Nine Suggestions to Help Maximize WDF and Commercial Accounts Profits
The real question isn’t whether or not you should grow the full-service side of your laundromat business. It’s why wouldn’t you?
Harnessing the right technology and equipment, you can enter new commercial and residential markets, process more laundry than ever before, and fully utilize attendants and idle machines. Full-service laundry income – which can account for between 15 percent and 40 percent of a store’s total revenue – can add significantly to your bottom line.
Here are some suggestions for improving and growing your store’s full-service laundry business:
A Consistent Product
Creating and offering your customers a consistently high-quality service and product presentation is essential for a successful full-service laundry business. Ensure that garments, linens and other laundry items are consistently cleaned, sorted by item type, and professionally packaged.
A Point-of-Sale System
A POS system not only allows customers to schedule and pay for wash-dry-fold services online or via their phones, it simplifies management, while tracking payments, laundry processing, scheduling, and deliveries. Look for a system that includes a website for your business – making online orders and tracking a snap. After all, a quality website is an absolute must for marketing and managing full-service offerings.
Washers with a Hybrid Control
Some of today’s new washer controls enable laundry attendants to switch a machine from a self-service vended control to a full-service commercial control, depending on the store’s needs. When processing commercial accounts or wash-dry-fold laundry, the control can convert to more sophisticated programmability, using automatic chemical injection that allows the washers to process hospitality, vacation rental, and food and beverage linens. If you are developing a new laundromat or replacing older equipment and want to grow the full-service side of your business, perhaps consider investing in washers with a hybrid control. It can open doors to new business.
A Big Washer
Install a 90- or 130-pound-capacity washer in your laundromat so that you can process large loads and bulky items. Big machines are not only good for the self-service side of your business, but they also are important for processing large commercial and residential wash-dry-fold orders.
Automatic Chemical Injection
Not all washers offer automatic chemical injection. However, that feature can be critical, especially if you want to process commercial laundry for spas, catering companies, hotels, B&Bs, or vacation rentals. Chemical injection helps to ensure that oils, foods, and stains are effectively removed from all linens being laundered. If you’re investing in new washers, strongly consider adding this capability.
Sanitized Laundry
Many laundromat owners have seen a dramatic increase in business by adding ozone sanitization to the mix. This process works with a washer’s automatic chemical injection capability to introduce ozone gas into the wash cycle. Ozone naturally eliminates nearly all viruses, molds and bacteria from laundry – and that type of sanitization can be a market differentiator if you offer wash-dry-fold or commercial accounts services.
Install a Flatwork Ironer
Perhaps consider installing a flatwork ironer to open doors to new commercial accounts you otherwise couldn’t serve. By installing a flatwork ironer, laundromat owners can go beyond the industry standard, harness larger accounts that require high-quality linen finishing, and significantly bolster profits. Typically, an ironer requires 200 square feet of space and two operators. It will enable you to quickly iron table and bed linens for spas, vacation rentals, small hotels, catering companies, B&Bs, restaurants, and other commercial clients.
Pickup-and-Delivery Services
Maximize customer convenience by offering pickup-and-delivery services to both commercial and residential customers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many laundromats began residential pickup-and-delivery operations. While the self-service segment of business dwindled, the full-service side with pickup and delivery thrived. By offering pickup and delivery, you’re expanding your geographic reach and making it easier for residential customers and business clients to work with you. Even if you don’t plan to offer a pickup-and-delivery service immediately, be sure your POS system features a component that helps you route pickup-and-delivery vehicles. You’ll be glad you did.
Additional Space
As your laundry business grows, you might find that you need more space for equipment, as well as laundry processing and ironing. To be prepared for such eventualities, be sure to get your equipment distributor involved early on to help you with site selection, laundry design and layout, equipment mix, automation, and more.
