Originally posted – Jul 23, 2014
[This is the second of a two-part series on ways to build a successful team of laundry attendants.]
We recently reached out to a number of self-service laundry owners and asked them to briefly outline their team management practices and to provide us with some of the tips and strategies they’ve incorporated into their own businesses, which help to keep their staffers efficient, effective and on task – and, in turn, their operations successful.
Here’s what they told us:
Ken Barrett
Washin Coin Laundries
Anniston, Ala.
My original business plan was to own unattended laundries only. However, shortly after I opened my second laundry, an existing laundry was offered for sale in a city that I already owned a laundry – it had a solid drop-off business, so I decided to change my business plan.
The store hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. We close on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. I have three employees who work alone on their shifts, so each one, in effect, is a manager.
It took a while to get all of my “operation standards” completed, and the attendant and drop-off laundry training in place. As I hire employees, one of the first things I do is spend some time explaining the overall vision of the business and what we offer our customers.
I also explain that they are in a unique position to secure their employment. If my drop-off business doesn’t make money, I have no desire to run it. I don’t pay attendants to watch people wash their clothes. My employees also need to keep in mind that there are two other families that rely on their employment at the laundry. It may sound a little harsh, but I’m not going to subsidize my drop-off business. I have two other unattended laundries that run just fine.
Next, we discuss all of the services we can offer. Existing drop-off customers are aware of most of them, but the self-service customers – especially the newer ones – need to be told about them. After all, even though a particular self-service customer may not use a certain service we offer, someone they know might.
Another item I convey repeatedly during training is that nobody should walk out the door angry or upset. Listen, understand the customer’s concerns, and work to correct the issue either by offering to redo a load or providing a discount or a gift card for a future visit. After all, a $20 gift card is worth $140 of advertising to attract a new customer – not to mention the losses from the current customer not returning.
I encourage my employees to correct those issues themselves, and we can discuss it later, as opposed to calling me to “OK” a solution. I would prefer to discuss it later and provide options that can be used in the future. This method provides more ownership to the employees.
Fixed shifts also have been a great advantage to all. They can plan any appointments weeks or even months ahead of time because they know what days and shifts they will be working. If there is a conflict, it also gives us time to adjust. Typically, the attendants will switch their shifts, and I just have to approve it. Two of my three employees are currently taking college courses around their shifts.
Finding the right employees can be difficult – however, once you do, sometimes it’s best to just stay out of the way.
Ben Blair
BB’s Laundromat
San Pablo, Calif.
First, it’s crucial to have a procedures manual. It’s impossible for your employees to “read your mind.” With their duties and responsibilities clearly spelled out, if you have an issue with an employee, you can go to the manual where it is written in black and white. This also helps when you have unemployment claims and you’ve released an employee. If you have documented the issues and you have the procedures manual, it shows that you have clearly defined the scope and responsibilities of the job.
Second, always “protect” your employees. I tell every one of my employees that if an issue arises with a client, if they are trying to make the client happy, they will never get in trouble with me. We might look at the situation in hindsight and change our tactics moving forward, but in the heat of the moment I will have their back as long as they are trying to make the customer happy. This gives the employees a feeling of confidence and empowerment, which shows in their confidence to the customers.
Third, I always try to make everyone feel like they are part of a team. If I have an employee who’s not a team player, I will take them out to lunch and see what can be done. I want my employees to feel they can depend on each other – this makes work a good place to be, rather than something to be dreaded.
Fourth, I always reward my employees for good performance. We had a large commercial account this past February, and it really tested our abilities to support them. At the end of the contract, I gave all of my employees who stepped up a $50 bonus, in addition to the extra hours and overtime I authorized for the contract. I also give each of my employees a birthday card with $50 each year and a honey-baked ham at Christmas. I want them to know that I appreciate their efforts and don’t take them for granted.
Bob Meuschke
Family Laundry II
Kansas City, Mo.
Above all, I teach and require communication, even from my shyest and most reserved laundry attendants. I tell them that they must talk, especially to me.
I feel it’s important for all of us to be on the same page with regard to regular tasks that need to be done around the laundromat – and especially our wash-dry-fold service. Communication is so important when it comes to our drop-off laundry business, because we strive hard to have all the employees perform the exact same processes, especially when it comes to folding so that customers are not tempted to ask for a particular staff member to handle their clothes each time.
When I am out of town and away from my store, we have a chain of command that the attendants adhere to in order to handle the routine, daily issued that arise. However, if a major problem occurs, my staff has been trained to come straight to me.
I tell my employees that the business is like a family – and the family cannot function optimally without proper communication and a distinct chain of command.
