Yes, The Attendant Can Run The Laundromat…

Can the laundromat attendant run the store? It’s not a rhetorical question. The seemingly obvious answer is no. Most laundry owners will tell you that attendants cannot run the store and that bad things happen when you give attendants a greater hand in day-to-day operations. But wait! It does not have to be this way. The attendant at your laundromat may be your best advocate in business, allowing you to reduce the workload on you, the owner.

1. TRAIN

Store attendants need to know what to do and we’re not just talking about cleaning or being able to reset washers, dryers and change or card machines. Train them how to handle scenarios and issues that customers are likely to encounter.

Train them in customer service and how to spot a potential customer issue and how to head it off before it balloons into something more serious.

An attendant telling a customer they do not know what to do when asked for help is frustrating to the customer and can lead to them walking out the door. Even worse, they can tell others about their bad experience.

If your store attendant knows what to do to solve an issue, they will feel more comfortable wearing that uniform. Set up regular training sessions. That way, they stay prepared to handle operations and you don’t have to get a call every time something needs to be addressed.

2. EMPOWER

You’ve trained your attendants well. They are customer friendly, pleasant and knowledgeable about fixing the common challenges that customers may encounter in the laundromat. However, it will all be for naught if you do not allow them to act and help the customer. In other words, charge them with being a change maker (no pun intended) for customers whenever issues arise. Let them know you expect them to do everything within their training and power to help the customer. Give them the power.

Your store attendant should not have to say “I’ll have to call the owner because I am not allowed to do that”. With the proper protocols in place, the store attendant can be both a customer’s best advocate and represent you in an effective way.

Empower the attendants to give you feedback as well. Allow them to be open when giving suggestions that may help you make better decisions. Empowering your attendants will make them feel vested in the success of your business.

3. SET TARGETS & INCENTIVIZE

How many customers were your attendants able to help this week? What were the issues they resolved? Though some things may be difficult to quantify, setting goals for your store attendants pushes them to strive for better. Offering a bonus for going above and beyond to help your customers will be well worth it.

So who says allowing your attendants to run the store is always a negative? Train. Empower. Reward. Not only will you finally be able to take some of the load off, you and your motivated attendants will be on your way to running a more successful business.