EPOS systems for drycleaners

Increasing sales, improving efficiency

1 February 2008



EPoS systems have turned the till into a tool that will help to increase revenue and sales and can also improve the efficiency of functions such as stock control and accounting. Kathleen Armstrong reports


Technology has taken the till way beyond a cash collection box and turned it into a 21st century sales analysis tool. As the UK drycleaning market tightens and becomes more competitive, having such a sophisticated piece of equipment at the counter begins to make more and more sense.

An EPoS (electronic point of sale) system allows the different parts of the drycleaning business to be linked together giving managers an overview of how the whole business is running and providing a tool to analyse customer behaviour and help decide sales strategy.

The main reason for installing an EPoS system, according to Mark Reynolds, managing director of SPOT Computer Systems, is to make money and increase profitability. He says that installing a system brings savings almost immediately.

Firstly, it saves time. With customer credit card and other details entered directly into the computerised system, payments can be processed automatically. This aspect is particularly important to companies such as Fantasy Cleaners and Simply Domestics that rarely see their customers because they offer a door-to-door delivery service.

Judith Ivers from Simply Domestics says that though the system has to be considered as an investment, it does increase efficiency.

The business had a SPOT system installed in April 2007. It mainly uses the system to process credit card payments and to manage its complicated route management system, including printing drivers’ manifests for pick-up and delivery.

Ivers admits that she is only scratching the surface of the system’s capabilities and the way it could be used to benefit her business, but she has plans to do more with it in the future.

As a sophisticated computer system linked to a central server, EPoS systems offer endless scope for improving a business’s efficiency. An EPoS system will allow a business to control its stock more efficiently.

Each item is logged into the system when it is brought into the shop and logged out when it is paid for, so there is an automatic record of those garments that have been processed and those that are still waiting to be cleaned.

When an item is booked in, other information, such as the date it is due to be ready, is also entered. This allows a manager to easily check to see which orders have not been processed, especially those that are overdue, and follow them up.

Keeping in contact

Customer profiling is another of an EPoS system’s main uses. When a customer first comes into the drycleaners or phones in to book an order in the case of delivery services, their contact details are entered into the system along with their order.

This lays the foundation for building a record of their spending habits. This in turn allows better decisions to be made about how to encourage them to increase their use of the drycleaning service.

Reynolds says that one of the system’s main purposes should be to increase sales. Therefore, he tries to encourage his customers not to give discounts, or at least not to do so without getting something in return.

The EPoS system can be set up, he says, to suggest a customer be given a voucher for a service they currently don’t use or rarely use. For example, if they regularly bring suits in to be drycleaned, the system may suggest they be given a voucher for shirt finishing to encourage them to start using this service as well.

The instant analysis capabilities of the system mean that this additional use will be flagged up immediately when the customer comes in to book in or pay.

“If they don’t choose to use it, it doesn’t matter,” Reynolds says. “But if they do use it, it’s extra business.”

Using a touchscreen means that for the most part these systems are simple to use. They can be set to provide prompts for each step of the booking in and pick-up process so that fewer mistakes are made and that customer information is entered.

They will also prompt staff to ask the right questions to ensure they have the correct information about the garment.

Matt Dyer of Crossroads Dry Cleaners in Alcester, Warwickshire, had a DryStream EPoS system installed in October 2006 and is an enthusiastic advocate of the system and its benefits.

When a garment is brought in, the system prompts him to ask whether any repairs are needed, whether the garment is stained, and for any other information that will help him. All these details can be obtained while the customer is still in the shop.

Relevant details

The DryStream system automatically prints out a ticket for the customer with all the relevant information on it. The system is programmed to add any extra charges for garments that are more costly to process.

For example, if a linen suit comes in, an extra charge is added to take account of the additional time it make take to clean and finish properly.

Invoices are done “at the touch of a button” and the system is linked to Sage (accounting software), saving time in putting together accounts.

The system records both the customer’s name and the name of the staff member who served them, so reducing the risk of staff pilfering. Dyer says turnover has increased since he got the system and he is looking forward to exploring and implementing more of its capabilities. “The only limit is me,” he says. “The more I learn how to use it, the more I can do.”