Patti and Dave Fielding
Embassy Laundromat
Manchester, N.H.
Our business is attended 95 percent of the time with five employees – four of them are part-timers, and one isn’t technically an “employee” because we sold her our wash-dry-fold business.
Here is what works for us:
• We give each employee specific tasks (usually based on cleaning) so that there is accountability if we see a certain area needs attention.
• We periodically watch the surveillance system to monitor “habits” that might need nipping in the bud. We are completely upfront with our employees that this is “our baby.” We’re not there often, so this system enables us to make sure everything is running as expected and “laid out during the interview/training period.”
• We have developed a training checklist that allows us to make sure we have covered all of the important processes – our strong philosophy on customer service, how to handle tipping, what to do if someone prepays for an order, rules on shift coverage, where to find answers, etc. Each item is signed off. It prevents an employee from saying, “I wasn’t ever told that.” We also have a process/checklist for each shift (things that need to get done), and new employees follow this checklist until they get the hang of it.
• We often will run an incentive program, where attendants can win prizes or earn cash when we reach or exceed a predetermined goal. This always gives us the opportunity to reiterate the need for awesome customer service/working together as a team. It allows us to explain the things that separate our store from the competition, and why someone would choose to come back, tell their friends, enjoy their experience and so on. It also gives our employees a great feeling of not just working there but of participating in its success.
• We hold an annual holiday outing, which I know the employees look forward to each year. It’s usually dinner and entertainment, and then we offer to close up the store for whoever is scheduled to work that night.
• We keep the same work schedule each week. It doesn’t make sense to us to go through the task of writing a new schedule every week. In addition, with a set work schedule, it makes it much easier for our employees to schedule their lives – doctors’ appointments, etc. – around this constant, unchanging schedule. When hired, all attendants are told that it’s their responsibility to get coverage for a shift they can’t make.
• Unfortunately, there are employees who we may not see very often after their initial training, simply because our schedules don’t cross. With these employees, we make a point to call them once or twice a month during their shifts.
• We have a card system, and each employee receives a card with $40 added to it per month; this is for their own personal laundry, to assist their favorite customer, to get their comforters and other large items washed each month, etc. However, we have one rule with regard to this – they cannot do their laundry during their shift. And we will reiterate that the customers are the priority – not their laundry, not their friends, not the book they’re reading, etc.
• We use a memo system to notify our employees of anything new within the business, of “something that requires attention,” etc. If it’s specific to one person, we will either call or put the memo in an envelope to that individual. If a memo is considered urgent or crucial, we will require the attendants to “sign off” that they did indeed receive and understand the message.
• We use a manager’s card when “something goes wrong,” and an attendant reimburses a customer. It must be logged on a clipboard with the employee’s name, date, what it was used for, etc. This enables us to run a report and watch for no logging of that usage and abuse.
• We have another clipboard for “Out of Order” machines, but employees are not allowed to put any machine out of order until they have spoken to one of us. This is especially important for newer employees who might not know what to do to easily fix a problem. Basically, our rule is: If anything isn’t making money, call us! Our attendants are taught that the No. 1 reason people choose a laundromat is because of its available machines. If a customer walks out the door and takes his or her business elsewhere, that’s a huge no-no!
• All new employees begin at minimum wage and will receive a review within 30 days; if they are doing well, a raise will included with that review. Attendants don’t last long at minimum wage. This job is not a good fit for everyone, but those who embrace our philosophy of “clean and friendly” will see a jump in their pay rate.
• For holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, we give each employee a thank-you card and a gift certificate. We’re always surprised to hear some of our employees say that they’ve never received a thank-you card from their employers. In fact, one of our biggest shocks was when Nancy – one of longest-tenured employees and hardest workers – told us that she had never received one. And she was 71.
• We work a few shifts at the store ourselves – about nine to 12 hours per week. This allows us to keep a pulse on what’s going on, to fix any equipment that we can, etc.
Fred Bean
Woodward Coin Laundry
Detroit, Mich.
As part of our laundry distributorship, we own a large coin laundry in a major metropolitan city. It’s about 4,300 square feet and contains 90 total machines. This laundry is open 24 hours daily, 365 days per year.
We employ four attendants. Our team management is based upon very clear and open communication with our staff and ownership. We have monthly management meetings, wherein all individuals are encouraged to freely and openly participate and share ideas.
Our employees have individual responsibilities for cleaning and routine maintenance, and are held responsible for accomplishing these specific jobs.
