Custom Uniform Program Benefits
#4: UNIFORMS CAN BE AN INDIRECT SOURCE OF REVENUE
What if there was a way to turn the tables on our uniform spend and create an investment model in which uniforms are a critical vehicle that generates a return? What if we could directly leverage our uniform program to increase brand reach and brand impact?
In short… we have to change how we view apparel worn in commercial settings.
Let’s be honest. We really don’t want to buy uniforms for our employees. In fact, many of us see uniforms as “a necessary evil”. We begrudgingly outfit our employees because we believe it is a de facto requirement of our industry or that we will be at a competitive disadvantage if we don’t. Typically, we as the business owner, franchisee, or operator will do everything we can to postpone replacement of old or worn uniforms because we just don’t want to spend money on product that we cannot directly convert into revenue.
The truth is that most of us are painfully aware of the purchase price/acquisition cost of every apparel item that is worn by each and every employee, but we are unfamiliar with all of the choices and factors that are within our control that enable us to manage and reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for each apparel item and our uniform program as a whole. And… even worse, we do not leverage our uniform to create brand equity, employee satisfaction, and ultimately… customer loyalty… the primary driver of long-term revenue growth and profitability.
In most cases, the most glaring element of your uniform program is the price tag. However, the purchase price of the uniform just represents the topsoil of the TCO story. If you dig deeper, fabric and product options are unearthed that exhibit the potential to significantly reduce your uniform investment. In reality, most uniforms are taken out of service or replaced not because they are worn out, but because they are stained, stretched, or faded and no longer represent the brand well or enhance the appearance of the employee. The key to maximizing the return on our uniform investment is to identify and create/select role-specific apparel product that possesses the characteristics necessary to extend the useful life of the garment by keeping it presentable over the longest period of time with the least amount of care! But… how do we do this?
In short… we have to change how we view apparel worn in commercial settings. Today, technology has created leverage for us relative to our uniform programs and has put at our disposal fibers, yarns, and fabrics that deliver improved performance characteristics such as extended life, moisture transport/management, bacterial resistance, wrinkle resistance, and stain resistance/release, among others. And… although much of this technology is being delivered via advanced synthetic fabrics, apparel made from these fabrics actually offer improved cooling characteristics over and above the basic “cotton” or “poly/cotton” shirt or pants. Clothes constructed of advanced fibers also launder better… exhibiting little or no shrinkage, improved colorfastness, and a true “wash-and-wear” experience for the wearer.
The selective utilization of synthetic fibers and fabrics, performance treatments at both the yarn and fabric hierarchies, plus improved construction techniques, are three of the factors that contribute significantly to apparel that delivers improved durability and an extended life span. Technologically advanced fabric and garment performance contributes to longer garment life by reducing or eliminating problems and damage that limits the practical life span of most garments. These life-limiting factors are:
- Normal garment degradation due to regular wear and maintenance
- Fading
- Staining (especially stains that are permanent or semi-permanent)
- Incidental or work-related physical damage
For apparel constructed of high quality synthetic yarns with selective performance treatments, and that are knitted/woven in an appropriate fabrication for the application, the practical product life span is generally between 1.5 to 2 times that of a standard 60/40 poly/cotton shirt with no special performance treatments. In addition, product maintenance effort (time) and costs can be reduced approximately 10 – 20% due primarily to the improvement of two performance characteristics:
- Stain resistance or stain release
- Wrinkle resistance
Effort expended and costs incurred to manage these factors with a non-treated garment include:
- Additional incremental washings
- Dry cleaning
- Purchase and application of a stain release agent or “stain stick” (“Shout”, etc.)
- Ironing or pressing
So… if we buy into the notion that our employees’ appearance is the first or second (our facility may be first) visible evidence of our brand identity, then we begin to view our uniform spend in an entirely new light. By investing in apparel that enables our employees to look better longer, we reduce our overall investment while increasing our return in terms of customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, revenue… and in most cases… employee satisfaction and employee loyalty. The uniform actually begins to pay us back. Now if could only get everything to work that way…
Contact us today to learn how OOBE can transform your uniform program.