Jonathan Beach from DryStream says the company can customise the system to provide the functions the customer requires as the software is written by DryStream in its London office.

Operators can set up their own customised touchscreen, choosing the labels for each button, such as the type of garment or special offers.

Join the network

Systems can be networked within a shop or between a group of shops and they can also be integrated with DryStream’s Tillwatch security system, which uses CCTV to monitor the tills.

Beach says that on a finance plan, the cost of the investment can be as little as £10 a month.

Now DryStream has also brought in an interest-free offer, allowing drycleaners to take advantage of an interest-free period, after putting down a deposit of 10%. They then buy the system outright at the end.

This allows them to start saving money immediately in the first 12 months, Beach says.

Andrew Davis from LM Computers, which produces the Touchtill system, says the text messaging capabilities of EPoS systems offer a great benefit to customers.

Once a garment has been processed, the system can be programmed to send a message automatically to the customer to let them know it is ready to be picked up. The text function can also be used to let the customer know if there has been any delay, so they don’t come in unnecessarily. The text message can also be used to identify customers that have lost their ticket, so the garment can be found more quickly.

If a customer opts for a two-day service, instead of the more expensive express option, the text message will wait to go out on that second day, even if the garment is ready earlier, and this avoids the drycleaner’s price structure being devalued.

Nish Taank from Pearl Drycleaners in Ealing, London, started his drycleaning business in October and chose the LM Computers system to give him more control over the business. With a background in corporate banking, Taank can see the potential of the system as a sales and marketing tool. Its presence in the shop makes the business look professional.

Changed perception

“When the customer gets a proper printed receipt rather than a hand-written receipt, it changes their perception of the business,” he says. “They assume we’re part of a franchise rather than just one shop.”

In addition, Taank says, customer complaints and comments can be logged immediately, as well as their preferences for how they like their garments processed. For example, do they like their shirts to be starched?

A loyalty scheme has also been incorporated into the system and barcoded onto cards so customers can access discounts and other benefits throughout the year.

“It has opened a whole new world of marketing to me and given me a whole new way of working,” he comments.

The system is backed up every day by LM Computers so Taank says he knows his data is secure should his own system go down. Prices can be updated and promotions added within 24 hours.

The ability to network a system is important for a business with more than one shop. It even has advantages for single-shop businesses as EPoS systems can be linked to laptops so owners and managers can access the business data when they are at home or out on the road.

The SPOT system, says Reynolds, offers two networking options for customers – LAN (local area network) where neighbouring computers are linked by cable or WAN (wide area network) which allows computers to be linked wherever they are in the world, instantly. For those workaholics who want to keep an eye on the business while they are on holiday, this could be the perfect option. SPOT will advise on which system is most appropriate for a particular drycleaner. There is no difference in cost.

Aqua Clean has several shops and a central processing factory in London. Managing director Segu Razeen says that with work constantly moving between the different sites, all several miles apart, the business had problems keeping track of the circulating inventory and knowing exactly what was going on in each shop.

Real time communication

“SPOT’s internet-based solution gives us real-time communication between stores and the factory,” says Razeen. “This means that in when we are in the factory we can see what work is on its way to us even before it leaves the shop and the shop manager can check on the production status of his jobs at any time.”

Certainly the capabilities of these systems are way beyond that of an ordinary till and offer real opportunities to drycleaners to tighten their processes and up their game in customer service, marketing and operational efficiency.

It is therefore surprising that only 40% of retailers in the UK have adopted EPoS systems – though Davis at LM computers estimates more than 50% now have them in the drycleaning sector.

Perhaps one of the greatest recommendations for the EPoS concept is that the message about the benefits is often passed on by word of mouth.

The customer who has bought one is so enthusiastic that others feel they want to try a system.

As suppliers point out, income can increase almost immediately as it takes any guesswork out of charging and makes sure all extras are added to the basic price. But the benefits are much wider and the more a system is explored and used, the more it will be appreciated.


LM Computers at Pearl dry Cleaners LM Computers at Pearl dry Cleaners
DryStream EPos System at Crossroads Dry Cleaners DryStream EPos System at Crossroads Dry Cleaners


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