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OX Park & Node Office Playbook

Overview​

The Cluster / Node office is the operational nerve centre for the Master Franchisee. It houses the Cluster Manager, customer support, HR/admin and core operations staff who coordinate Sub-franchisees, Node Partners, OX Trade handoffs and platform reconciliations. The office is owned/operated by the Master at Park level; at Node level the Master rents space from the Node Partner and staffs it. Use the Inputs Playbook structure as a reference for tone and level of detail.

1. Purpose & Scope​

  • Provide a secure, connected workplace for cluster management and operational tasks.
  • Serve as the local escalation hub for farmer/customer complaints and Sub-franchisee support.
  • Host training, onboarding and small farmer-facing events.
  • Manage payroll, statutory compliance and local hiring for cluster staff.

2. Office Type / Where it fits​

  • Park (Cluster) Office — primary office located at OX Park. Full-time staff, training room, operations desk, small store-room.
  • Node Office (satellite) — rented workspace or small hub at Nodes to coordinate Node-level logistics; staffed by Master-appointed personnel.
  • Field/Pop-up workspace — temporary desks at Booking Centers during peaks (optional).

3. Key Roles & Accountabilities​

  • Cluster Manager (Master) — overall P&L & operational owner for the cluster; primary contact to Franchisor.
  • Operations Executive / Warehouse Coordinator — coordinates Park ↔ Node logistics, manages scheduling and dispatch.
  • Customer Support Executive(s) — first-line farmer & Sub support; logs tickets on Platform.
  • HR & Admin — hiring, payroll, statutory filings (EPF/ESI where applicable), staff welfare.
  • Finance / Reconciliation Lead (shared or on-demand) — settlement reconciliation with Platform, invoice validation.
  • Trainer (rotational) — conducts Sub & Node onboarding, product safety sessions (can be outsourced).

4. Setup Requirements​

Location & Space​

  • Park office: 250–800 sqft depending on taluk size.
  • Node office: 100–300 sqft (rented from Node Partner).
  • Training room / meeting area: capacity 8–20.
  • Secure small store-room for documents, petty consumables.

Fit-out & Facilities​

  • Workstations (desks + chairs) with cable management.
  • Reliable internet (primary + backup/4G), UPS for critical devices.
  • Printer/scanner, single networked workstation for Platform admin.
  • Visitor sign-in, basic pantry, and clean restroom access.
  • Branding & signage per OX standards.

IT & Tools​

  • Role-based access to OX Platform (Cluster Manager, Support, Ops, Finance).
  • POS or tablet for occasional customer interactions during events.
  • Mobile phones or softphone for support team.
  • Shared platform inbox and ticketing workflow.

5. Operations & SOPs​

Daily​

  • Office opening checklist (connectivity, backups, security).
  • Daily ops stand-up (15 minutes): bookings, incidents, staff allocation.
  • Customer support queue triage and SLA assignment.
  • Cash & cashless reconciliation (if cash handled temporarily) — immediate upload to Platform.

Weekly​

  • Operations sync with Node Partner ops lead and OX Trade rep.
  • Reconcile Platform settlements for subs and infrastructure fees.
  • HR weekly tasks: attendance, payroll inputs, trainee schedules.

Monthly / Quarterly​

  • Full compliance review (EPF/ESI, local taxes).
  • Training & refresher sessions for Subs.
  • Quarterly KPI review with Franchisor & Platform.

Key SOPs (must be documented and available in office)​

  • Customer escalation flow (ticket → Ops → Node/Master → Franchisor).
  • Data access policy (who can export/download reports).
  • Emergency response (power outage, physical security breach).
  • Document retention & archival rules.

6. Staffing Profile & Hiring Guidelines​

Typical headcount (small → medium cluster)​

  • Cluster Manager — 1
  • Operations Executive — 1–2
  • Customer Support Executives — 1–3 (scale with volume)
  • HR/Admin — 0.5–1 (can be shared across nearby clusters initially)
  • Finance/Reconciliation (part-time or shared) — 0.5

Hiring criteria​

  • Customer support: local language(s), basic digital literacy, familiarity with agri context preferred.
  • Operations: logistics scheduling experience, familiarity with farm machinery operations preferred.
  • Cluster Manager: 3–7 years operations or retail/field management; good stakeholder management.
  • Training: hands-on trainers with agricultural domain knowledge (can be contracted).

