Essay: Homely Laundry Services: Eco-Friendly and Convenient Laundry Solutions

Company Description
Homely Laundry Services is a family (sole-owned) business based in Camberwell along Queen’s road. The company’s original idea was inspired by the need to keep the community clean while conserving the environment and a passion for doing laundry. Homely intends to be a leader in environmental conservation and green energy application.
The laundry and dry-cleaning industry are incredibly competitive in the UK. Established companies such as Berendsen, Zipjet, Clean Cloud, and Elis are already working closely with the hospitality industry. Homely, however, intends to disrupt the homestead market with a focus on homes, colleges, and universities.
Homely will also create a unique calm environment in which clients can do their laundry while engaged in other things such as plays with children, studying, or eating. Another critical aspect of Homely is that it will provide pick-up and delivery services promptly.
Through our applications and website, clients can track the progress of their laundry and will receive an automatic confirmation once their laundry is checked out of the system for delivery.
The choice of this venture was inspired by the fact that people need convenient laundry services around the year. Although the demand increases in winter and close to special events such as Christmas, sales remain relatively the same throughout the year. Most importantly, however, is that the market continues to grow as the population grows.
Between 2014 and 2021, the laundry and dry-cleaning industry grew by 0.5%. It is projected to grow by 1.2% between 2019 and 2024 (IBISWorld, 2019). For the 2019 financial year, the industry had total revenue of £2 billion. While more prominent firms are specializing in bulk laundry from the hospitality industry, Homely will remain focused on homesteads.
Products and Services
Services
Homely Dry Cleaning and Laundry Services will provide laundry and dry-cleaning services. To work with Homely, customers will have two options.
The first option is to place an order for pick and delivery. This means the customer will need access to either a telephone, mobile phone, computer, tablet, or smartphone through which they can place orders and make payments. Upon ordering, the customers will have a choice on the type of detergents they prefer. Customers can order and receive clean laundry within three hours.
The second option is for customers to physically visit our stores where they can do their laundry using our seamlessly easy to use coin-operated equipment. At our stores, customers will have ample spaces for packing; children play safe zones, day-care, and areas where they can study, read, eat or relax while doing their laundry with a free internet connection and access to electrical sockets. Machines will automatically tabulate the total bill, and the client will be issued with a receipt for billing before exiting the premises.
To earn the trust of our clients, we will incorporate a payment system that keeps funds pending until the client receives laundry. This method provides the client with an easy way of reclaiming funds if services do not meet the standards promised.
At Homely, we encourage family growth by creating spaces where parents can do laundry while bonding with their children at the same time. Parents with busy weekly schedules will find solace in our friendly weekend family packages.
Homely will also have a Gifts System that will reward clients and suppliers, depending on how frequent they transact with us. The essence of the gift systems is to penetrate Homely into living spaces.
Homely will also provide tailor services open for all clients.
Products
Homely will also have its clothes and fabric care environmentally friendly products that will be sold at a discount to customers who obtain the “Gold Status” on our system and retail at market prices for other customers. The products will include, but not limited to, bar soaps, laundry powders, liquids, gels and fabric softeners.
Critical Success Factors
In the market, the majority of our competitors are offering the same services we will be offering. However, we are unique in the sense that; 1) we can provide spaces for individuals to do their laundry as they engage in other things such as family, entertainment, or studies.
The timing and quality of our services will be critical, as well. Homely will set a record in quality time delivery in the industry and set a trend that others will follow in the near future. Clients will receive clean laundry within three hours of ordering.
Pricing
Our clients will have three options for pricing.
Weight Pricing
Bulk laundry will be weighed during the sorting stage. A kg of laundry will cost £10. Additional charges for folding and ironing will be £2 and £3, respectively, per kg of laundry.
Single Item Pricing
Homely will provide a separate list that will indicate the prices of services on single items. For instance, it will cost £3.5 for a shirt and £12 for dry-cleaning a 2-piece suit.
Combo-Pricing
Combo or Emergency pricing will apply only to a combination of single items. For instance, a casual office look of a pair of socks, trousers, a vest, and a shirt will cost 10% less than the total price of the single items based on the single items list.
Marketing
Homely intends to attract and retain clients on a continuous growth basis for the first five years. Therefore, the marketing strategy has two categories.
Customer Attraction
– Homely will do extensive yet localised online content that will be used to engage users and spread our presence on social media platforms.
