HAPPY CUSTOMERS ARE REPEAT CUSTOMERS:

Provided by Commercial Sales – 2001

When two or more laundries are in the same market area, what makes a customer decide to use one over another? We believe that the quality of customer service is most consistently the deciding factor in this scenario.

Customer service is nothing more than appreciating your customers enough to treat them well. Repeat business is the lifeblood of any coin laundry, and excellent customer service is the best way to ensure that your customers remain loyal to your laundry over the long haul.

Dependable hours are a must. Your coin-op should be open seven days a week and should maintain the same predictable hours, so your customers know what to expect from week to week. Don’t let your customers gather their dirty clothes, soap, quarters and kids, only to discover that your laundry closed up early that evening, or that you are closed on Wednesdays!

The condition of your store, and your machines, tells your customers loud and clear how well you value their patronage. Arrange for someone to clean the laundry several times a day, and keep extra supplies and fluorescent lights on hand. Develop a relationship with a reliable repairman who responds quickly to service calls.

Some advance planning combined with common sense will make your store run smoothly. Your customers will appreciate the professional image that shining floors, brightly lit work areas, clean and working equipment, an organized counter area and spotless restrooms convey, and will reward you

with their repeat business and referrals.

In your absence, your attendants

represent you and your business in the customer’s eye. Understanding the elements of excellent customer service is crucial – but be sure to follow through by insuring that every employee knows how important these high standards are to you. This should begin as early as their job interview. Be very clear with your examples during training, and afterwards. If you are unsure of the particulars of excellent customer service, check out the business section of any library for how-to books on that subject.

Let your attendants know how they are expected to dress for their shift. Explain that cheerfulness and courtesy to your customers is part of their job description. Instead of “coin laundry attendants” as their job title, how about referring to your employees as “customer service specialists”? This is a small change that can’t help but give their self-image a jolt for the better.

Lastly, when refunds are necessary, make sure they are handled promptly and courteously. A single customer can easily spend several hundred dollars or more in your laundry over a years’ time. How you or your attendant responds to a valid refund request or a complaint will determine whether that customer continues to use your laundry in the future. Apologize for the customer’s inconvenience, then refund their money with a smile, and thank them for their business.

Employees will learn best by your example that in your coin-op, the customer is still the king!