CHICAGO — Remote management has transformed how laundromat owners oversee their businesses.
Today’s systems provide access to real-time sales data, machine performance metrics, employee activity, customer communications, maintenance alerts and operational reports from virtually anywhere.
Whether an owner is across town or across the country, monitoring and managing a laundry operation remotely has become increasingly common — and, for many operators, essential.
The available technology varies widely. Some platforms focus on machine performance and maintenance tracking, while others emphasize payments, customer engagement, wash-dry-fold operations or employee accountability. Many now combine multiple functions into a single system, giving owners greater visibility and control over daily operations without requiring a constant on-site presence.
Several representatives whose companies offer platforms with remote-management capabilities answered questions from American Coin-Op about best practices.
TURNING DATA INTO DECISIONS
Remote management begins with visibility, but its long-term value comes from decision-making.
Today’s platforms provide access to far more information than owners could reasonably gather through periodic store visits. The challenge is transforming that information into actionable insight.
Setomatic Systems VP of Sales John Kelly says owners frequently monitor total revenue, revenue by machine, turns per day and customer payment preferences. Comparing current performance against previous weeks, months or years can help identify emerging trends before they significantly affect the business.
Jeffrey Hurant, director of software products for Laundrylux, says operators increasingly want real-time access to revenue information, machine utilization data, active cycles and equipment alerts. “You can drill down by individual machine, group of machines, or your entire store,” he says.
Isolating performance at multiple levels helps owners identify underperforming equipment, evaluate promotions and better understand customer behavior.
Destiny Klehm, business development specialist for Dexter Laundry, says operators often focus on metrics that provide immediate insight into store performance, including sales revenue, machine usage, peak busy periods, coin collections and equipment alerts.
These measurements help owners understand not only how the store performed yesterday, but also how it’s performing at the moment.
For larger operations, reporting capabilities have expanded well beyond traditional metrics.
Matt Simmons, co-founder of Curbside Laundries, says operators increasingly track customer retention, marketing effectiveness, employee productivity, inventory levels and profitability by service line. “We offer laundry owners over 50 powerful reports,” he adds.
They help operators evaluate customer acquisition efforts, understand purchasing behavior and measure the effectiveness of promotions.
Sivan Salem, senior director of product operations for Cents, says many owners begin each day by reviewing revenue, machine turns, order activity, employee clock-ins and customer data.
“The goal is a 360-degree view of the business,” he says.
That visibility becomes especially important as businesses expand beyond traditional self-service operations into wash-dry-fold and pickup-and-delivery services.
Steve Marcionetti, president of Card Concepts Inc. (CCI), says owners using CCI products frequently monitor machine sales, average customer spending, employee timesheets and task completion rates.
The common thread among all of these metrics is accountability. Owners no longer have to wait until the end of the week — or the end of the month — to understand how their businesses are performing.
Instead, they can identify opportunities and address problems in real time.
RUNNING UNATTENDED AND PARTIALLY ATTENDED STORES
As labor challenges persist and technology improves, unattended and partially attended laundromats continue to attract investor interest.
Suppliers point out that technology can provide visibility but cannot replace attention to the customer experience.
“The foundation of a well-run unattended store is having the right systems in place before you walk away,” Hurant says.
That foundation often begins with machine monitoring and alert systems. Owners need immediate notification when equipment experiences problems, and they need established procedures for responding quickly.
Amanda Goebel, marketing business partner for Alliance Laundry Systems and its Speed Queen brand, believes customer experience must remain the central focus.
“If staff are not on-site, having remote-start capabilities, cashless payment, and the means to offer refunds helps ensure customers feel valued,” she says.
Simmons encourages operators to make it easy for customers to communicate problems.
“It is better that you hear about the issues and have the opportunity to correct them than to see frustrated customers complain on Yelp, Google, and other referral websites,” he says.
Communication plays a critical role in successful unattended operations.
Salem recommends building multiple customer-contact channels so customers can reach the business regardless of whether employees are physically present.
“In a store with no attendant on the floor, the way customers reach you is the experience,” he says.
Mike Hand, a vice president at Alliance Laundry Systems, which manufactures Huebsch equipment, believes attentive management remains essential regardless of staffing levels: “The more tuned into their businesses owners are, the better they can manage them.”
Marcionetti offers a simple philosophy: “Trust but verify. Use the technology to schedule employees and tasks but have a system in place to verify that expectations are met.”
Operational data becomes especially valuable in unattended environments, says Kelly, because it helps owners understand how customers are actually using the store. Reviewing payment methods, machine usage and peak-hour activity can reveal opportunities to improve service.
“By staying proactive, owners can help deliver a reliable and convenient customer experience without the need to always have staff on-site,” says Klehm.
Not everyone views unattended operations as the ultimate goal.
Wash-Dry-Fold POS CEO Ian Gollahon argues that owners should carefully consider the tradeoffs involved, particularly regarding customer service and liability. Regardless of staffing decisions, however, he agrees that visibility remains essential.
Ultimately, suppliers agree that remote-management tools work best when they support — not replace — sound operating practices.
Coming July 14 in Part 3: Managing multiple locations, and labor, accountability and growth
Miss Part 1? You can read it HERE
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
