Whether you're in the commercial laundry business or not, two words you've probably been hearing more than any other over the last year or two are "artificial intelligence." 
While our first thoughts when we hear those words might be intelligent robots — think C-3PO or Rosey the Robot, if we're looking to pop culture — and other manifestations from the world of science fiction, artificial intelligence is already being leveraged in a number of more practical ways today.
Of course, as with any discussion of artificial intelligence, it should be noted that the speed at which it is developing is breathtaking: any discussion of artificial intelligence and its capabilities today necessitates regular updates along the way.
In this article, we'll talk about artificial intelligence in commercial laundries, including:
Businesses in the industry are at differing levels of AI and/or machine learning adoption at this stage.
With that said, the possibilities are seemingly endless when it comes to how AI can help. Furthermore, if your commercial laundry operation hasn't thought about using AI at all, it's never too late to start. Commercial laundry software, like Spindle, can facilitate a whole world of AI-powered efficiencies in your plant.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think, learn, and make decisions. AI systems can process large amounts of data, recognize patterns, and perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as:
- Machine Learning (ML): AI systems learn from data and improve over time without explicit programming.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): Understanding and generating human language (e.g., chatbots, translation services).
- Computer Vision: Recognizing and interpreting images or videos (e.g., facial recognition, self-driving cars).
- Expert Systems: AI-powered decision-making in specialized domains (e.g., medical diagnosis, financial analysis).
AI is used in various fields, including healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and entertainment, transforming how businesses and individuals interact with technology.
As mentioned, artificial intelligence means a lot of different things in a fast-moving space. What's true about AI today might not be a year from now.
One type of artificial intelligence is the large language model (LLM), like ChatGPT. An LLM can process information and produce a response.
For example, I asked ChatGPT the question "What is an LLM?" It responds:
"A Large Language Model (LLM) is a type of artificial intelligence designed to process and generate human-like text. It is built using deep learning techniques, particularly transformer architectures, and is trained on vast amounts of text data."
As mentioned above, LLMs are proficient at processing and analyzing large amounts of data quickly.
In doing so, they can effectively, to identify several examples:
As we can see out in the world today, people in a wide variety of sectors are doing a lot of creative things with AI applications.
With that said, users should be mindful of some of the limitations of LLMs.
While LLMs have come a long way, there are still some areas for improvement. For instance, LLMs can have difficulties understanding more subtle context of inputs, they can produce "realistic fictional content" at times and they can be prone to bias stemming from their training data.
LLMs are a great tool, today, for a number of functions, but they do have some existing limitations. Again, however, progress continues to be made at a rapid pace.
In the context of the commercial laundry, however, artificial intelligence can have a number of very real positive impacts.
As you can see, AI can have a major impact when implemented intentionally and embedded within a laundry's day-to-day operations.
However, it's not just the daily operations on the plant floor that can benefit from AI.
Other roles and job functions can benefit, including:
There are a wide variety of AI tools on the market to help salespeople do their jobs better.
For example, phone calls with prospective customers can be recorded (pending permission) and AI can then generate a transcript. Furthermore, it can analyze to pull out key discussion points and get a feel for customer sentiment based on that call.
By analyzing how those calls are going, sales professionals can develop a playbook to optimize their performance. For example, "What is the best response to give if the customer asks about X?"
"Analyze my last five sales calls and summarize key objections customers raised."
"Generate a follow-up email based on my last customer conversation."
"What are the most effective responses to pricing concerns based on past successful deals?"
"Summarize customer sentiment trends over the last quarter."
For finance professionals, the benefits of AI included things like automated data entry. No longer do you have to enter things manually into onerous spreadsheets and manage spreadsheet formulas to get the numbers you need.
From a strategic perspective, AI can also help to analyze trends in your business toward the goal of determining why churn is happening. In other words, why are certain customers deciding to end their relationship with your provider? Are there certain leading events that represent a common throughline in these instances? While getting new business is vital, keeping existing customers is just as important.
As for existing customers, AI can also help identify potential upselling opportunities.
"Identify trends in customer churn over the past 12 months."
"What are the biggest cost-saving opportunities in our operational expenses?"
"Predict cash flow for the next quarter based on historical trends."
