So, over the past few days, I have been thinking about what makes a good route laundry. At NLE, we believe it is a simple equation of service. Many of the route companies out there are more concerned with defending contracts than winning the hearts of the people using the machines. To me, that is a dreadful mistake. The keys are simple: keep a clean shop and care about people.
Keeping a clean shop takes some time, but it is very worth it! Imagine having to do you laundry in laundry machines used by many people and are never cleaned? That is just GROSS! So what do we do (that is different than anyone else in the entire industry)? We clean the equipment each and every time we visit the site. We also do bi-yearly maintenance on the equipment too make sure no mold or funk builds up in the machine. These simple steps really help.
On the care side, that is simple too. You can’t give everyone back their money, unfortunately. I have had people tell me that they lost a $100 bill in the changer. That, of course, is impossible. However, you should give people the benefit of the doubt and investigate each and every complaint. You will be amazed that most of the time, people are on to something that you need to fix. Your equipment will last longer and you will get a much better return out of your equipment investment if you stay on top of complaints. Use them as a chance to do some preventative maintenance. It will pay off.