A commercial washer and dryer purchase comes with more than the machines themselves; built-in monitoring tools and analytics, multilingual controls and a distributor relationship built to help long after the sale. Many new owners just haven’t tapped into it yet. Closing that gap is less work than you’d think – it just takes forming a few new habits on day one.
1. Set Up Speed Queen® Insights
Waiting until something breaks to start paying attention to your equipment performance is a very common mistake new owners make. Laundry technology like Speed Queen Insights gives you real-time visibility into store performance, customer behavior and machine usage from wherever you are, not just from behind the counter. The sooner it’s set up and you’re familiar with its capabilities, the sooner it’s useful.
2. Turn on Every Feature Your Equipment Already Has
You already paid for features that go unused far too often. For example, Speed Queen commercial washers and dryers support more than 30 languages, so customers can run a cycle in whatever language they understand best.
“The big feature is multiple language options … that’s so huge,” says California-based laundromat owner Steve Varela of his Quantum™ Touch machines. If a feature came with the machine, it’s worth five minutes to confirm it’s turned on.
3. Build Your Distributor Relationship Beyond the Sale
A distributor isn’t just who you call to purchase equipment. Edward Gamiz, who owns multiple West Coast laundromats, credits Quantum Control equipment paired with Insights technology for a lot of what’s made scaling his business easier.
“I can run six new stores with this technology,” Edgar says, adding that remote management makes a big difference for his business, too. That kind of leverage comes from treating your distributor as an ongoing partner in how you run your stores, not a one-time transaction, and it tends to pay off fastest for owners who keep asking questions long after the sale closes.
4. Put a Maintenance Routine in Place Before You Need One
Laundromat maintenance is easiest to manage when it’s scheduled, not reactive. Commercial laundry machines run hard, and a preventative maintenance routine you follow every month beats a repair you scramble for.
Ask your distributor what a realistic cadence looks like for your specific equipment models and your store’s volume, then put it on the calendar before a busy season catches you off guard.
5. Know What Your Equipment Is Telling You
Depending on your plan, Speed Queen Insights sends cloud-based revenue reports and alerts, along with SMS service alerts that flag a laundromat maintenance issue before it turns into a bigger repair.
William Oh, owner of a laundromat in Downey, CA, enjoys the option to be hands-off with his store while living 25 miles away. “I can do everything from my phone,” he says. That kind of laundry technology only pays off once you’re actually paying attention to what it tells you.
What to Ask Your Distributor in Your First 90 Days
There are a few things worth asking your distributor now, before you need the answer in a hurry:
- What’s the best way to reach you if a machine goes down?
- What maintenance schedule do you recommend for my equipment and volume?
- What does my Insights plan include, and how do I get the most out of it?
- Are there features on my machines I’m not using yet?
- What should I know before adding a second store?
Time to Take the Next Step
Want to learn how to get the most out of your commercial laundry equipment? Talk to your local distributor about what else your laundromat equipment can do.
Frequently Asked Questions About Owning Commercial Laundry Equipment
What if my distributor hasn’t walked me through any of this?
That’s worth raising directly. Ask your distributor what’s included in your Insights plan, which features on your equipment are active and what you might be missing. It’s a normal conversation to have even after the sale is closed.
Does Speed Queen Insights work for a single-store owner, or only multi-store owners?
Yes, it works for single-store owners. Speed Queen Insights gives a single-store owner the same real-time visibility and reporting a multi-store owner gets, scaled to one location.
Does Speed Queen Insights cost extra, or is it included with my commercial laundry equipment?
Speed Queen Insights is offered in multiple plan tiers, so what’s included, and what might cost more, depends on which one your equipment is set up with. Ask your distributor which tier you currently have.
