Customer base refers to the customer group that visits your establishment or uses your services. The customer base may come from a geographical area or carry certain personality traits that attract them to your business.
The textbook answer defines cost drivers as those factors that determine the overall cost of operations. As an example, in manufacturing the cost drivers may be processing time or number of steps to produce the product. With service, the cost drivers could be the actual ratio of billable to non-billable time.
Every franchise agreement should discuss the issue of the source of customers. This is known as the geographical territory, protected territory or exclusive territory. Many agreements spell out the zone or area of your customer source. It is important to understand the Geographical, Protected or Exclusive Territory Clause in the Franchise Agreement.
