One Store's Addition of a 24/7 Kiosk

After 25 years in the business, I thought I knew what type of experience our clients wanted when they visited In The Bag Cleaners.
 
In the Midwest, we pride ourselves on being friendly, and taking the time to visit with our clients. I thought all our clients wanted to spend time with our retail team, but I was wrong.
 
While many others in my Maverick Warriors group were converting their retail stores to 24/7 kiosks, I sat on the sideline and waited it out. Would they be well-received by clients? Would sales drop?
 
Last week, we finally converted one of our retail stores to a 24/7 kiosk.
 
While we have not decided the impact on retail labor yet, we have learned a few things:

• Clients see the new technology as a positive investment in the business and an investment in the client experience
• Clients are excited to be able to drop off or pickup their items 24/7 – on their schedule, not ours
• Most of our clients ask if we are using this to get rid of people on our retail side (which is not our intent), so we clarify that right from the start
• We have chosen stores to convert first that will see an upswing in sales from adding 24/7 hours. For example, this first store has two large churches nearby, so we hope to see an increase on Saturday afternoon and evening, and all day Sunday.

 
We presented this change to our clients in a very positive light.
 
We explained that they have three options: 

1. Get the personal attention they are used to, during staffed hours
2. Receive the convenience of 24/7 access (and some pretty cool technology) by coming during unstaffed hours
3. Use the complimentary route service for the ultimate in convenience

 
I couldn’t be happier now that we converted our first 24/7 store.
 
The client experience is always evolving, and we need to change with the times.
 
Not everyone wants to come on the hours we have set to have a long conversation with us and we need to focus on solutions to accommodate this.
 
If you are interested in seeing more pictures from our transformation, shoot me an email at dave@maverickdrycleaners.com and I’ll send them over to you – including the lockers and the detailing area behind the wall.
 
Have a great week!
Dave