Improving drop-off service

Drop-off service is an important aspect of revenue for many laundromats. Customers like the ability to give their dirty clothes to laundry employees and pick those same clothes up, all cleaned and folded, later in the day or week. The service allows customers to work around busy schedules while providing business to laundromats.

There is now competition in the marketplace for coin-operated laundry businesses when it comes to drop-off services. Mobile apps such as FlyCleaners and Washio have made it easier than ever before for customers to have their clothes cleaned for a charge. In New York City, more than 1,700 business accept laundry for off-site washing or dry cleaning, a 9 percent rise in the last 10 years, according to Crain’s New York Business.

Because of the other choices out there, traditional coin-operated laundromats need to adapt to survive. One way they can do that is improving their drop-off service, giving customers more reasons to keep utilizing that valuable element of the business.

Improving presentation
A primary way laundromats can compete with the new-aged laundry services is by offering top-of-the-line customer service. Customers want the confidence their clothes will be well taken care of during the washing and drying process. To guarantee that, a business can showcase how it presents the drop-off service.

Packaging plays a major role in the presentation. If a customer picks up his or her clothes at the appointed time, and shirts are still in a ball and pants are unfolded, that person will likely think twice about returning to the laundromat.

Beyond folding, the placement of clothing is also important. Rita P. Foley, who owns a laundromat and dry cleaners in Durham, North Carolina, told American Coin-Op magazine there is a strategy to putting away clothes for customers. She places towels and sheets on the bottom; pants and shorts in the middle; and shirts, socks and underwear at the top.

“We finish the top of the bundle with what the attendant feels like is the nicest shirt that has been brought in with that group of clothing,” Foley said. “That’s the ‘bow’ on the top of the bundle. We place that on top and it really makes a nice package.”

Foley includes fabric softener within the customer’s clothing as a way to let the person know when his or her clothes are picked up that the product was used on the clothes.

There are several ways to showcase strong presentation, and they all have great value. Top-notch presentation shows customers their business is valued, which hopefully encourages them to continue using a laundromat’s drop-off service.

Having a drop-off service means customers don’t have to wait for clothes to be cleaned and dried.

Make it work on the customer’s schedule
One of the largest benefits of the drop-off service is customers can do other things while their laundry is washed, dried and folded. Many people drop clothes off in the morning, go to work all day and then pick clothes up in the evening. Others wait a day or longer, going about their regular lives as the laundromat takes care of the laundry, before retrieving it when ready.

Customers often choose drop-off services because they are just too busy to do laundry themselves. They would rather spend a bit more money in exchange for the free time of not having to wait for the washer and dryer to finish,Business Insider reported. Having a laundromat that works around their schedule is a huge benefit.

Flexibility from a business can be a great asset, as it allows customers to maintain their regular schedules while having their laundry done. For laundromats that do not operate 24 hours, being flexible may require running machines after the store closes, so that clothes can be picked up by customers in the morning. The trade-off of working late is worth it if more customers opt to use the drop-off service.

A customer wants to know he or she can come into a laundromat at any time to drop off clothes and also schedule a specific time the goods will be cleaned and ready to pick up. Being adaptable to the schedule of your customers will help your laundry business’s drop-off service continue to grow.