Franchise Advisory Board · 2026-06-16 · 40 min
In this episode of The Franchise Advisory Board Podcast, host Dave Hansen sits down with Ahson Kazi, Vice President of Partnerships and Growth at Lumin.ai, to explore one of the most important questions facing franchise brands today: How do you balance AI and human interaction to drive growth without sacrificing trust?With more than two decades of CRM and sales technology experience - and seven years helping pioneer AI-powered SMS engagement in franchising - Ahson brings a practical, experience-driven perspective to the conversation. Together, he and Dave unpack the role AI should play throughout the franchise candidate journey, from initial inquiry through franchise award.A key takeaway from the discussion is that AI should enhance human relationships, not replace them. While trust is still built between people, AI excels at handling repetitive, time-sensitive tasks such as lead follow-up, appointment scheduling, re-engagement, and answering common questions.
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