When it comes to choosing the right uniform company, there are several crucial factors to consider. After all, getting this wrong can not only cause headaches for your business. Working with the wrong uniform company can strain your relationships with your team, too.
Your list of must-haves in a uniform provider might go as follows:
- Prioritizing quality and durability for long-lasting uniforms
- Exploring customization options that effectively communicate your brand's identity
- Helping you create a professional and cohesive work environment
- Providing cost-effective workwear
- Providing exceptional customer service
While this might seem like a lengthy list, we'd argue these are table stakes.
In this article, we will delve into these considerations, among others. Our goal is to provide you with valuable insights to help you select the best uniform company for your organization.
Quality and durability: providing long-lasting uniforms
The best uniform companies are only interested in providing the most durable workwear available. So let's get this straight.
If a uniform company wants to sell you off-brand workwear, think twice before giving them your money.
Quality and durability are paramount when selecting uniforms for your business. Investing in well-made uniforms guarantees they withstand the rigors of daily wear and tear, providing long-lasting value for your investment.
So why wouldn't all uniform companies only want to sell the best-quality uniforms? Chances are, they probably do want to. But there might be a few things keeping them from doing just that.
Some of the biggest names in workwear often don't want to, or can't even sell directly to businesses. Instead, they use a network of uniform distributors to sell their products. This works well because brands like Carhartt or Bulwark would need thousands of sales and service employees in the field to meet buyers across the country. Small uniform companies solve that problem.
But working with large brands like these isn't always a given. They might require a uniform company to commit to buying a particular volume of products in order to have a relationship. For smaller, independent uniform companies, this is hard.
And this doesn't mean smaller uniform companies shouldn't exist. They just might struggle to provide the most durable and highest-quality workwear on the market.
Your team should work in the best workwear. Make sure your uniform provider is providing the best.
Customization options: expressing your brand's identity
Customization options are essential for expressing your brand's identity and creating a unique professional image for your business in the community.
When looking for the best uniform company for you, make sure you have options with customization.
When we talk about customization, we're referring to a few specific kinds of customization. Customization doesn't refer to a wide range of styles and colors.
In our world, customization means two primary things:
- Your company's logo being decorated nicely on the uniform
- The uniform company enhancing your workwear to add safety features like reflective striping, if necessary
Logo decoration is pretty standard, whether it be an embroidered logo or a printed one. Even the smallest uniform companies can embroider one garment at a time on a single embroidery machine. They can outsource printing to a local screen print shop.
But if you're a larger business with hundreds of employees within a multi-state region, can these small uniform companies support you? If they're only able to decorate 1-4 items at a time, chances are they can't.
The best uniform companies today can embroider or print dozens, even hundreds, of items at a time to be productive at finishing orders.
Beyond your company logo is the ability to help keep your team safe in their environment. Yes, plenty of workwear is made with safety features like reflective striping already built-in. But what if you'd like something more?
Reflective striping is usually only meant for certain environments and industries. Low-light conditions dictate when workers must wear uniforms that have light-reflecting properties. But do you feel like the striping you've been buying is enough? Could current regulations be missing striping that might help your team?
The best uniform companies can meet demand. They might have a team of seamsters that are capable of sewing anything that needs to be sewn. You can have additional customizations made to the workwear you bought so you can feel safe knowing your team is safe.
When looking for a uniform company, know that the best can customize your workwear in numerous ways.
Cost-effectiveness: balancing quality and budget
With costs on so many things we use everyday rising, it's becoming harder to find ways to spend less.
So is it possible to find cost-effective uniforms for your team?
One way to do this is to make sure you get discounted pricing. This is something that most uniform companies will often offer up-front. They likely get better pricing when they order from the manufacturer in bulk. More often than not, they'll pass those same savings on to you.
If you want to make sure you can get it, simply ask. Having an open conversation about pricing is always a great strategy for making sure you get a great deal.
Another way to get cost-effective uniforms is to consider the total cost of ownership. This ties in directly with buying the most quality brands your budget will allow.
Just because the initial purchase price might be at the top of your budget, doesn't mean you'll spend that every year. Your replacement costs might be nominal because of the quality of the workwear.
Wear and tear goes into this category as well. If your employees take great care of their workwear, regardless of uniform quality, you can save money. Extending the usable life of your uniforms is the easiest way to stay within budget.
A final point on cost-effectiveness. Even though it sounds counter-conventional, consider buying used uniforms. We won't go into too much detail here, as we've written another article comparing new and used uniforms and which might be best. While this article compares new and used FR clothing, the same principles apply for non-FR workwear.
Just know that used workwear can be an alternative when you're starting out or on a limited budget. Also know that buying used isn't a reflection of your brand. If anything, it shows your ability to manage your finances and your business well.
Customer service throughout your journey
Customer service plays a crucial role in finding the best uniform companies. And as customer service jumps in importance in maintaining business for any company, it's no different here.
Proactive communication is first, with companies that promptly respond to inquiries, demonstrating their commitment to customer satisfaction. Rapid response times indicate that the company values its customers and is dedicated to providing timely assistance.
More broadly, though, great customer service is a major factor in keeping current customers. Some research from HubSpot shows that 93% of customers will buy again from companies that offer excellent customer service.
Because trust is eroding and competition is stiff, keeping current customers should be the priority. So how are great uniform companies doing that?
We write about this more extensively in our article on what makes a truly great uniform company, but we'll touch on two ideas here.
One way to serve better is to sell fit lines to customers. Fit lines allow a company to buy a range of sizes for most or all of the styles in their uniform program. This helps company employees try on uniforms before committing to buying. Guessing on sizing is no longer an issue. If you're looking to buy uniforms, the best uniform companies will offer fit lines.
Another way to serve better is by implementing an inventory. The best uniform companies will help you navigate the vast range of styles to put your team in the right uniform. Once those styles are selected, building an inventory of those styles is a smart move. Even the smallest inventory can speed up order processing times and serve customers better.
Are you already working with one of the best uniform companies? If not, are you closer to finding the right one for your business? Our hope is that you find a great fit for your company. The best uniform company for your business can be a game-changer for your team and your business' future.
Topics: Uniform Program
