National Clothesline

One of the key elements in developing successful routes is a true organizational chart.

This is true for all facets of the drycleaning industry, but it definitely is critical in operating, maintaining and sustaining a million dollar delivery service. Without a distinct and defined flow of communication, routes tend to plateau and fail to expand, or worse yet, they drop in sales without anyone knowing why.

When I talk about an

organizational chart, I mean one that is visible for all to see. I am not talking about what is in everyone else ’s mind. I believe that operators fail in this regard.

I see many businesses that are more reactive driven than proactive. From customer service to operational issues, it is often divided to “whoever is closest or available.”

The operational structure of a route is simply divided into four categories: customer service, marketing, operations and billing. The key is to decide who is going to oversee each of these four responsibilities.

Let’s take a look at all four of these categories and you decide who you want to be in charge.

Customer service. This is a category that often gets handed off to whoever answers the phone. I am not a big fan of having drivers being in charge of this area. Too often they are not “customer friendly” and they may be the reason the client is calling.

Having your main plant be the contact number doesn’t always work well, either. Also, this is where a customer retention strategy must exist. You usually want your route manager in charge of this area, or maybe your retail manager.

Marketing. Obviously, your route will not grow as fast as you want without a marketing plan in place. From the actual marketing material to door-to-door calling, you need to have someone who oversees this department.

Some have hired a sales and marketing manager for this position; others manage it themselves. My advice is to create the position of business development manager to oversee this position and to be responsible for customer service as well.

Operations. This department is responsible for the drivers and manifest. Too often I see that drivers are unmanaged and developing “bad habits” that are cancerous. The manifest is your most important management piece on the route and it must be updated and maintained to sustain an efficient route. Again, your route manager could be this position and be the back-up driver as well.

Billing. I hope your computer system will help you with this. However, credit cards need updating and invoices need to be mailed. Often this task is performed by an office manager or the route manager.

All this leads me to one conclusion and solution. Hire a route manager to do all four aspects. Although it sounds like a lot of work, having one person being the contact for all issues makes it easy to manage and maintain. Too often the duties are divided and no one is held accountable. The customer is the one who suffers first, and then it is you and your business that suffer. If your route is not growing, it may be because of a lack of focus on the route.

Many believe that a route will grow and sustain itself. But without a customer retention strategy, you will not see constant growth. In fact, you will be recycling customers and working harder to keep your route sales the same. Please do yourself a favor and develop an organizational chart.