Step 1: Make Sure the Software Developer is IN the Laundry Business
Wash and fold PLUS pickup and delivery is complicated and you need software to make it simple. There are a lot of moving parts and the only way to properly design the software is if you are in the business. Software needs to be easy to use and have the flexibilities for real world applications. There are so many ‘rabbit’ holes in laundry pickup and delivery software delivery, because “What if this happens” or “What if that happens”. There is no way to know “What happens” if you are not in the business. Laundry software needs to handle online scheduling, to route creation, to rescheduling, to communicating with customers, to adjusting routes, and making things accessible for your drivers and attendants. The goal of your software is to provide a great experience for your customers, while being easy to use by your laundry team.
Step 2: Make sure the Customers Belong to YOU!
Too often, laundry owners take a shortcut that winds up costing them a lot of money in the long run. If a company offered to do all of the online marketing for you and bring you business, would you say YES? Not so fast. Who owns the customers? If the software company owns the customers you are building up someone else’s business, not your own. At any time a company that is outsourcing the processing to you can pay you less per order or divert the business to another laundromat that is willing to work for less money. To build up YOUR business, you NEED to own the customer.
Step 3: Avoid Gold Plated Solutions
Gold plated solutions are when you see something shiny and new, but the software solution does not have substance. One of our new clients who previously used a gold plated solution said, “That company does not appreciate the depth that laundry pickup and delivery software needs.” At Curbside Laundries, we own and operate a laundromat and our solution has to work. We gross over $100,000 a month in wash and fold and we could not do it without the software we created.
Step 4: Evaluate the Tech Support Offered
Tech support needs to be handled in house in order to get a fast and knowledgeable response. In addition, you need to make sure you can get someone on the phone when you need help. If you have to submit a ticket or e-mail in questions, that is not good enough. In the real world, your drivers may be waiting on an answer and you need to get those questions answered so he can get on the road. Software can not get in between you and your operations.
Step 5: Make Sure Company has Numerous Successful Clients
At Curbside Laundries, we highlight a successful client nearly every week. We have hundreds of successful clients and can feature a success story every week for years. You may notice at other software companies that the success stories are from the same three people. There is a quality to quantity and we are proud that we have been able to create a successful wash and fold service and have been able to help other laundromats replicate success.
Step 6: Schedule a Demo
It’s important to see the software first hand and get your questions answered. One big question, does the laundry pickup and delivery software know THE LAUNDRY BUSINESS? That’s one of the most important questions to get answered during the demo
