b'COVER FOCUSo m eo ft h eir resS po :n ws s lloefoQ:How has the drycleaning industry changed as a result ofdisruptions like Covid-19?A:Our biggest change has been the decrease in sales, and trying to adjust to whatever the newnormal will be, said Jeff Schwegmann II, CGCP, of Sunshine Cleaners in Cold Spring, Kentucky.Now theres one team of our people handling the dirty clothes and another team handling theclean clothes. Theres no going back and forth anymore between handling dirty and clean clothes- one team cleans, the other team finishes. The drycleaners that are seizing those opportunitiesto provide alternative distribution methods and products are already seeing a reduced impact ontheir business compared to those that have shown unable or unwilling to make the requiredadjustments, said Nick Chapleau, disrupter and CEO/owner of the Starchup app service (a DLIpartner). If you thought casual Friday reduced the market potential by 20 percent, you can expectworking from home in PJs to erode pieces and piece counts by a further 80 to 95 percent, saidDarcy Moen, influencer and marketing expert. Another change that will affect the industry is the#WFH (work from home) movement, said Kyle Nesbit of MW Cleaners in Spring, Texas. Ipersonally think #WFH is the single biggest threat the industry has ever seen.Q:Are you doing more of anything than before Covid-19?A:Communicating and communication: you need to be reaching out to your customers withemail and text messaging, and way more than just once in a while, said Moen. Customers needto hear from you regularly. Order ready for pick up? Message them. Driver coming to do a pickup? Message them. Guarantee shirt buttons? Message them. Happy birthday? Message them.Starchup has taken steps to expand and improve our laundry offerings, our delivery platform, andour customer-facing apps, said Chapleau. Starchup has also added and improved features on ourdelivery system, including the ability for the customer to add tips for the staff or driver, addedcontinued on page 1514 FABRICARE'