Operational managers or business owners have to overcome many daily challenges to make sure their commercial laundry business is running efficiently and profitably. High energy costs, stiff competition and regulations are just some of the obstacles managers have to overcome. However, the challenges commonly cited refer to structural, industry-wide difficulties. But what is not discussed are the day-to-day obstacles that hurt business operations. This blog dives into the challenges of running a commercial laundry business face regularly and what can be done about it.
Top challenges of running a commercial laundry business
Some of the challenges that test a commercial laundry business are found in day-to-day operations.
Meeting customer preferences
Trust is a huge part of the commercial laundry business. Commercial laundries have to meet the stringent demands and unique requirements of each client because commercial laundries cater to organisations that operate in demanding industries such as aged care and healthcare. These demands are often passed onto businesses providing support services, including commercial laundries.
Commercial laundries are contracted to coordinate the delivery of clean linen at a certain time and have to meet a certain standard, lest they lose the trust of their customer. Meeting these high expectations is just one of the large tests for any laundry business.
Managing equipment
Any significant amount of downtime hurts a commercial laundry business. The need to meet the stringent demands of clients means the equipment must be in perfect condition during operating hours. If commercial laundry equipment malfunctions or struggles to meet outputs, then the operations manager has to find ways to meet demand, even if they do not have the planned capacity. To make sure this doesn’t happen, it’s recommended to have regular maintenance schedules. These regular schedules make it easier for engineers to catch problems before they become serious incidents that stop production.
Variables that determine the customer experience
Providing the perfect customer experience is hard because managers have a delicate balancing act to manage. Commercial laundry is complex and if there is one wrong step in the process, it spoils the entire experience for the client. This puts commercial laundry managers under a lot of pressure to deliver the ideal experience to both new and existing clients.
Expanding the customer base
Expanding the customer base is a challenge for any commercial laundry business. For instance, intense competition is one factor that restricts expansion plans. Most commercial laundries have to deal with several competitors, and standing out from the competition is important. Overcoming this requires some out-of-the-box thinking that most managers may or may not have time to consider.
Becoming more energy efficient
A commercial laundry business consumes a lot of resources to complete operations. The industry has responded by trying to reduce its resource consumption by investing in green energy and more energy-efficient equipment. However, moving towards more environmentally-friendly or energy-efficient equipment has been challenging.
Resolving some of the challenges
A commercial laundry business owner must overcome several business challenges to meet their objectives. While some of these solutions require creative thinking, other issues can be resolved using the right technology.
Commercial laundry management software can help businesses solve some of their problems by making business operations tighter and more efficient. For example, management software can track linen using technology, like RFID technology. Improving the tracking process leads to benefits in other areas, like better inventory management. When inventory management is perfect, it generates several benefits, like more efficient operations, which reduces costs and improves service quality.
Bundle Laundry can provide a commercial laundry business with the infrastructure they need to optimise operations and build a more efficient business, so they are better placed to meet the challenges placed in front of them.
