JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s not unusual for dry cleaners to invest in their plants, to renovate their physical space or to add equipment or computerization, sometimes at great cost. And from the moment they make such an investment, these items depreciate in value, says Christopher White, executive director of independent drycleaning certification organization America’s Best Cleaners.
But not so with a dry cleaner’s staff. “Everything you buy for your business depreciates once you buy it, except for the humans that you bring [on board]. Humans are the only thing you can appreciate in value. You can develop that asset.”
Speaking to an audience at the South Eastern Fabricare Association’s (SEFA) Southern DryCleaners & Launderers Show, White highlighted the positions in a drycleaning business that directly effect revenue: route personnel and front-counter staff.
As such, you should expect them to interact with your clients in a positive way. “We all have our ‘favorite’ CSR (customer service representative). We just bring them in, and they ‘just work here.’ That’s not what we want. We want superstars. These are the people that ‘touch’ your clients. They represent the values of your brand.”
But all too often, dry cleaners hire someone to fill one of these important positions “if they have a pulse,” says White, who spent 11 years as director of operations for New York-based custom couture cleaner Madame Paulette.
“When do you hire? When the girl quits. When do you hire? When the guy doesn’t show up. You’re scrambling to find someone to fill that void because you don’t want to go to the store, or to have to close that store, or shift managers, or pay overtime for people.”
You should be in hiring mode at all times, he advises. “If you see someone that comes in, looks great and fits your value, find a way to slot them in. … Always be looking for great talent. It’s out there.”
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Customers remember and value great experiences that demonstrate deep understanding and respect, White says. So what kind of experience are you providing?
“If your value mission statement is to provide a phenomenal experience for your customers, then that should be involved in every decision you make in your business, whether it’s how we do shirts, how we package shirts, to how we clean the floor, how we make it look.”
When doing site inspections, White is surprised to see how many owners enter their business from the rear, never through the front door. “Every day, you should be walking through your store with the eyes of your consumer,” he says.
The bell rings, signaling that another customer has entered your store. This, says White, is what you should see from your CSR:
- A smile
- A friendly greeting
- Engaging conversation
- An appreciation for people
- A willingness to help
- A recognition of customer needs
- An offer of a way to solve a problem
“These are values that you should be checking off as you’re interviewing someone, that they have or they’re going to be successful in,” White says.
How important are these traits in the eyes of a customer? White’s firm collected “consumer disposition” data from a nationwide analysis of approximately 1,400 “secret” shops. With all other factors scored the same, an experience during which the CSR smiled garnered a 14% higher rating, he says. Using the customer’s name during the course of the transaction earned a score that was 18.3% higher than transactions in which the CSR did not call the customer by name.
CSR BASICS
Dry cleaning is the “service division of the fashion industry,” so a CSR’s personal appearance sets an important tone for your business:
- Is their uniform or garments clean and wrinkle-free?
- Is their hair neat?
- Do they smell fresh?
- Are their hands clean?
- What about their breath?
- Are they wearing the correct footwear?
White says you should constantly reinforce these customer-centric behaviors in your CSRs:
- Smile
- Stand up straight
- Speak clearly
- Be expressive
- Listen
- Ask questions
- Take on the challenge
- Follow through
- Take pride in the work
- Show poise
A CSR’s job often involves speaking with customers by phone. They should smile, be alert, and speak naturally, White advises.
“We want to personalize conversations. We don’t want to process people, we want to engage them, whether they’re in front of us or on the phone.”
Train your CSRs to avoid making some common phone mistakes: putting a caller on hold without their permission; keeping a caller on hold too long; cutting a call short; speaking too fast; and using slang.
If it’s necessary to take a phone message, the CSR should note the date/time the call was received, the name of the calling party, the customer’s phone number (including extension), and the issue the call was regarding.
When communicating with clients using e-mail or via text, make sure your CSRs understand the rules of proper business writing, grammar and spelling. Your young CSR may understand what their “Ur clothes r ready 4 pu” text message means, but your customer may not be able to decipher it as “Your clothes are ready for pickup.”
Beyond the basic customer service etiquette is the drycleaning knowledge and support that can separate your business from the one down the street.
- Do your CSRs know every service that your business provides so they can suggest them to your clients?
- Can they read and understand care labels?
- Do they know and understand basic fashion terms, like “fibers,” “yarns,” “weaves,” “fabrics,” “colorings” and “embellishments”?
- Are they familiar with the latest apparel styles: shapes, silhouettes and construction?
In the last year, he scanned Yelp, a well-known customer review website, looking for positive reviews of dry cleaners. Of 100 positive reviews, “70% consistently had the word ‘friendly,’ ‘helpful’ or ‘knowledgeable’ in it,” White says. “Didn’t say anything about taking the stain out. Didn’t say it was on time. They say, ‘friendly,’ ‘helpful,’ ‘knowledgeable.’”
Better educated and trained CSRs evolve from being an “order taker” to a “garment care consultant” valued by your clients, White says.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].