Our drop-off business is actually given to our employees so that they have a feeling and pride of ownership; in essence, they actually have their own businesses within our business. This builds loyalty, good customer relations and a high degree of employee morale. Although we don’t receive the direct financial benefits from the drop-off revenues, all of the drop-off laundry is done using our machines and soap at the total expense of our attendants.
Over time, we’ve learned that the uniqueness of our management style is a “win- win” situation.
Joram Wolanow
Wisdom Wash
Dallas, Texas
My staff has been with me for more than 15 years. The secret is to treat them with respect – and to pay a dollar over the minimum wage.
Cathy Neilley
Spin Doctor Laundromat
Hamilton/Trenton, N.J.
We use a card system that monitors the activities of both our customers and staff. As a manager, I am able to program tasks on an hourly, weekly, daily and/or monthly basis. The attendant is accountable for any tasks appearing on screen and is required to check them off as they are completed. This removes any finger-pointing as to responsibilities and accountability. It has made us efficient and quality-focused.
In addition, we hold quarterly staff meetings with opportunities for the employees to offer feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Brian Henderson
Liberty Laundry
Tulsa, Okla.
You can have the best laundry equipment in the world, but without an excellent team your store will never realize its full potential. Likewise, a store with a fully trained team of laundry attendants who serve customers well and build strong relationships with them will outperform other laundromats, even if the equipment is somewhat outdated or needs improvement.
Fortunately for us here at Liberty Laundry, we feel that our three stores have the best of both parts of that equation – top-of-the-line equipment and a team of friendly attendants who give our customers a reason to keep coming back.
As our business grows and we continue to add more locations, our management systems grow in complexity and maturity, but they are all bred from first-hand knowledge and hard-earned experience. We use them because we know they work and our business has benefitted greatly from our team’s unity.
• Quarterly staff meetings: Our entire team meets once per quarter to discuss upcoming events, review some training, and mainly just get together because many team members have opposite schedules and don’t get to see each other very often. Due to our store hours and need for coverage during the day, we typically have two meetings on the same day – one in the morning and one in the evening – and people attend whichever one best fits their schedule.
• “Attendant Portal” website: This is a password-protected website that is used as a communications hub for our team. When team members clock in for their work shifts using our internet-connected point of sale computers, they can open up the web browser, which has the Attendant Portal set as the homepage. Once logged in, attendants can read any new messages from management, check their work schedule, and submit any new time-off requests or update their work availability. They also can access all of this at any time at home or on their mobile phone.
• Performance evaluations: All new hires receive a performance evaluation at the 90-day mark of their employment with Liberty Laundry, and then receive annual evaluations after that. This is done using a typed form, which is then signed by both the attendant and manager after discussing their performance. In addition to official performance evaluations, team member performance is guided via multiple “on the job” one-on-one discussions on an as-needed basis throughout the year.
• Employee handbook, training manuals and checklists: To be unclear is to be unkind, and to that extent we have developed quite a bit of written material used in training our team. With that said, it is important to strike a balance between making your expectations clear, versus over-communicating. It is far more important to teach why you do what you do than specifically what you do, which is always subject to improvement. Checklists are very useful for frequently performed routines that require several steps, such as opening and closing the store.
• Standardization: Although there are a few physical differences from store to store, we operate all three locations very much the same. This allows team members to cover shifts at multiple locations if needed, and provides a consistent experience for our customers. We train on consistency for processing drop-off laundry orders on a regular basis, which helps with successful order completion and speed.
Martin Vago
Davie Coin Laundry
Davie, Fla.
I had seven years of experience as a district manager and trainer for a French Dry Cleaning franchise when I purchased my first coin laundry less than two years ago. And I still apply 80 percent of the day-to-day goals and tasks that I used in the franchise.
We don’t use a computer, so my attendants have:
• Day-to-day sales sheets with stock control.
• Weekly sales sheets, where they and I control the wash-dry-fold service.
• A cleaning list on a weekly calendar. This helps my employees keep the place clean, and we all know who is responsible for what.
• An out-of-service machine control sheet, which includes the machine, the problem, and the date on which the issue arose.
• Weekly goals for the wash-dry-fold business, with bonuses based on increased poundage of laundry done during the week.
Also, we’ve held three customer raffles so far. This forces the attendants to interact with the customers, because the customers are required to provide their names and contact information to be eligible to win.
In addition, we will buy lunch for the employees on Sundays, which is typically our busiest day, and we will share the status of the week’s work, discuss problems, goals, give advice, etc.
Above all, my business partner and I are very friendly with the staff. We like to laugh and joke with our attendants, as well as listen to their issues. That communication is the key.
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