CHICAGO — Exactly half of the coin laundry owners and operators surveyed in this month’s American Coin-Op Your Views survey say they are “satisfied” with their relationship with their distributor.
While roughly 27% are “extremely satisfied” with their distributor, 13.6% are indifferent (“neither satisfied nor dissatisfied”).
Equal shares of 4.6% say they are either “dissatisfied” or “extremely dissatisfied” with their distributor.
If the opportunity arose, the majority of respondents say it’s “neither likely nor unlikely” (28.6%) or “unlikely” (28.6%) that they would change distributors.
Roughly 14% say it is “highly unlikely” that they would change distributors.
Close to 19% say it is “likely” that they will change distributors if given the opportunity, while 9.5% say it is a definite possibility (“highly likely”).
Regardless of their relationship with their distributor, the majority of respondents (72.7%) say they rely on them for parts ordering/requests, alongside maintenance/repairs (50.0%), equipment leasing/financing (45.5%), pricing strategies (18.2%), and store layout/design (13.6%).
Roughly 18% say they consult with their distributor for “other” reasons, like customer service and technical support.
Close to 64% of respondents say they attend their distributor’s open house/service schools, while 36.4% say they do not.
At these events, the majority of operators (54.6%) say they look forward to the “deals/specials on equipment.”
Roughly 23% of operators say they most enjoy the “technical/operational advice,” while 13.6% attend for the “equipment demonstrations.”
The remaining 9.1% attend these events for “other” reasons. No one who took the survey said they attend for “networking opportunities.”
One operator says his/her distributor has become his/her go-to for “advice, tech support [and for] parts and pricing.”
“I have not really used [my distributor] for anything, except for tech questions and parts, when needed,” says another.
“I wanted to replace almost all my washers,” another operator says. “My distributor didn’t have a good salesperson, so I changed to [another] who actually showed up, followed up and answered all my questions.”
“Customer service makes the difference with my business and all kinds of businesses,” he/she adds.
American Coin-Op’s Your Views survey presents an unscientific snapshot of the trade audience’s viewpoints at a particular moment. Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Subscribers to American Coin-Op e-mails are invited to participate anonymously in an industry survey each month. The entire American Coin-Op 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].