Whether you’re operating a hospital, hotel, restaurant or any establishment that calls for quality, clean, and fresh linens and towels, the decision to outsource your on-property laundry can be one of the most effective you can make.
Having a solid partner for linen care and cleaning can save you money, square footage, staff and energy. But once you decide to outsource, how do you make the transition without affecting operations? Here we’ll walk you through the process.
You’re Not Alone
First, you should rest assured that your decision to outsource your on-property laundry is sound, and it’s one more and more companies worldwide are making.
In the hotel industry alone, for example, sources indicate hotel operators are choosing to invest in projects that generate revenue, such as restaurants and spas, rather than incurring the costs of maintaining and replacing laundry equipment and finding and maintaining a stable laundry workforce.
Look for Services
Now that you’ve done your own cost-analysis and know you’re ready to move forward, the next step is to find a quality vendor. In doing this, get a clear handle on your needs and make sure the partner has the bandwidth to service your facility. Depending on the scale of your operation, these services may be imperative:
- 24-hour customer service, every day
- Regular visits by the partner for quality assurance
- Support for linen management, including inventory planning and new linen injection
- A designated committee committed to servicing your account
The partner should also be able to assist you with transition planning, and guiding you through questions surrounding protocols, timing, personnel and operations.
Tour the Facility
Once you have identified one or a few linen partners to outsource your on-property laundry, arrange a site visit. A quality provider will help make this visit happen and will ensure representatives are there to provide a thorough tour and answer any questions. You’ll want to look at the cleanliness and order of the facility. Are linens professionally handled with care? Do they have high-quality commercial equipment and the capacity to service all clients?
It’s also a good idea to learn about their sorting protocols and their procedures for ensuring that linens from various properties do not comingle in the laundry and that the proper linens arrive and are returned to their places of origin.
Insist on Training
Another service that is essential is training your staff. Your employees will be going from processing linens on their own to having them ready at specific times for pick up. While this will free up valuable hours, it will mandate a shift in their duties, and instead of washing and ironing, their work may involve sorting linen, weighing linen, and ensuring you have enough pars on hand for when other linens are being cleaned offsite. A quality linen partner will make sure your staff is comfortable with the new processes and able to succeed with the new protocols.
Communicate with Staff
As you make this transition to outsource your on-property linen it’s important to keep the lines of communication open with your staff. It’s been said that the most “efficient route to a clean room is a happy housekeeper.” Make sure through the transition that your staff still feel valued. Their support and expertise will be needed as you adopt to new procedures.
The decision to outsource your on-property laundry is a good one, and a quality vendor will help make the onboarding process as seamless as possible. Learn more in our Ultimate Guide to Transitioning to a Hotel Laundry Service. And to learn more about how much you can save after making the switch, download our free comparison guide on on-property laundry versus outsourcing.