– We will print flyers and posters that will be distributed within the neighbourhood.
– We will engage local TV and radio stations for advertisement packages that will help homely reach all homesteads.
– We will engage the environmental conservation institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, and walk with them in the environmental conservation programs and policies.
– We will engage in or initiate voluntary community services that focus on environmental conservation, healthy living and sports, and talent support.
– We will sponsor the creation of sporting facilities within the neighbourhood. These will include basketball courts, chess centres, skating, or green spaces open and safe for children to play and interact.
Customer Retention
First-time customers will receive a 12% discount on the first transaction. This will automatically earn them 8% and 5% in the second and third successful transactions, respectively. After the third transaction, the client’s status in our system will be upgraded to “bronze,” and they will be awarded a Homely customized gift.
Customers will also earn discounts on successful referrals. A client who successfully refers to three clients having earned the “bronze” status will be upgraded to “silver” status upon which they will be gifted. The highest status achieved will be super gold exclusive to customers who have transacted with the company more than 15 times. This gift system is to ensure that we penetrate the private spaces of our clients to stem our existence.
Most importantly, however, is that quality services and timely delivery are the critical success factors in this industry. With the mounting competition in the market, it is essential to understand our customers.
Homely will use its employees as part of the marketing plan. Employees will appear on billboards in strategic places. Given that most of our employees will be locals, it means the community will warm towards Homely.
Operational Plan
Customer Experience
There are several ways through which the customer can reach our services.
Digital Services
– They can find Homely through a quick web search that will direct the client to our website. On our website, clients can register an account with us. Clients will customise their accounts depending on the types of soap and fabric softeners, or dry-cleaning agents they prefer. If not through the website, clients can download our application built for both android and iOS platforms. Clients can also contact us directly through our telephone numbers provided or through USSD codes as it will be directed.
– The customer then will place an order and request a pick-up. The process of placing an order will take approximately an average of 1 minute.
– The client will then make the full payment, as indicated on the app. The paying process will take about 1 minute on pick up.
– Depending on the geographical location of the client, the dirty laundry will be picked up within 20 minutes of ordering.
– Once at the store, the dirty laundry will be received, sorted, tagged, and stored for washing. This will take an average of 15 minutes.
– Laundry will then be washed or dry-cleaned within 30 minutes.
– Clean laundry will be dried within 20 minutes.
– Folding and ironing (if requested by the client) will take an average of 20 minutes.
– The finished laundry will then be packed and delivered within 25 minutes.
– Within two and a half hours, the customer will have clean laundry delivered where it was picked. During this process, customers can experience live tracking of their laundry based on the cleaning stages through the website or the application.
Self-Service
Instead of ordering pick-up and delivery, customers can also visit our local coin-operated self-service laundry stores. Homely intends to provide a homelike environment in its laundry stores that will be distributed around the city. A customer visiting us physically will have ample space to do their laundry. Our calibrated machines will automatically calculate the total price for the self-service based on time spent on washing, the amount of water consumed, power consumption, and other incentives such as fabric softener and soap. During the stay, the customer will have free access to Wi-Fi connection, child safety zone, parking, and car wash (on special occasions). Each washing area will have a partially confined space for privacy, where clients can converse, eat, fold clothes, or even study as they do their laundry. Family spaces will also be provided where couples and families can do laundry together. Our laundry shops will also sell snacks, soft drinks, homely customised gifts pack, soaps, fabric conditioners, and other clothes care products. Our shops will also have a tailor section where clients can access for sewing services.
Employee Experience
Our team of passionate employees will prioritise the happiness of the customer. This means delivering quality and timely communication and services to our respective stakeholders. Homely provides a safe and calm environment for our employees with flexible working hours. We value work-life balance policies, and we encourage our employees to pursue other passions in life even if they are still working with us, as long as such passions or interests do not interfere with service delivery. We also intend to help our employees through difficult and good times. For instance, the company provides quiet areas where employees can have privacy or even nap. The company will also offer day-care for our employees to maximise the amount of time our employees can interact with their children.
Management and Organisation
Homely will be run by an overall general manager and an assistant general manager. The general manager will oversee and supervise six departments; Finance, Marketing, IT, Transport & Logistics, Human Resource, and Maintenance & Operations. Each department will have a manager who will be answerable to the General Manager or Deputy General Manager where stipulated. The deputy general manager will be chosen from among the manager in the different departments.