Making It Easier to Give Customers Royal Treatment

Dan Kurilchyk has always been proud of the quality service he provides at his business, Royal Cleaners in Ojai. It hasn’t always been easy. Up until recently, everything — including keeping track of the thousands of garments in house at any one time — was done manually. The extensive, time-consuming paper trail could be burdensome. Not any more.

Royal Cleaners now has a point of sale (POS) computer system installed and deployed with the help of Smart Technology Enablers (Enablers). The system has already shown its value by increasing efficiency, saving time, easing daily operations and proving very cost-effective. Not surprisingly, Kurilchyk and his employees are very enthusiastic.

Kurilchyk had his eye on a generic POS system for dry cleaners over the last several years. When he bought the system, he had great expectations about its promise, but did not have the technical expertise to install it and get it up and running. That’s when he turned to Dave Lawrence of Enablers.

‘Everything but Pressing a Pair of Pants’

Lawrence prides himself on always learning as much as he can about his clients’ businesses, in order to configure customized computer systems that meet their specific needs and desires. His assignment for Royal Cleaners was no exception.

“David did virtually everything but learn how to press a pair of pants, and that’s next,” chuckles Kurilchyk.

Working on behalf of a client in the dry cleaning business was a new venture for Enablers, as was familiarizing themselves with a POS software designed specifically for a dry cleaning establishment. He started by setting up the system in his own office so he could learn it and make sure that it was working well. Serving as a liaison between Royal Cleaners and the system manufacturer, Enablers smoothed out glitches and made necessary changes to customize the system for the client. Enablers then installed the system and began to train Royal employees in its use.

“Enabler’s service was very timely,” says Kurilchyk. “I set a deadline of three months and he kept pace with his learning curve and my plan to train the staff, and it all pieced together very nicely. This was kind of a soft landing. It didn’t have to be done in haste. I wanted it done right, and it has been done right.”

Smoothing out the Process from Drop-off to Pick-up

Now, Royal Cleaners staff no longer need to do the extra steps involved in manual operations — all the records and cross-checks and saving of carbon copies.

When a customer drops off garments, his or her name pops up in the computer instantly (or is input if it’s a first-time customer). The counter person uses the new touch screen to select “shirt,” or “jacket,” etc., noting the garments’ color and other characteristics like construction, brand or stains. The items are manually tagged, and only one piece of paper is generated. The clothing then goes through the normal dry cleaning process. After cleaning, rack assignments are noted in the computer. When the customer visits to pick up the cleaned garments, the clerk goes to the computer, quickly locates the items and the customer is good-to-go with very little waiting time.

The new POS system benefi ts the operation in a number of ways:

Day-to-day numbers and trends can be quickly analyzed — not only dollars received, but numbers of items and types of items in-house.

The POS system facilitates marketing. For example, the computer can identify customers who have not been in for 90 days, and print out a personalized, promotional letter, offering a discount as an inducement to come back.

The POS provides a documented history, showing when garments were brought in and when they were picked up. This reduces confusion and complaints from customers who thought the cleaners might have lost one of their garments. Previously, a staff member might have had to spend hours going through as many as a thousand tickets looking for the customer’s name. Now a quick check on the computer clears it up.

With all the data in the computer, invoicing is now simple and easy. There is no longer any need for the three-piece invoice. Now there’s just one piece of paper, printed out by the computer.

The POS system tracks customer traffic flow to facilitate staffing decisions 

Enablers also set Kurilchyk up with a new homebased PC system, enabling him to remote in from home to the Cleaners. He can hook up to the cash register to monitor transactions and get numbers and types of items being brought in. The system also includes a laptop which he can use to work in the store.

Previously, Enablers helped set up Kurilchyk’s security cameras, which are primarily used for the Laundromat next door. Enablers expanded video storage to accomdate up to 30 days of historical memory and trained Kurilchyk in their use. With a remote hookup, Kurilchyk can now monitor the security cameras from home, checking on what is going on in the Laundromat.

With a stated aim “to restore as much quality to your garment as possible,” Royal Cleaners is a two-generation family business at its present location for more than 35 years. Services include on-site dry cleaning, laundering of dress shirts and blouses, alterations, stain removal, leather and suede cleaning and the adjoining coin-operated Laundromat. Royal Cleaners 1205-B Maricopa Highway, Ojai, CA; (805) 646-5018.