CHICAGO — Engaged self-service laundry owners draw on many sources of information in managing and operating their small businesses but none may be as important as their distributor. Full-service distributors can offer many benefits, particularly when a laundry operation is just getting started.
While acquiring laundry equipment and parts are the most popular distributor services store owners rely on, there are several others that draw owner or investor interest, based on the results of the latest American Coin-Op Your Views survey.
When asked what type(s) of services they rely on, the vast majority of store owners said “equipment sales/leasing/financing” (88.5%) and “parts/supplies ordering/requests” (84.6%); respondents could choose any or all among several choices. “Maintenance/repairs” (46.2%) also got a healthy response.
There were varied levels of interest in other services, too, such as “laundry operations consulting” (19.2%), “store planning/design” (15.4%) and “pricing strategies” (11.5%). And 3.8% of respondents pointed to “other” reasons, including distributor sales providing them access to vendors beyond washer/dryer makers.
Half of the store owners polled said they are “somewhat satisfied” with their distributors, while another 26.9% are “extremely satisfied.” About 8% are “somewhat unsatisfied,” and 15.4% report being “neither satisfied nor unsatisfied.” No one taking the survey selected “extremely unsatisfied.”
Despite this level of satisfaction, more than half of respondents (57.7%) said “no” when asked if they think their distributor works diligently to stay in contact with them about things like product offerings and industry trends. Roughly 31% said their distributors do stay in touch, and the remaining 11.5% said they were “unsure.”
Respondents described the variety of methods that distributors use, including personal visits, phone calls, emails, flyers, direct mail, and events like open houses and service schools.
Concerning the latter, respondents said they would most look forward to “deals/specials on equipment/parts” (34.6%), “equipment demonstrations” (26.9%), “technical/operational advice” (23.1%) or “networking opportunities” (15.4%) when attending such events. No one taking the survey chose “other.”
We asked store owners if there was a certain area in which a distributor “could be of greater assistance to [their] business.” Here are some of the responses:
- “Warranty processing (and) faster parts delivery.”
- “New-location finding.”
- “Repair of machines. My distributor used to be very good at assisting with machine issues but since COVID, it seems like they are always busy.”
- “Not building on top of existing laundromats, especially the ones I own.”
- “They haven’t had a trade show since the pandemic. Certainly would love to go again. I go to other distributors’ shows.”
- “One problem we often run into is there is no customer service through telephone anymore. Most of the help lines are all through online networking, so when we have an issue that needs consulting, we are often in limbo waiting on a response to help resolve the issue.”
American Coin-Op’s Your Views survey presents an unscientific snapshot of the trade audience’s viewpoints. Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Subscribers to American Coin-Op emails are invited to participate anonymously in an industry survey each quarter. The entire trade audience is encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define owner/operator opinions and industry trends.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
