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CHICAGO — Personal safety is one of the primary reasons that the average customer chooses a Laundromat. “Safety and security are paramount,” says Karl Hinrichs, HK Laundry Equipment, in his YouTube video titled Characteristics of Successful Laundromats. “If people don’t feel really comfortable coming to a Laundromat, they’re going to go elsewhere.”

In April, American Coin-Op surveyed its audience about the safety of their store’s neighborhood and if they think their customers or employees feel safe in their store while doing laundry or working there.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents to the unscientific survey described their neighborhood as “somewhat safe.” Roughly 19% said their neighborhood is “neither safe nor unsafe,” and the remaining 7.4% described theirs as “extremely safe.” No one who took the survey described their neighborhood as “somewhat unsafe” or “not safe at all.”

Yet, more than 40% of operators said they, an employee or a customer have been a victim of crime at their laundry. Most of these incidents involved burglaries or robberies. An employee was threatened with a knife in one case, while an attendant was pushed to the ground in another.

SAFETY BY DESIGN

Coin laundry safety starts with store design. One can deter criminals by keeping the business well-lit at all times.

If cost is a concern, look for opportunities to upgrade lighting that may be tied to energy-saving incentives. For example, Colonial Laundromats, a chain of laundries in Central New York, enlisted SmartWatt Energy to upgrade its indoor fluorescent lighting at 23 of its facilities and outdoor LED pole lighting at 17 facilities. Colonial is looking at an average payback of 22 months after receiving a rebate totaling more than $104,000 and interest-free financing for two years.

Large windows will make it easy for customers—or the police—to see inside; take care not to block the view when posting signs. Equipment and furnishings should be positioned so there are clear sight lines from the front of the store to the back, and so that they do not create “hiding places.” Equip exterior doors with buzzers to signal when someone has entered the laundry.

Having an attended store can also be a deterrent to criminal activity. “Security is a concern for all stores,” says J.D. Johnson, president of equipment distributor LaundryRx. “Of course, it’s more of a concern for the unattended owner.”

And the owner/operator must not forget about their own safety, particularly when handling money. If a laundry has an office space, don’t allow customers inside, and keep it locked while away. Be aware of the surroundings when making collections and when transporting money to/from vehicles. Vary collection times so the average observer can’t anticipate when this activity will occur.

Never share information about store security, the amount of money a store makes, who has keys, who is responsible for opening or closing the store, etc., with anyone.

SECURITY MEASURES

Consider physical equipment (especially for an older, unattended store) such as high-security locks, bars, solid steel doors, and anti-stringing validators for the changers. Check out the latest burglar alarms and surveillance cameras.

Before installing security equipment, don’t forget about signage. Make it clear to anyone who enters the laundry that it is protected by electronic security. It’s a warning to thieves, and it provides a comfort level for customers.

Also from the survey earlier this year, a surveillance system is the most popular safety-related feature or practice utilized by respondents (77.8%). Other popular choices are employees/owner watch store (48.1%), alarm system (44.4%), signage (33.3%) and some type of weapon (29.6%).

Thirty-seven percent of operators who responded to the survey have brought a firearm to their laundry. Among those who haven’t, 35.3% said they would consider carrying a firearm while there.

Keep in mind that it’s possible to tamper with or destroy security cameras or devices. It’s common for burglar alarms to be tied to a central station by telephone lines, but a burglar may cut the line. It’s good to have a backup method.

The same concerns can be true of cameras. Burglars may sneak underneath the camera and point it at another part of the store. But with updated technology, a camera can “memorize” a store scene, such as a changer, and if that scene is changed because a burglar moves a camera or covers it, the owner is signaled that there is a problem. Check with security companies for the latest technological updates.

Alarm systems have the capabilities of detecting unauthorized opening of doors, the breaking of windows, and movement through interior areas when the business is closed.

INSURANCE BENEFIT

Not only is increased security a plus in attracting and retaining customers, it can also improve a store’s bottom line by lowering insurance costs a bit.

“(Having a) surveillance/security system would lower the costs of most property coverage as this is a definite deterrent to theft, vandalism and similar situations causing a claim,” says Adam Weber, president of Irving Weber Associates. “Surveillance systems can also assist in determining if there was an actual fault on the business owner’s part in a liability claim, such as to whether a water spill caused a slip-and-fall.”

Be certain that the security system is in good working order at all times. “Security systems are great, but in many cases someone forgets to turn them on, they aren’t working for some reason, or they are working but the burglar is able to get in and out before the police arrive,” says Anne Hawkins, senior underwriter for NIE.

Customers rely on the owner of a self-service laundry to provide them with a safe environment to clean their clothes, so make it a priority each and every day.

NEW YORK — People are talking about your laundry business. Do you know what they’re saying?

The answer can spell the difference between success and failure. Positive reviews on Internet message boards help boost revenues and fatten your bottom line. Negative reviews can spike your best business plans.

“People are increasingly putting reviews online as the Internet becomes more social,” says Daniel Burrus, a business consultant based in Hartland, Wis. “All of the reviews are in the cloud and available for anyone to read.”

And read they do: For many businesses, social media are quickly becoming the best sources of new customers. Just a few of the most popular sites are Yelp, Twitter, Angie’s List, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. A recent study from Harvard Business School revealed a direct correlation between star ratings on Yelp and revenues at a business.

Why the upturn? A big reason is technology’s growing heft. “Our main computing device is shifting from the laptop to the smart phone,” says Burrus. “And unlike our laptops, our smart phones are always with us.” Smart phones are constantly getting faster at processing data. That helps people quickly post reports on their business experiences while searching for the most highly ranked providers of goods and services.

