Yes, last night, Swimtime picked up the coveted Digital Transformation Award at the bfa HSBC British Franchise Awards 2022 at the Vox in Birmingham. And we couldn’t be more chuffed!
Known as the ‘Oscars’ of the franchising industry, this is the flagship event in the franchising calendar, What makes our recognition even more satisfying is that this year saw a record number of entries submitted across all categories.
Excellence in digital transformation
According to the bfa, the Digital Transformation category was introduced to acknowledge the incredible advancements that have taken place in this area in recent years and to showcase best practice examples.
And what does it take to become the winner? The esteemed jury took note of significant investment in innovation. They were also keen to reward a company that looked beyond the normal options and progressed with development to identify, build and implement market-leading technology.
Pip Wilkins, CEO of the British Franchising Association, congratulated Swimtime: “As a serious franchise business, it is critical to ensure continual investment in systems and process for the benefit of the overall business model. It is great to see the tremendous investment, both in time and money that our category winner has given to their digital transformation and not to mention that positive impact this is now having. Well done to Swimtime and their team.“
Recognition of creativity and innovation
Winning a bfa HSBC British Franchise Award is so much more than just the chance to claim a shiny trophy and a framed certificate. It promotes ongoing business growth and provides a chance to recognise and celebrate creativity and innovation. The awards certainly carry a high level of credibility across the industry.
Set up over 40 years ago, the British Franchise Association (bfa) is the original and largest not-for-profit trade association for franchising in the UK and is hugely respected organisation.
Ongoing awards success
This kind of recognition is not unusual for Swimtime. Last year inspirational young Terri Collier was named as a finalist in the ‘Next Generation Franchisee’ category at the same event.
It didn’t take the inspirational Terri Collier long to make a splash at Swimtime. She became a franchisee at the tender age of 22 and, three years later, she was already running three territories, so it was no surprise to us that Terri’s rapid rise was recognised at the bfa Awards.
We’ve also been a recent winner at the UK Digital Experience Awards. These awards celebrate digital excellence and innovation, recognising the ways that digital technology is used to enhance customer experience.
At a glittering awards ceremony in London, we won Gold in the Transport, Leisure and Tourism category as well as being crowned the Overall Winner on the night. When you’re competing against household brands like Sky, BT, Virgin Trains and EE, that’s no mean feat for a growing British franchise like ours.
Cutting-edge technology
So what are the digital credentials that put Swimtime in the frame for this latest award? Using the multi award-winning FranScape platform, we take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver an all-round customer experience that includes easy booking and payment. It also helps our teachers stay in control with all the information they need at their fingertips 24/7.
We were the first in our sector to deploy such advanced technology including Machine Learning; to see the implementation and our results be recognised is a genuine honour for everyone involved.
