RIPON, Wis. — A store’s vended laundry equipment could have all of the bells and whistles, but if not properly maintained, its benefits will fall silent. For owners looking to exceed customer expectations, reduce utility costs and avoid bigger maintenance issues, adhering to a preventative maintenance program is essential.
With distributor service schools, manufacturer call centers and suggested maintenance schedules and the boundless information found on the World Wide Web, one can set up a preventative maintenance program with ease.
DO RELY ON ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS
Utilizing a washer-extractor’s and tumble dryer’s advanced control system can also help with a preventative maintenance program.
While it will not do the work of cleaning lint screens, wiping down the machines or testing the doors, some systems will alert owners of leaks in the drain and fill valves. The alerts will help eliminate wasted water and also reduce the time spent on these crucial aspects of preventative maintenance.
Some advanced control systems also feature service diagnostic troubleshooting so if there is a maintenance concern, an owner can run factory tests and quickly understand issues so they can be corrected.
In the event of an issue, Mike Besaw, manager-Customer Service, Alliance Laundry Systems, suggests owners start simple and use the machine schematic, or road map, as a guide to the problem. “There are many controls that will display error codes indicating the problem area. Using the service manual to decipher these codes, and a multi-meter, can save the owner time and money.”
DON’T LET CUSTOMERS GET FRUSTRATED
The most important thing an owner can do in regards to maintenance is promptly repair units that are out of order. Machines that are “down” are not producing revenue and can cause customer frustration if not addressed in a timely manner.
“The last thing an owner should want a customer seeing while in the store is multiple ‘Out of Order’ signs,” Besaw shares. “Many repeat customers have their ‘favorite’ machines, and if they are broke, they may choose to go elsewhere.”
To avoid the chances of improper operating of machines, Besaw suggests posting signs in multiple languages throughout the store with visual aids illustrating how to insert payment and select cycles.
Whether an owner has one store or 10, using manufacturer and distributor resources can make setting up and following a preventative maintenance program a manageable task. The programs not only help an owner avoid bigger maintenance issues, but keep customers satisfied and reduce utility costs.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].