How to Manage a Corporate Office with Branch Locations Read more: How to Manage a Corporate Office with Branch Locations

It's common for large companies and many small businesses to have a corporate headquarters in one location, and several branch offices in different locations. These branches help grow the business, and they can target customers more locally than a large corporate office would. However, there are a lot of challenges involved in running a company with several branch locations. It's important to set up the team so that they can work independently in their branches, as well as connect to the corporate office because they are, after all, part of one company.

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Assign managers to every branch to handle each branch's operations. Pick managers who not only have leadership skills, but also have experience managing others. These managers will work in the day-to-day operations of the business--their main responsibility is not to worry about corporate plans, but focus on maintaining the business in their respective branches. They will manage the team in their offices and motivate them to carry out the tasks and mission laid out by the company. Ask the managers for a weekly report wherein they can describe the accomplishments and challenges achieved by the branch that week.
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Step 2

Delegate a liaison who acts as a bridge between the corporate office and the other branches. This liaison will transfer information received from the corporate office to the branches, to keep information consistent and to implement corporate instructions in all of the branches. Find a liaison who has experience in various communication roles, and one who has a background in organizational or corporate communications. He may have an existing relationship with the communications director, since they work as a team to disseminate information. Depending on the needs of the company, the liaison may transfer information monthly, as monthly memos, newsletters and pertinent information come out.
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Step 3

Plan for an effective communication flow by assigning a communications director, who will disseminate information from one liaison to another. The communications director will have the contact information of the liaison, and she will be in regular correspondence with him to build the relationship. The communications director should also create a plan with the liaison incorporating the organizational structure of the corporation so they can effectively distribute the information to the necessary avenues. With many people to reach, communication is all the more important. You want messages issued from the corporate office to reach the intended recipients in their original format. Sometimes, passing information among multiple people creates miscommunication issues and crucial facts may get lost in translation.
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Step 4

Set up the necessary software to coordinate with all the offices. Information technology needs to be consistent in all of the offices. This is important so that when issues arise, technicians can effectively work with the corporate office and its branches using the same protocols to solve a problem. Also, file sharing between branches and the main corporate office is more efficient when the company is using the same software and hardware across the board.
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Step 5

Open communication lines from the branches to the corporate office. It is important for branch personnel to feel part of the team even if they are in a different city, state or country from the main corporate office. Let them know that they are part of the company by holding conference calls as a team with the corporate office. Conference calls can be held once a quarter and they should discuss employees' quarterly performance, concerns and suggestions.