"Analyze revenue patterns and suggest potential upsell opportunities."
Customers will always have questions. Sometimes, you might feel like you don't have enough people on staff to answer them all in a timely manner.
AI can be like that extra customer support team member that can answer questions at all hours of the day.
With things like AI chatbots, commercial laundries can bring their response times down significantly. Being able to respond quickly is a key piece in the overall strategy of keeping customers happy.
Doing so is likely to instill greater trust on the customer's part: if they feel like you have their back, they're less likely to look elsewhere for their needs.
"Analyze the most common support tickets from the past six months and suggest improvements."
"Draft an automated response for our most frequently asked customer questions."
"What are the main reasons customers contact support, and how can we reduce these inquiries?"
"Summarize customer feedback trends and sentiment."
As with any business, AI can help marketers do more with less.
In the commercial laundry space, that means being able to produce more content with fewer resources. AI applications can assist with content ideation and creation so that laundries can get their name out in the world and be seen. In turn, this can be a key piece in attracting more business.
"Generate five content ideas for promoting AI in commercial laundry."
"Analyze our past marketing campaigns and suggest improvements."
"Write an engaging LinkedIn post highlighting our AI-powered efficiencies."
"Summarize key competitor marketing strategies and how we can differentiate."
AI can be used to help facilitate more personalized onboarding. Why is a more personalized onboarding process beneficial? As many commercial laundry operators will tell you, employee retention is a real challenge.
While a personalized onboarding process in and of itself is not likely to be the determining factor in whether an employee stays or leave, it can have a positive impact.
Numerous studies have outlined the benefits of onboarding with respect to employee retention.
An Aberdeen Group report indicated companies with a standardized onboarding process saw 50% greater new-hire retention.
First impressions do matter. An employee who receives a personalized onboarding process is more likely to feel welcomed and, in turn, more likely to stay than if they receive a generic onboarding process.
In that vein, HR plays a key role as the "welcomer" of new hires. Using AI, HR professionals can provide a friendlier, warmer experience for new hires.
"Create a personalized onboarding plan for new employees in our laundry operations."
"Analyze employee retention trends and suggest ways to improve."
"What are common reasons employees leave based on our exit interviews?"
"Draft an internal communication email explaining our new AI-powered HR tools."
1. Predictive Maintenance
AI can analyze data from machinery sensors to predict when equipment might fail or require maintenance.
By identifying potential issues before they occur with AI maintenance tracking, plants can reduce downtime, avoid costly repairs, and extend the lifespan of equipment.
Predictive algorithms use historical patterns and real-time monitoring to alert operators to anomalies, enabling timely interventions and maintaining production efficiency.
AI-powered systems can dynamically analyze and optimize the allocation of loads across machines.
By evaluating factors such as machine capacity, energy efficiency, and cycle times, AI ensures that workflows are balanced. This reduces bottlenecks, improves turnaround times, and minimizes energy consumption, leading to lower operational costs and increased throughput.
AI can monitor and optimize energy consumption by analyzing machine usage, peak hours, and operational data. By implementing smart schedules and recommending energy-efficient practices, AI minimizes utility costs. It can also integrate renewable energy sources, enabling plants to achieve sustainability goals while maintaining high operational efficiency.
Computer vision and AI algorithms can detect defects, such as stains, tears, or improper folding, in processed textiles. This automated inspection process reduces human error, ensures consistency, and maintains high-quality standards. By rapidly identifying issues, plants can address problems in real-time, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing waste.
AI can forecast demand, manage inventory levels, and streamline the procurement of detergents, chemicals, and other supplies. By analyzing historical data and seasonal trends, AI ensures plants always have the right resources in stock. This reduces overstocking, avoids shortages, and optimizes purchasing strategies, leading to cost savings and improved cash flow.
If you're in the commercial laundry industry and you're reading this, the odds are pretty good that you're always looking for ways to improve.
These days, everyone is looking for that leg up on the competition. No matter the size of your operation, AI-powered laundries will have a leg up on those that ignore its productivity-enhancing benefits.
Want to have a deeper conversation about how Spindle leverages artificial intelligence to empower more productive commercial laundries?
Reach out to us and we can have a deeper discussion about all the ways Spindle helps you get more done.
