Are You Prepared?

The coronavirus crisis has created a coin shortage nationwide, that has left retailers like laundromat owners, who rely heavily on coins, struggling. Many have found themselves short on the quarters needed to refill changers.

The Federal Reserve has recently revealed that the pandemic “significantly disrupted” the supply chain and circulation pattern for America’s metal money. The U.S. Mint has slowed the production of coins, in order to take measures meant to protect workers amid the crisis.

Coins just simply aren’t moving – certainly not at the volume they were pre-COVID. Closed bank locations, limited grocery store visits and retail transactions that slowed during shutdown, have all contributed to the shortage.

With the unpredictability of events such as this, it’s important to have options – a safety net. When the unthinkable happens, you need to be able to run your business in order to survive times like these.

Whether you’re looking to keep coin, offer mobile payments, loyalty payments, go card only, or offer several payment options with more flexibility, CCI has a solution for you.

Give yourself some peace of mind, and invest in the future of your business.

Contact us today for your free quote!

It seems that everything these days is moving digital. Laundromats are no different, so converting your coin-operated laundromat to a card-based one that also accepts digital payments has many advantages.

Step One: Find the Card System That is Right for You

Researching the card systems available is a crucial first step when considering moving away from a coin-only laundromat. There are many different laundry card systems out there, and it can be overwhelming trying to determine which one is an ideal fit for you. At CCI, we offer FasCard, which affords you the best of both worlds by enabling you to accept credit/debit cards, loyalty cards and digital payments, while working with your existing coin machines and still allowing coin as a payment option.

As an owner or property manager with FasCard, you are able to monitor your laundry facility easily from a distance. Run sales reports, configure specials, change vend prices, check equipment, and manage employees all from your smartphone or laptop. FasCard can also alert you when a coin slot is full, so you only collect when you need to. The system is compatible with top laundry industry brands — take a look at our compatibility guide for more information.

Slow Transition or Complete Redo?

With FasCard, converting your laundromat is simple. You can either switch over a machine at a time or convert the entire store all at once. But before doing so, consider seasonality and the demand for your laundromat to help guide your decision.

Promote Upcoming Payment Options to Your Customers

Once you decide when and how you’ll switch to a card system, get organized and begin promoting the upcoming payment options to your customers months in advance. Informing your customers on what is happening at your store will create a smooth transition, plus it can be used as a valuable marketing tool to draw new customers in.

If you’re ready to start your transition to accepting more payment options in your laundromat, fill out this short form to request more information on FasCard.

Today’s laundromat customers prefer to use their smartphone for purchases and have come to expect to be able to pay for goods and services via mobile device. Mobile-pay is a great option for laundry purchases because it is fast, secure, easy and convenient. However, if you’re using a mobile-pay only system, you could be missing out on the benefits of a complete card payment system. CCI’s complete card systems allow you to accept mobile payments, credit/debit payments and can even work with existing coin laundry machines. In addition to accepting payments, CCI FasCard and LaundryCard systems offer benefits that will take your laundry business to the next level. Here are five reasons to consider investing in a complete card system over a mobile-pay only system.

1) Increase in ‘Float’ and Loyalty

With a CCI system, customers can add value to a loyalty account and have the choice to purchase a flat amount or preconfigured value packages (i.e. Buy $10, Get $11). With loyalty accounts, not only will customers be encouraged to pay you in advance, you now have them obligated for that amount of money in service! The more they add, the more loyal they will be to your business.

2) Loyalty to Your Laundromat, not a Payment Company

CCI’s FasCard system has an app that acts as a loyalty card. Customers who use the app will no longer need to own a physical card but can instead use the app in the same way. They can take advantage of any of the loyalty programs you offer, and the app will keep track of it all. If they forget their loyalty card one day, they can use the app, because the functionality between the app and physical cards is interchangeable. For some mobile-pay only systems, if customers add money to their account, they may be able to use that at several different laundromats, therefore their loyalty is to the mobile-pay company and not your specific laundromat. With CCI’s system app, the customer’s float is your money and can only be used at your business, so their loyalty stays with your laundromats.