WATCH THE SITES

Watching for reviews about your laundry business on social media sites poses a challenge. Monitoring them all would take a lot of time, and time costs money.

What to do? Set up an automated search to alert you whenever your business is reviewed. Google offers the most popular of such alerts. “Google Alerts are easy and free,” says consultant Bob Phibbs, Coxsackie, N.Y. “You can create an alert that sends you an e-mail every time your business name is mentioned online.” If such alerts are too numerous, you can specify that Google send you a consolidated report once a day. (Google Alerts is at google.com/alerts).

You should also set up an alert in Twitter to let you know when your business is mentioned in a Tweet. Twitter is especially important for your online reputation because people with smart phones use Twitter all the time. Your customers are most likely already using Twitter, and you want to pay attention to what they say. (For information, go to twitter.com/alerts.)

Bonus tip: Ask your customers what Internet sites they use to find businesses like yours.

RESPOND TO NEGATIVE REVIEWS

Every business will get some negative reviews. “People gripe for a lot of reasons,” says Phibbs. “Maybe they did not get waited on fast enough, or maybe a coupon expired and you didn’t honor it.”

When your business receives a negative review, it’s important to respond with an online message that prospective customers can see, says Phibbs. “Posting a response shows you are listening to your customers and taking action.”

Avoid impersonal or canned posts. Compose your posts in words that directly address the complaining customers’ concerns, suggests Phibbs. “Personalize your message with words such as ‘I own the business with my wife Mary and we are sorry to hear you had a bad experience.’”

Your responses should also note that you are attempting to improve whatever areas the customers found lacking (cleanliness, customer service, employee friendliness, etc.). “Finally, invite the customer to contact you,” says Phibbs. “Include an e-mail address or phone number.”

Carefully written responses can turn a negative situation into a positive one. Paying attention to customers and taking action on complaints can build loyalty. You can even turn an angry person into a raving fan.

From time to time, you will run into a review that, while legitimate, comes from a customer who is simply being unreasonable. “You often have outliers on the negative side, because the unreasonable customer can be very vocal,” says Greg Sterling, a San Francisco-based Internet analyst.

“While most consumers are reasonable and will look at the consensus and not ascribe too much weight to a single negative review, it still has to be addressed,” says Sterling. Post a response in terms that illustrate the importance you place on the area the customer has addressed. Emphasize that you intend to do better in the future.

Bonus tip: Look at negative reviews as informal customer surveys that help you identify and rectify business problems.

HANDLING ILLEGITIMATE REVIEWS

Social media have their dark side: Not all negative reviews are legitimate. What do you do if you suspect a negative review has been posted by a competitor, or by a disgruntled former employee?

One thing not to do, says Burrus, is stir the pot. “Don’t create a fight and don’t incense people in ways that make them do more negative things.”

Stay positive, even in the face of unfair practices. “If the poster is a competitor, post some evidence to the contrary underneath what they wrote,” suggests Burrus. “You might say something like, ‘Here is a link to 50 customers who disagree with you.’”

And what if the poster is a former employee? “Have your lawyer contact the person to let them know they must cease and desist,” suggests Burrus. “Let them know they cannot smear a reputation without ramifications.” A legal letter can convince the person to remove an offending review.

The challenge is even greater for sites that allow anonymous postings. If a review is blatantly unfair (for example, a personal attack on an employee), you can contact the site and ask that it be removed.

Finally, there are the gold diggers. “Some people will give you bad reviews in hope that you will contact them with deals such as half off a future purchase,” says Phibbs. Don’t take the bait. Instead, post a reasonable response that conveys the actions you are taking to provide quality service.

RESPOND TO POSITIVE REVIEWS

Your good business will likely get a lot of positive reports. “It is just as important to respond to good reports,” says Phibbs. A simple “Thanks so much for the compliment” may do for a general report, but take time to address any specific topics the customer has mentioned. (It’s not necessary to respond to every favorable report once you start getting more than a handful).

Phibbs suggests printing good reports and posting them on the wall in your store, perhaps under a headline such as “Raving Fans of Our Business.” Copy them to your website and to your Facebook page as well.

Bonus tip: Don’t be afraid to ask people to post good reviews. But avoid offering rewards for doing so: Websites frown on that practice.

MONITOR YOUR REPUTATION

Google Alerts, as already mentioned, is a great service for getting a heads up on the lowdown. But you may want to invest a little more time and effort into managing your reputation. That’s where online reputation tracking services come in. “Most small businesses don’t know about the many online reputation tracking services, and just search their business names once in a while,” says Sterling. “Yet the specialized services can give you important information.”

You can have reviews sent to your mobile phone and have message threads with negative reviews tracked in real time, giving you granular control over responses. This can be particular helpful when damaging disputes break out about your business. In contrast, says Sterling, e-mails from Google Alerts do nothing more than inform you that a post has been made, and even that information arrives after a time lag.

Be aware that Yellow Pages and newspapers may include reputation-monitoring tools in advertising packages. That can reduce your costs considerably.

SUGGESTION BOX

Maybe reputation monitoring seems like more trouble than it’s worth. Keep in mind, though, that your business is at stake: More people than ever are turning to online reviews for help deciding what business to patronize.

Indeed, every online review site is a valuable suggestion box for your business. “There is a great deal you can learn from reviews,” says Sterling. “They can help you think of new products and services for your customers. Be open and embrace them.”