For years, franchisors have talked about “technology” as if it were a product to be built, owned, and controlled internally. Custom platforms. Proprietary dashboards. In-house development teams. Long roadmaps filled with features that sound impressive on paper but take years to fully deliver in the field. This is not to say this doesn’t have its place. For a large franchise system, this can add enormous value.
But a quieter and arguably smarter (for sub 250 unit brands) shift is underway across the franchise landscape.
Increasingly, the most forward-thinking franchisors are realizing they do not need to invent the technology themselves to create real value for franchisees and customers. Instead, they are finding and partnering with best-in-class technology providers that already excel in their lane, and integrating those capabilities into the franchise experience.
A recent example from the pet services sector illustrates this shift clearly.
A Case Study in Smart Partnership
When Zoom Room Dog Training, one of the nation’s top dog training franchises, announced its partnership with Fi, it wasn’t simply adding a gadget to its offering. It was expanding the definition of training itself.
The collaboration integrates Fi’s smart dog collars that are capable of real-time activity, sleep, and behavior tracking; directly into select Zoom Room training programs. They are using wearable technology as part of its curriculum, extending learning beyond the gym and into daily life.
Zoom Room CEO Mark Van Wye summarized the philosophy succinctly: “We train the people—and what they do outside the gym matters as much as what happens inside.”
That single sentence captures why partnerships like this matter so much for franchisors.
Technology as an Extension of the Experience
At its best, franchising is about repeatable excellence. Systems are designed to deliver consistent outcomes across locations, markets, and operators. The challenge, of course, is that real life rarely stays inside the four walls of a unit.
In Zoom Room’s case, training sessions happen in a controlled environment. But dog behavior, health, and habits are shaped everywhere else: at home, on walks, during sleep, and in moments no trainer can observe directly. By integrating Fi’s wearable technology, Zoom Room gains visibility into that “in-between” time. Owners can see activity trends. Trainers can reinforce habits with data. Progress becomes measurable, not just anecdotal.
This is where technology partnerships shine: they extend the brand promise beyond the point of sale.
You Don’t Have to Invent the Tech Yourself
One of the most important lessons from partnerships like this is deceptively simple: franchisors don’t need to build everything. Fi has spent years refining GPS accuracy, battery life, AI-powered behavior detection, and consumer usability. That level of specialization would be extraordinarily expensive and, dare I say, risky for a dog training brand to replicate internally.
By partnering instead of building, Zoom Room avoided:
- Multi-year development cycles
- Heavy capital investment
- Ongoing maintenance and update burdens
- The risk of building “good enough” technology in a world where customers expect best-in-class experiences
Instead, the brand could focus on what it already does exceptionally well: education, training philosophy, community, and franchise support.
For franchisors in any sector (fitness, food, home services, education, health) this is a powerful reminder. The goal might not be to become a software company. The goal is to deliver better outcomes, faster.
Franchisee Value: More Than a Nice-to-Have
From a franchisee’s perspective, partnerships like this can materially improve unit-level economics and engagement.
In the Zoom Room–Fi model:
- New clients receive a tangible, high-value benefit (a Fi Mini GPS Tracker plus complimentary service)
- Training progress becomes easier to demonstrate and reinforce
- Engagement extends beyond class attendance into daily routines
- Leaderboards and nationwide challenges create stickiness and friendly competition
These aren’t abstract benefits. They can directly influence:
- Customer retention
- Class participation frequency
- Perceived value of membership
- Differentiation versus local competitors
Most importantly, the technology is not positioned as a separate upsell or distraction. Rather, it’s integrated into the core experience.
That integration is key. Franchisees don’t want more tools to manage; they want tools that make their existing work more effective.
Customer Experience in a Data-Driven World
Consumers today expect insight, not just instruction. Whether they’re tracking steps, sleep, calories, or finances, data has become a proxy for trust and progress.
By aligning with Fi, Zoom Room meets that expectation head-on. Dog owners gain real-time insight into activity levels, sleep patterns, and behaviors like scratching, licking, barking, eating, and drinking. Training becomes proactive rather than reactive.
This matters beyond pet care. Across industries, customers increasingly ask:
- “How do I know this is working?”
- “What does success look like between appointments?”
- “Can I see my progress?”
Franchisors that answer those questions with credible data build deeper loyalty.
Strategic Alignment Matters More Than the Tech
Not every partnership works. The most successful ones share a deeper alignment in mission and values.
Zoom Room’s philosophy, “We don’t train dogs, we train the people who love them,” fits naturally with Fi’s mission to help owners better understand their dogs’ health and behavior. Both brands emphasize empowerment, education, and long-term outcomes.
That alignment shows up operationally:
- The technology supports the training philosophy, not the other way around
- The data reinforces human behavior change, not just pet metrics
- The partnership feels additive, not bolted on
For franchisors evaluating potential tech partners, this is a critical filter. The question isn’t just “What does this technology do?” but “Does this technology reinforce how we already serve customers?”
A Blueprint for Other Franchise Systems
While this example comes from pet services (one of my favorite segments), the implications are much broader.
Any franchisor can ask:
- Where do customers fall out of our visibility between visits?
- What behaviors drive outcomes outside the unit?
- Which partners already specialize in measuring or supporting those behaviors?
Fitness brands might look to wearables. Education franchises to learning analytics platforms. Home services to IoT monitoring. Food brands to loyalty and consumption insights. The opportunity is not to own the tech stack end-to-end, but to orchestrate an ecosystem that delivers measurable value.
The Future Belongs to the Integrators
As franchise systems mature, differentiation increasingly comes from experience, not just concept. Thoughtful technology partnerships allow brands to evolve faster than their competitors without losing focus. Zoom Room’s collaboration with Fi is a signal of where emerging and growth stage franchising is headed: less inward invention, more outward collaboration. Less guessing, more data. Less isolated service delivery, more continuous engagement.
For franchisors willing to embrace that mindset, the upside is clear. Stronger franchisees. Happier customers. And systems built not just for today’s expectations, but tomorrow’s.
Sometimes, the smartest move isn’t building something new… It’s knowing who to build with.
According to Zoom Room, beginning November, participating locations offer a free Fi Mini GPS Tracker with qualifying purchase and a small activation fee, plus six months of Fi service. Select locations plan to add leaderboards and nationwide challenges in 2026. Participation, availability, and terms vary by location and may change without notice; check with your local studio.