Training & Induction​

  • Platform onboarding, OX SOPs, safety & compliance, customer handling, dispute resolution.
  • Initial 3–5 day induction for all hires; refresher every quarter.

7. Financial Model (high level)​

Cost heads (Master)​

  • Rent (if Park office rented) or depreciation/maintenance (if Master owns Park).
  • Salaries & benefits (PF/ESI as applicable).
  • Utilities, internet & UPS.
  • Office consumables & minor equipment.
  • Training & events budget.

Revenue / Cost recovery​

  • Office is typically a cost centre managed by the Master. Cost recovery options:

    • Allocate overhead across Master P&L and marginally charge certain node-level services (e.g., training fee to Subs).
    • Include office admin allocation in Master’s budget and validate during commercial reviews.

8. Compliance & Risk Management​

  • Employee statutory compliance: register for EPF/ESI where applicable; maintain payroll records.
  • Data security: restrict platform export rights; enforce device encryption and password policies.
  • Physical safety: fire extinguisher, first aid; secure storage for cash/documents.
  • Insurance: Master to insure Park office assets (contents & public liability).
  • Background checks for staff in trust roles (finance / sensitive data access).

9. KPIs & SLAs (office-focused)​

  • Response SLA: initial farmer ticket acknowledgement within 2 hours; resolution within 48 hours (escalation tracked).
  • Platform reconciliation accuracy: % of days reconciled without variance (target ≥ 95%).
  • Training coverage: % of active Subs with training completed (target ≥ 90% quarterly).
  • Staff attendance / attrition: target low attrition; maintain minimum presence thresholds.
  • Office uptime: connectivity uptime target ≥ 99%.

10. Monitoring & Reporting​

  • Daily: support tickets opened / closed, urgent incidents, staffing.
  • Weekly: platform settlement reconciliations, node handoffs, pending disputes.
  • Monthly: P&L review (if cost recovery model), KPI dashboard, compliance checklist.
  • Quarterly: Franchisor performance review (audit of SOP adherence, training records, incident logs).

11. Launch Checklist — Office (step-by-step)​

Pre-launch

  1. Confirm site lease/ownership and utility connections.
  2. Complete fit-out (desks, internet, power backup, signage).
  3. Procure IT (PCs, router, printer) and create role-based platform access.
  4. Hire core staff and complete statutory registrations (KYC, PF/ESI).
  5. Prepare SOP documents, escalation matrix and staff handbook.

Go-live (week 0–2) 6. Run a 7-day simulation: process mock bookings, handle mock escalations, perform settlement reconciliation. 7. Conduct customer support triage drills and field coordination tests with Node Partner. 8. Do 1:1 training sessions for every staff on platform workflows.

Stabilise (day 14–90) 9. Weekly ops syncs and reconcile first month settlements. 10. First 30/60/90-day review: staff performance, ticket SLA adherence, training gaps. 11. Adjust headcount or processes based on load; finalize permanent vendor contracts (internet, backup power).

12. Roles & Responsibilities (summary)​

Master Franchisee

  • Establishes and funds the Park office. Hires cluster staff and owns office P&L. Ensures compliance and SOP adherence.

Node Partner

  • Provides Node office space on lease/usage terms; ensures basic site readiness and security.

OX Platform / OX Trade

  • Platform: provides role-based access, invoices and settlement tools.
  • OX Trade: coordinates operational handoffs when trade/warehouse issues escalate to the office.

13. Appendix — Templates & Forms (recommended)​

  • Office opening & closing checklist (daily).
  • Staff induction checklist & training log.
  • Customer escalation / ticket template.
  • Platform reconciliation worksheet (sample).
  • Office rental invoice template (for Node office lease).

14. Practical Notes & Recommendations​

  • Start lean: minimal core staff + shared/part-time finance until volumes justify full hires.
  • Automate reconciliations with Platform exports to eliminate manual errors.
  • Node office leases — prefer short-term renewable leases in pilot to keep flexibility.
  • Maintain strict controls on who can export platform data — protect farmer & commercial data.

This Office Playbook mirrors the structure and detail level used in the Inputs Playbook you shared and is written to plug into your existing Master Franchisee Framework. Do you want this as a single markdown file (ready for upload), or should I now draft the Park Office SOP checklist and the staff induction/training module templates?