Commercial Laundry Management Software

Why Use Commercial Laundry Management Software?

5 Basic Things to Look for When Selecting Your Commercial Laundry Management Software Provider

As in any other industry in which software plays a key role in managing operations, there are a number of options out there on the market for commercial laundry operations. 

The question then becomes: how do I choose the right solution for my commercial laundry plant(s)?

If you're diving into this area for the first time, picking a software application can feel like a daunting task. You might be wondering, "How do I know what will or won't work for me? What do I even need to look for when selecting a third-party software application?"

Rather than go through the ins and outs of every software on the market, we'll review a short checklist of tablestakes requirements, i.e., the high-level things you should expect out of your management software. In any case, if you're in the market for a software platform, you can keep these points in mind if you participate in a demo or trial of a product. 

1) It makes your life easier/is easy to use. 

A management software platform should not feel like a burden on you to use.

If it is, you might want to reconsider how you're using it or think about what you're actually looking to achieve by using it. 

You shouldn't use software simply because it is the modern thing to do. Software should be leveraged with a purpose. Ultimately, the purpose is to serve you and your operational goals. 

Are you looking to improve employee productivity? Or improve retention and reduce employee turnover? Or, are you looking for more insights into the health of your equipment? Maybe you're looking to drive workplace culture improvements?

These are all valuable and important goals. Simply put, whichever software you choose, you should feel like your job is being made easier by using that software. 

From a usability perspective, it should be equipment agnostic, meaning it can be incorporated into your existing infrastructure. 

2) It saves you time.

In many cases in life, there is value in the so-called "old way" of doing things. Sometimes, that old way is favored for so long because it has worked. 

With that said, even if that way has worked, there is often a newer, better way of doing things. 

That idea applies directly to the commercial laundry industry. We've noted this idea in other places, but in some plants, managers are using pen and paper or Excel spreadsheets to track critically important data by hand. They're doing this manually, which means a couple of things: 1) The information they are recording is susceptible to human error and 2) They are spending time on manual data collection that could be devoted to higher-value tasks in the plant, like motivating employees, analyzing historical trends or making data-driven decisions on new equipment expenditures. 

Your software should save you time by automating these types of tasks, like data collection and organization, so you can focus on being a force multiplier for your plant in other areas. Your software should bring all the little islands of data in your plant together in one unified platform. 

3) Your visibility into your plant's operations increases significantly.

Whether it's keeping tabs on employee productivity levels, alerts of equipment malfunctions or scheduled maintenance, you should feel like your commercial laundry management software is like several extra pairs of eyes trained on the different key components of your plant. 

An effective solution should shine a light on all corners of your operation. Basically, it should help you to see more quickly so you can act more quickly and decisively. 

4) Accessibility is vital.

We only have two eyes and two ears: this is a roundabout way of saying we can only be in so many places at once. Having access to real real-time data wherever you are is critical. Whether you're sitting in your office, walking the plant floor or even at home, your commercial laundry management solution should allow you to see what's going on in any portion of the operation. 

In other words, you should be able to access it wherever you are, whether by mobile or desktop/laptop. 

5) It doesn't just throw mountains of data at you ... it should also provide actionable insights. 

There is such a thing as information overload, especially if it comes without context or, more importantly, actionable insights. 

What do we mean by that? 

A useful management software should provide the underlying data and supplement it with insights that help you make the decisions you need to make. It's easy to become overwhelmed by an abundance of data. The question you might ask yourself, then, is "What am I supposed to do with all of this data? I don't even know where to begin!"

Ultimately, you, the human being, are the decision maker. But your management software should help point you in the right directions and point out opportunities for improvement around your plant. 

What About Artificial Intelligence?

Commercial Laundry Roles that Benefit from Management Software

• Executive

  Your organization's executive team is looking at things from a 10,000-foot view, so they need actionable insights that collate all the nitty-gritty details in an easily digestible way. Using software designed specifically for commercial laundries, your executive team can: 
  • Combine islands of information together by seamlessly integrating all systems in the laundry into one place
  • Export data directly to business intelligence platforms like Tableau or PowerBI
  • Easily review regional performance
  • Implement and maintain corporate standards across the organization
  • Create more meaningful KPIs
  • Provide their team with the tools needed to implement a culture of continuous improvement

• Human Resources

  In any company, your people can be your biggest asset, provided you nurture an environment conducive to their success. That isn't a passive activity: it's an active one in every sense of the word. HR can play a big role in this, leveraging management software to implement a number of beneficial initiatives, including: 
  • Quickly onboard new management
  • Implementing an Automated Incentive Program
  • Identifying "coaching moments" for employees who might need one to boost performance
  • Keeping track of union commitments and making sure you're in compliance
  • Managing insurance claims

• Regional Manager

  Using management software, regional managers can: 
  • Prevent costly capex decisions
  • Easily review each plant’s performance in the region
  • Identify and share best practices across their region

• Plant Manager

  Management is provided with better visibility into daily operations that helps identify where the top areas are for improvement around your plant – in real time.

