CHICAGO — For all the things outside a dry cleaner’s control affecting its day-to-day operations, there is one element that successful owners make sure they master: consistency.

Whether it’s the methods used to inspect garments, how special requests are handled or the way consumer complaints are addressed, successful cleaners make sure their teams perform each function the same way every time. 

An operations manual is one of the most valuable tools leaders can provide to their teams to hit the goal of consistency. These documents detail both the cleaner’s procedures and its rules of employment. 

This consistency not only delivers better results, which means happier customers, but it also provides staff members with the guidance they need to do their jobs properly.

When Oceanside Cleaners in Jacksonville, Florida, installed a new software system 10 years ago, the need for standardized procedures became apparent very quickly. 

“Items had to be entered and detailed correctly for them to go to the right department,” says Amy Harris, owner of Oceanside. “We saw a huge need for everybody to be on the same page.”

To accomplish this, Harris and her team created comprehensive operations manuals covering procedures, training and more. While the process took some time, Harris quickly discovered it was worth it. 

For small-business owners already juggling tasks and responsibilities, creating a formal operations manual might seem like just one more chore on an already overwhelming list. Undocumented procedures, however, can cause problems that could be avoided. 

“The biggest risk is that there’s going to be inconsistency in how things are handled in the business, and that will impact both employees and customers,” says Beth Milito, vice president and executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Legal Center.

These inconsistencies can show up in different ways. When there aren’t standardized procedures — when leaders can’t make apples-to-apples comparisons — it’s difficult to rate job performance from employee to employee and location to location. 

Customer service can also become unpredictable and, perhaps worse for small businesses facing tight labor markets, good employees may become frustrated and leave.

“In this day and age, no business owner wants unhappy employees,” Milito says, “because if you’ve got a good employee, you want to keep them there.”

A comprehensive operations manual also frees owners from the hazard of relying on any single person’s knowledge to get the job done, and this is especially crucial for cleaners with multiple locations or shifts. 

“When it’s written down and everybody knows what the policy or procedure is there, you’re not as dependent on one person with all the knowledge in their head,” Milito says.

Oceanside’s operations manual devotes six or seven pages just to covering the customer-facing procedures for its customer care representatives. The level of detail might surprise some operators, Harris says, but she’s found it necessary.

“We have a lot of people who we hire that might have customer service experience,” she says, “but very few, honestly, have experience in the drycleaning industry.”

The Oceanside manual starts with fundamentals and walks through the entire intake process.

“It starts literally with emptying the bag (of garments),” Harris says. “I know that sounds a little remedial, but a person may start by just pulling one item out of the bag. We want them to empty the whole bag so they don’t risk leaving a small item at the bottom.”

From there, the manual covers checking garments for damage, identifying unusual conditions like broken buttons or pulls in sweaters, and then separating items properly. It includes guidance on handling specialty items that have sequins or special buttons, processing household items that may require different timelines, and dealing with removable belts that need to be tracked through the cleaning process.

The Oceanside manual also includes visual aids.

“We have samples of pictures embedded in the text,” Harris says. “A lot of times, we hire high school or college kids. They don’t know what ‘mixed print’ is. You might think they do, but a lot of them don’t.”

In addition to covering day-to-day operations, Milito recommends including sections on topics such as customer complaints, workplace safety, and company privacy policies.

“Your team is going to handle a lot of sensitive information, such as credit cards and customer information,” she says. “You want to make sure that nobody walks out with all of your customer information.”

Come back Tuesday for Part 2 of this series, where we’ll explore ways to get started with an operations manual and getting employees involved.