Business management software company Cents has introduced a new Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solution specifically for laundry businesses, aiming to address communication and operational challenges in the sector.
CEO of Cents Alex Jekowsky said:
“Our goal is to enable laundry businesses to manage their communications more effectively.”
The US-based Cents, who operate a business management platform for garment care SMBs, launched Cents Assist, to revolutionise how laundry businesses handle customer communications and order management.
They claim this is the first AI-powered call centre “built specifically” for the laundry industry.
CCaaS for Garment Care Verticals
A standalone product capable of integrating with existing business management systems, Cents Assist CCaaS solution combines AI with human expertise to manage customer interactions for laundry and garment care businesses.
The new service offers a comprehensive approach to handling customer communications in an area that faces ongoing challenges.
This is because many small to medium-sized laundry businesses struggle to adequately deal and see to the high call volumes, which can disrupt day-to-day operations and divert staff attention from core services.
“The system allows operators to focus on their primary business activities while ensuring customer inquiries are handled professionally,” Jekowsky explained.
The platform offers several key features that allow laundrettes to offer services during downtime, peak times, and other times.
Alongside things like 24-hour call handling, multi-language support, integration with existing customer relationship management (CRM) and point-of-sale (POS) systems, these include:
- Unlimited calls powered by industry-specific call centre and AI voice systems
- Order placement over the phone or SMS
- Custom escalation processes
- Comprehensive call reporting, transcriptions, and analytics
“The phone is not just for basic inquiries, it’s a channel for taking orders and maintaining customer relationships,” Cents Senior Director of Business Development Pablo Marvel said regarding its phone-in features.
Cents claims its Cents Assist solution has reduced in-store call volume by up to 90% while improving customer service quality and operational efficiency.
The CCaaS solution works by using human operators aided by an AI copilot assistance.
For instance, Cents Assist offering includes a contact centre of laundry professionals backed by its CentsIntelligence suite of AI tools to help understand and deal with the processes of each unique laundry business.
Early adopters have reported tangible benefits, with owner of laundrettes Laundry Genius and Patio Laundry claiming a 100% answer rate and reduced staff time managing phone calls, respectively.
Strength in Specific Verticals
Although many CCaaS service providers exist that could, in theory, be used to cater to laundry or garment care businesses, the specification and segmentation here bring strengths.
Cents, which has been developing business management tools for the garment care sector for the best part of five years, has designed the platform with garment care businesses in mind.
This makes it adaptable, allowing businesses to customise the service to their specific operational needs.
For instance, its integration with Cents POS system can provide the call centre handlers customer profiles instantly, including their service preferences, complete order history, and special instructions.
Its integration with card payment system technology Laundroworks can be used to check laundry card balances directly through the system.
Although leaner in its stated native omnichannel support – only voice and SMS – the specification means the tools it does have are used more efficently.
The call centre solution is now available to laundry businesses across the market, with Cents offering integration support and customisation options.