  • Improve employee engagement
  • Improve throughput
  • Identify and implement "coaching moments" to engender a positive workplace environment
  • Save time and improve data integrity
  • Reduce utility usage
    

• Plant Engineer

  Engineers no longer need to manage millions of dollars worth of assets with pen and paper or in Excel. The increased organization and visibility will lead to an improved maintenance program:

  • All maintenance tasks in one place
  • Review entire history of maintenance on any asset
  • Limit equipment downtime
  • Boost the bottom line by reducing the likelihood of unplanned downtime

• Production Partners

            Your partners receive instant feedback on their performance as they work throughout the day, which helps create:

• • Alignment on goals and KPIs
  • A sense of common purpose
  • Attention to results and promotion of good workplace habits

Commercial Laundry Management Software Benefits

As we've explained above, a good software platform can have impacts on all parts of your organization, from the executive team to production partners. 

The main thing to understand about management software is that its main purpose is to make your life easier, whether you're: 

• An executive trying to determine the feasibility of expansion plans
• A plant manager looking for more clarity about day-to-day activities around the plant
• An HR leader looking to promote team cohesion and continuity
• A plant engineer trying to keep track of pending maintenance requests

When you dig into the details of various management software platforms for commercial laundries, you'll likely find different features in each one.

With that said, there are basic benefits to using just about any commercial laundry management platform, which we'll summarize below. 

Software Can Serve as an Extra Pair of Eyes on the Plant Floor

Simply put, there's a lot going on in a commercial laundry plant on a daily basis. Even the most diligent and active plant manager can't keep up with everything going on in real time. 

Think of management software as your high-powered assistant, an eagle-eyed helper on the plant floor. By leveraging management software in your plant, you can keep track of everything that's going on, in real time. 

Help Outline Your Strategy

The previous point refers to the daily goings-on at your plant. But if we zoom out further, the biggest component of any operation, commercial laundry or otherwise, is simple: strategy. 

No matter the job function, real-time data can help you determine your big-picture strategy. Workforce levels, equipment needs, expansion plans ... management software arms you with the information you need to help you make those decisions. 

It's not just about improving the day-to-day operations of your plant(s), it's about building a plan for the future, i.e., a strategy. 

Improve Operational Efficiency

In a time of workforce challenges and lower retention rates, the name of the game is doing more with less. 

That means being more efficient in all corners of your operation. With a real-time flow of data, commercial laundry management software can help you identify inefficiencies and address them long before the costs associated with inefficiency add up. 

Whether that means helping production employees improve their productivity levels, reducing the need for overtime hours or fine-tuning your preventive maintenance efforts, management software helps you identify operational inefficiencies. 

From a sustainability perspective, you can also leverage such a solution to keep track of your energy, water and even detergent usage levels. 

Are you using much more than usual? Software can alert you and help you pinpoint the problem. Not only is that good from a corporate sustainability perspective, it's good for your bottom line. 

Boost (or Build a New) Team Culture

Think about your commercial laundry plant: would you say you have a specific, identifiable culture in place? 

If your answer is no, that's okay: you're probably not alone. 

Culture is that thing that lots of organizations talk about, but not all follow through on in any specific way. Some don't talk about it at all. 

If workplace culture or environment is not something you've thought much about, commercial laundry management software can help you start.

Productivity tracking does not have to be a burden on front-line commercial laundry employees: it can actually be a democratization of their work and the process of rewarding employees. 

Instead of a system not necessarily based on data (e.g., opinions or anecdotal thoughts), software can deliver real-time data to help managers identify high-performing employees and acknowledge them accordingly.

In addition, managers can sharpen their leadership skills by using that data to identify plant employees who need help boosting their productivity levels, whatever the reason may be. 

In short, data can serve as a crystal clear building block toward building a culture of transparency and positive reinforcement.