Keying into efficiency

30 September 1998



Janet Taylor reports on the benefits of investing in a computerised electronic point of sale (EPOS) system.


A computerised electronic point of sale (EPOS) system can enable a drycleaning business to operate more efficiently from day-to-day, build an effective database marketing tool for itself, and to move ahead by taking on work that needs complex administration.

In broad terms, drycleaners have three options for recording transactions and taking payments: a ticketing book; an electronic cash register; or a fully computerised EPOS system with a customised or standard keyboard. The system may be a stand-alone module, linked into a back office system or, in the case of a multi-branch operation, part of a network linked into head office.

A computerised system will involve considerable capital investment, but business system companies claim that the cost can be recouped in a short time due to its greater accuracy and efficiency. The immediate and often-quoted benefit is that the business will start to charge accurately for each and every garment from day one.

  Mr Jonathan Beach, managing director of DryStream, a company that has invested in an EPOS system, says that in his experience this factor alone can have a significant impact on turnover.

He explains that most shops will have a basic price list with a range of additional charges; for example, a pleated skirt will attract a premium over a basic design, a silk shirt will cost more to clean than a polyester one. However, staff may sometimes forget to charge these premiums, particularly at busy times. A computerised system automates the entire process.

Each garment-type will have a menu of charges that appears when the category is keyed in. This can be far more complex than is feasible with ticket books or simple electronic registers.

Mr Neil Drinkall, technical services engineer for InfoClean, says that another major benefit of going the computer route is the speed with which lost-ticket items can be found.

Mr Colin Edwards, managing director of TP Data, points out that most drycleaners will have to cope with two or three lost-ticket items a day, and to search through a rail of garments can be time consuming. With a computerised system, staff can recall ticket details in a few seconds simply by keying in a code such as the customer’s name or phone number. This reveals not just the item in question, but also details any others that the customer may have awaiting collection.

Computerised systems are also more secure. Mr Beach from DryStream explains that they involve tightly controlled procedures for issuing tickets, collecting garments and taking money. Combined with careful stock control, these procedures can prevent garments going through without payment.

The computer can also operate as a business analysis tool. It can be used to produce general or specific management reports—such as how much business is being done in a specified area, or by individual staff members. In this way, the system becomes not just a sales support, but an effective marketing tool. Rather than running promotions at random, businesses can undertake targetted campaigns.

Perhaps one of the prime reasons for switching to EPOS is to move a business forward. Indeed T P Data’s Mr Edwards says many businesses are jumping straight from a manual system to a fully computerised one, for this reason.

Mr Mark Reynolds, managing director for Spot Business Systems (Europe), says that the whole point of investing in EPOS is to increase profit. A major advantage, at least of his company’s system, is that it also opens up lucrative avenues such as hotel work. Hotels require not just regular invoicing but, because of the size and scope of the work, highly complex logistics.

Where a business has several hotel contracts, each hotel may have not just its own price-list but its own discount structure. This can include a series of preferential rates for staff and even incentives for higher levels of work. Only a computerised system could cope.

Talking to businesses that have installed EPOS reveals a similar list of benefits to those outlined by the suppliers.

Mr Shafiq Govind owns Classy Cleaners, a business with four shops based around London and the Home Counties. Mr Govind installed an EPOS system from T P Data in his Barnes shop last year and is now planning to extend installation to his other branches.

For Mr Govind, an immediate benefit has been the time saved in retrieving lost ticket items. He used to use a ticket book system, and finding a garment without the ticket could take up to 30 minutes. Now the details can be retrieved by keying in the customer’s name and phone number.

Stock control is more accurate. Mr Govind can see exactly what is in the shop and where business is being done—and target his marketing accordingly.

But it is not just existing business that can be improved. Mr Govind can now take on new types of business—such as account customers. He says that trying to run customer accounts with a ticket book would have been a nightmare.

Ali Mahdi is the owner of Swan Cleaners with five branches in south London. All shops have their own system (in this case supplied by InfoClean) which is linked up to the head office.

Building the database for the business has taken time, so Mr Mahdi has not yet started to use the system fully as a marketing tool, although he has plans to do so. He is launching a loyalty card scheme and will be using the mail-shot functions in the future.

Even before the marketing functions get under way, Mr Mahdi has found benefits compared with the electronic till system he used to use. Staff errors have reduced dramatically, and he points out that when you run five shops even small errors can add up.

From the start, Mr Mahdi has also used the system’s reporting functions to monitor trends. His system produces reports as graphs and he finds these much easier to use than sheets of figures.

Mr McLauchline, of Dry Cleaning Plush, says the system allows easy identification of garments and helps with lost tickets. However, its greatest asset is that it can create a database of customers for targetting with mail-shots and promotions.



Privacy Policy
We have updated our privacy policy. In the latest update it explains what cookies are and how we use them on our site. To learn more about cookies and their benefits, please view our privacy policy. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy unless you have disabled them.