need to bring in IT consultants
Senior SharePoint consultants typically charge $130–$150 per hour (and in 2026, specialized consultants often charge more)
These consultants generally lack in-depth knowledge of franchise operations
The franchisor ends up explaining in great detail how the network works
All of this takes plenty of time, with constant back and forth between the franchisor and their SharePoint consultants.
The Hidden Burden: Franchisor as IT Manager
When you choose SharePoint, you become the owner and manager of a complex IT system. This means taking responsibility for:
System upgrades and migrations
Security patches and compliance
User management at scale
Training on an ever-changing interface
Integration with other tools
Troubleshooting and support tickets
None of this is your core business. Every hour spent managing SharePoint is an hour not spent supporting franchisees.
What Franchise Operations Actually Need
Purpose-built franchise platforms deliver 70–90% of core features out of the box:
Role-based access by location and position
Digital SOP checklists with verification
Read-tracking for manuals and updates
Mobile-first design for frontline workers
Multi-location reporting and analytics
Built-in communication targeting
Compare this to SharePoint, where each of these features requires custom development, integration, and ongoing maintenance.
The Numbers That Matter
When organizations switch from generic tools to purpose-built platforms:
Internal email volume drops by up to 80%
Implementation takes 5–6 weeks instead of months
Total cost for a 30–50 unit chain is often less than a cell phone subscription per outlet per month
Adoption rates are dramatically higher because the tool fits the workflow
The 2026 Reality: AI Doesn't Fix the Core Problem
Some organizations are now hoping that AI assistants and copilots will make SharePoint more usable. While AI can help with search and content generation, it doesn't address the fundamental mismatch:
SharePoint is designed for knowledge workers at desks. Franchise operations are about frontline workers on their feet, often without time to "search" for what they need.
AI can't fix a tool that was never designed for your use case.
Making the Right Decision
Before committing to any platform, ask yourself:
Who will use this? Knowledge workers or frontline staff?
What's the real total cost? Including consultants, training, and ongoing management?
How long until we see value? Weeks or months?
Who owns the complexity? You or the platform provider?
Does it fit our workflow? Or do we adapt to it?
If you start with the *Why* and not the *How*, you'll likely reach a different conclusion than "SharePoint because Microsoft."
The Bottom Line
The best technology for franchise operations isn't the most powerful—it's the one that fits. A purpose-built platform that works for frontline workers, delivers out-of-the-box functionality, and doesn't require you to become an IT manager will always outperform a complex enterprise tool that needs endless customization.
Your franchisees didn't sign up to navigate SharePoint. They signed up to run successful locations. Give them tools that help them do exactly that.