3) Marketing Tools for the Laundry Industry

CCI FasCard and LaundryCard systems offer advanced marketing and loyalty programs. Loyalty programs include Loyalty Points, Bonus Packages, Free Dry, Group Discounts and more. Utilizing the integrated marketing programs will help you attract new business and encourage loyalty with your current customer base. Mobile-pay only companies make a one size fits all product that doesn’t take into consideration the marketing and management that goes into a laundromat business. CCI was born from over 40 years of experience in the vended laundry industry and designs all products with both the operator and end user in mind.

4) Remotely Running Your Laundromat

Managing your laundromat with a CCI system is simple and can be performed from any web browser at any time. You can remotely control, view and configure your laundromat in real-time. Run profit reports, see usage statistics and sales data for each machine and change vend prices all from your smartphone, tablet or computer!

5) Hands Off Employee Management

Managers can create, edit and monitor one-time and ongoing employee work schedules in a FasCard or LaundryCard system. Your employees can use the system to view upcoming work schedules as well as clock in and out for shifts. Our task scheduler ensures employees are reminded of what they are supposed to do and lets you run reports on what tasks are not getting done.

CCI’s solutions give store owners additional tools to increase success in one integrated system. If you’re a laundromat owner or investor looking to set your business apart from the competition, contact us today to learn more about our payment solutions and how investing in the right technology can benefit your laundromat business!

LaundryCard is a holistic laundromat management system that gives owners of multiple stores all the tools they need to succeed. LaundryCard replaces all of the traditional coin mechanisms with networked card readers in a store. Customers get a loyalty card from a kiosk by inserting cash or a credit card and the value added to the loyalty card can then be used to start the customers desired machine. A LaundryCard system is a great choice for owners of more than one location because it has several features that make managing multiple laundromat stores easier and less time consuming.

  No More Coins

With coin based laundromats, you spend a lot of time collecting and processing quarters. Since there are no coins used to start the machines in a LaundryCard store, there is nothing to collect except the cash receipts located in the X-Changer kiosks. LaundryCard saves busy multiple store owners time because they don’t have to empty coin boxes frequently or make several trips to the bank each week. A store that would normally take 2 hours to collect with coins, can now take 5 minutes, giving you time to manage your stores rather than work them.

Multi-Store Networking

Multi-Store Networking allows you to distribute your cards anywhere and lets your customers use them in any of your locations. For example if a store owner operates three locations in the same town, customers can purchase a card in Store A and use the card in Store B or Store C as well. The totals report will have an added field to show store owners the dollar amount of card balances that have been transferred in or out.

One Touch Collection

One of the major benefits of having a card system is its ability to reduce the exposure to cash and coins to the public. When collecting from a Laundry Card System, all that is needed is a collectors card. The collector is issued a Collectors card and this card enables the system to track the date, time, and amount of each collection. This allows multiple store owners to spend less time collecting at each location and even allow trusted employees to collect. In a LaundryCard system, every employee has a dedicated card that highlights their responsibilities. You can have a dedicated collector that retrieves the collections from each store.

Employee Management

In a LaundryCard system every employee has a dedicated card that highlights their responsibilities. When a store owner hires a new attendant they are issued an Attendant Card and this card enables them to clock in and out of work, view work schedules, see scheduled duties, and check off when they have completed tasks. These features will help your employees perform their job effectively and manage your stores because when you run multiple stores, you aren’t able to physically be in each one overseeing staff.

Remote Management

LaundryCard has been designed to work with any device that has an Internet browser. You can remotely control, view, and configure the system from a smartphone, tablet or PC. Run sales reports, configure specials, change vend prices all from the comfort of your home or office. You are no longer limited by distance when opening new stores because complete remote management is now possible.

With coin operated laundromats, the number of stores you are able to run depends on how much you can physically handle and there are only so many hours in a day. A LaundryCard system helps you automate and grow your business so you aren’t limited to how many stores you can manage and operate. Contact us today to learn more about LaundryCard and how its tools can help your laundromat business!