With the growing demand for convenience, pickup and delivery (P&D) has become an essential service for successful laundromats and dry cleaners. Many laundry facilities are now integrating P&D into their services as a way to attract new customers and grow revenue. In a recent webinar, we sat down with Daniel Logan, Chief Laundry Officer at Columbia Pike Laundry to discuss key strategies for launching a successful P&D service. We also discussed how utilising CleanCloud’s industry leading features has helped drive profits and growth for his business. In this blog, we’ll highlight the key takeaways from the discussion, providing you with real insights from an industry professional.
Starting Pickup & Delivery: The Essentials
In Daniel's experience, the importance of proper planning cannot be underestimated. From specialized tech, to staffing and marketing, having a clear plan is vital to launching a successful pickup and delivery business.
Specialized Tech
Investing in a specialized point-of-sale (POS) system to run a laundromat is a must, especially if you are looking to offer multiple services such as wash, dry, fold and pickup and delivery. During the webinar session, Daniel talked about how he looked into a range of different POS systems to help run his business, and CleanCloud was the stand out choice. The system offered all the tools and features he needed to stay on top of orders such as a specific built-in workflow for P&D customers and access to a driver app with route optimization tools. Plus, CleanCloud integrates with DoorDash, which Daniel has found really helpful for assisting with orders alongside his own team of drivers.
One stand out feature for Daniel is how CleanCloud can be accessed from anywhere. In fact, during a trip to Disney World, Daniel could quickly log on using his phone to check the order status for a customer, providing top customer service even when he’s not in the store!
Routing and Scheduling
A key part to a successful P&D service is making sure your logistics are all planned out from the get go. This includes staff and route management, making sure you have the right number of drivers, delivery vans, and clear routes mapped that you want to focus on within specific areas. When speaking about ways to plan P&D routes, Daniel shared how with the help of CleanCloud’s route optimization tool, he could start by testing deliveries in different areas. This helped him work out which locations had the most demand, so he could focus on providing laundry services to these areas that brought in the most value. Eventually, Daniel found that it actually worked best to stick to smaller areas with more stops, allowing his team to pick up more orders in less time.
We also discussed how having set schedules for a P&D service has made a big difference for Columbia Pike. It gave his team a consistent routine to follow and it also helped the business save money, using time and resources only when it’s really needed.
Methods to Maximize Revenue
The laundry industry is growing fast and with more people looking for convenience, it’s important to stay ahead of the competition and make changes to your services to fit customer preferences. The main goal is to find new ways to add value and convenience for your customers. Below are some of the key insights Daniel shared during our webinar discussion.
Email Campaigns
As most customers are now online using their phones, email marketing is a channel that’s proven to be very effective for Daniel. In fact, he’s been using CleanCloud’s automated email feature as a way to keep existing customers engaged and encourage repeat pickup and deliveries by sending targeted messages. One point Daniel mentioned is how getting customers into a weekly routine for their laundry pick ups has lead to more orders, “Even if it’s just 5% more orders, it’s 5% more than what you would have made before and it doesn’t cost you anything extra, the tool is built right into the software”.
Add ons and Express Orders
While discussing ways to maximize revenue, Daniel also explained how beyond the standard detergent and softener, it’s worth adding some extras that customers can use for their laundry which boosts value. For example, some customers like to use scent boosters while others may prefer to use a more premium brand of detergent. It’s a great way to make more money from each order while giving customers more choise, it's a win win!
One other smart move from Daniel is how he increased income for Columbia Pike Laundry by introducing additional costs for express orders. He extended the standard turnaround time from 24 to 48 hours, meaning customers would need to pay a higher fee such as an extra 10% if they would like their laundry to be cleaned within a 24 hour window. It’s helped his team manage the workload better, and it’s brought in more revenue at the same time.
Starting a laundry pickup and delivery service requires a lot of planning, and as discussed with Daniel during our session, it’s clear that making your service and business a success lies in having a specialized laundry system like CleanCloud, a well planned delivery routine, and some tips and tricks up your sleeve to squeeze some more revenue from your services. Our chat with Daniel Logan was super insightful and brought lots of refreshing ideas to other fellow business owners. If you’re looking to start your own P&D service or would like to hear from the experience of others in the industry, watch our webinar today and listen to the discussion in full.
To learn more about CleanCloud, check out our website.