The Operations Team: Behind the Clean
We’re pulling back the curtains to introduce you to our Operations Team, the people behind the scenes who work hard to ensure that every piece of clothing returns to you spotless and on time.
We’re more than just a booking service—we’re committed to understanding your needs and working seamlessly with our local partner dry cleaners in London and other various cities to deliver top-notch service.
Our team focuses on continuous training, maintaining high-quality standards, and swiftly resolving any issues. Join us as we share stories from their day-to-day work and show how they strive to ensure your complete satisfaction.
Our ihateironing network
Our ihateironing dry cleaners network is made up of over 70 expert dry cleaners, spread out across London, Brighton, Oxford and Edinburgh, as well as internationally in New York City and New Jersey.
“It all starts with choosing the right people to work with,” says Joe, Operations Manager who has worked with ihateironing for the past 2 years, “We take pride in working with dry cleaning partners who share the same values in terms of cooperation, friendliness and care.”
“We take into consideration everything from the initial screening call where we get an idea of the dry cleaner’s experience and personality, to visiting their shop and assessing their machinery and experience to make sure they can fulfil the type and volume of orders that we expect.”
After a trial period of three months, where newly recruited dry cleaning partners are assessed by the Operations Team, they can become official ihateironing partners when they’ve successfully passed our requirements.
“It’s very gratifying to see the positive results a few months down the line after partners officially join our network,” he reflects, “we have a dry cleaner who joined us just nine months ago, and with the right kind of support he’s already doubled their orders from their first month and has big plans to expand his cleaning centre.”
Building trust and support
Many of our dry cleaning partners have been with ihateironing for years, with a strong relationship built on trust, advice, and championing from our Operations Team.
“Our relationship is built on encouragement, advice, and setting reachable targets based on the feedback we’re getting from our customers,” explains Will, Operations Manager at ihateironing, “Thanks to the systems we have in place, we can have a broad look across the entire network on what’s going right and what isn’t working as well as it should. We can then see how each specific partner is performing, and areas they might need help with.”
“Customer feedback is key to spotting issues, and our system data shows us where they come from. But sometimes, we need to dig deeper to find solutions. A few months back, one of our partners was having trouble keeping up with orders. So, I spent a few days at their dry cleaning centre to see first-hand what was going on. I observed, lent a hand where I could, and got involved to understand the staff’s challenges. After that, I put together a list of changes and tips to help them get back on track.”
Reinvesting in their future
By helping partners succeed, we help them invest in their cleaning centres, staff, equipment, and overall systems to continue to grow and excel.
“Ultimately, our goal is to support our dry cleaning centres to grow and improve.” says Robbie, who is the Head of Operations at ihateironing. “When they listen to customer feedback, refine their procedures, put the right quality-check steps in place, they can reinvest in their centres and it’ll create an upwards trajectory of improvement.”
“For example, we’ve taken many partners from 1 small unit, to multiple bigger shops and even factories. This allowed their team to become more specialised and focus on certain areas of cleaning or alterations. Not only that, but it means they can carry out more orders, which helps their business be profitable and continue to grow. It’s rewarding and fulfilling to see our partners grow on their journey with us.”
“We’re lucky to have such a vast network of professionals in their field, because it gives room for knowledge-sharing. If we know one partner has mastered a certain process, and we can see another smaller centre struggling with that process, then we know what advice to give and what direction they can take to mimic that success.”
ihateironing is a network of professional dry cleaners providing the finest dry cleaning and laundry service with convenient collection and delivery at any times that suit you. We operate in London, New York, Brighton, Edinburgh, Oxford, and beyond.
Read more news and insight about ihateironing on our dedicated ihateironing blog.