Online dry cleaning “MINK”: automating an innovative format of a traditional service

Modern businesses striving to scale and provide top-tier service cannot overlook the importance of automation. “MINK” Ukraine’s first online dry cleaning service, exemplifies how technology can transform traditional business models, making them more convenient for both customers and employees.

In this interview, Yulia Krylova, CEO of MiNK, discusses how the implementation of CRM has optimized processes, reduced the time spent on order processing and improved customer service quality. We will explore the challenges the business faced on the path to automation, how they selected the optimal solution, and the results they achieved.

 Yuliia Krylova, CEO of “MINK”

• How did the idea of launching Ukraine’s first online dry cleaning service originate? What inspired this innovative project?

The idea of creating a new business did not emerge immediately. We are part of the large holding company, “Fozzy Group” and in all our businesses, the primary value is our “guests” (as we refer to our clients). 

Our task was to create something akin to an ecosystem that would allow our guests to meet all their needs by integrating the capabilities of Fozzy Group’s businesses.

Imagine this:

You walk into “Silpo”, and right next to it are Fozzy Group services. 

Need medicine? → Pharmacy “Bila Romashka” 

Want to exercise? → Fitness club “Apollo” 

Online orders? → Platform “MAUDAU” 

Even dry cleaning issues can be easily resolved by contacting the “MINK” service.

So, when we started studying the dry cleaning market in Ukraine, we realized it was quite a mature industry with strong players who have been operating for many years. We didn’t want to be just another, say, 15th or 16th dry cleaner. We needed to find a uniqueness and add something new to this market to become an essential part of the ecosystem for our guests. This concept became our driving force.

Currently, dry cleaning is often associated with a “last chance” for items that have lost their appearance or are in critical condition.

We wanted to change this stereotype and show that dry cleaning is a service that saves time and allows people to focus on what truly matters

For example, spending time with family, going for a walk with a child, or simply not wasting energy on washing and ironing at home. This realization was the trigger that motivated us to create something entirely new.

The idea of an online format emerged when we envisioned a changing market where customers would perceive dry cleaning as convenient and modern but would not want or be able to bring their items to offline locations. This inspired us to create a hassle-free service. All the customer needs to do is choose a convenient time slot for the courier to arrive. From there, we handle everything: pick-up, cleaning, and return. Minimum effort, maximum convenience.

• What prompted the implementation of CRM? How was the workflow organized before, and what problems arose without a CRM system?

This is actually my favorite topic, I could talk about it for hours. Today, I can’t imagine how a business could function without a CRM. Honestly, it’s either an absolutely chaotic approach or simply not feasible.
I can share a bit of our story and how we got to the point we’re at now, because we didn’t immediately realize we needed all of this. To be honest, I didn’t have any experience working in dry cleaning or building an online business. My previous experience was in retail and marketing, where I dealt with digital programs. But building a business from scratch is a completely different challenge.

Everything we’ve achieved is based on our own observations, a desire to do something different, convenient for our guests, and modern. It’s been a long journey. When I joined this business in September 2021, there was practically nothing at that time. I started with the thought that we needed some sort of system. The first thing that came to mind was the need for a program that would help organize all the processes.

I started researching what software solutions were available on the market for our business. At that time, there was only one major player popular in Ukraine – a Russian-origin program that many companies were using. After the events of February 2022, our cooperation with them ended immediately, even though there were no alternatives on the market. We terminated all contracts, blocked access, and closed the issue once and for all.

Once again, we were faced with the need to find an optimal solution. Every day, I sent dozens of emails — from 25 to 30 — hoping that someone would respond. Out of that number, only about ten companies replied, suggesting we check out their websites, saying, “Everything is here, take a look for yourself”.

Among these proposals, the cloud platform “CleanCloud” turned out to be the most suitable option. This operating system, though only partially, managed to meet our basic needs. At that time, our business was still very small: the team consisted of three people, including myself, one or two couriers, and production was entirely outsourced. We worked with “CleanCloud” for over a year, maybe even a year and a half, and as long as the scale remained small, this platform was able to meet our needs.

However, as time passed, the business started to grow: the number of orders, the volume of work and customer demands increased. That’s when it became clear that “CleanCloud” no longer met our needs. The biggest problem was the inability to work with data.

“CleanCloud” didn’t allow for importing or exporting information, and data analysis was completely unavailable. This limitation became the first significant drawback

The second issue: as part of a large holding, we needed to integrate with other businesses — for example, using “Silpo” couriers, connecting a loyalty system with bonuses or adding our service to the “LOKO” app for the convenience of our customers. “CleanCloud” didn’t support these capabilities, and we were left with the question: what to do next?

We had two options: either develop our own system that could integrate and meet all our needs, or remain at a basic service level that couldn’t satisfy customer demands.

The IT department estimated the cost of developing our own system at a crazy amount — up to 10 million. That’s just to write it, not to mention maintaining it and all the other associated tasks.

So, what to do? There are no alternatives, and we can’t develop our own system. How to find a solution? I’m not from the IT business. I didn’t have a ready list of solutions. It wasn’t like I could just call and ask, “Hello, can you do this?” I simply talked to people, explained the problem, and asked how to solve it.

During one of the meetings, someone suggested two options: Zoho and Creatio. We started analyzing whether they could meet our needs, fit our budget, integrate with other businesses, and be customized to our requirements. And that’s how our journey with Zoho CRM began.

• What led you to discover CRMiUM, and what prompted you to choose this integrator?

At that time, we were interacting with many contractors. Initially, we were introduced to a company specializing in other systems, but after a few meetings, it became clear that their solutions did not meet our needs. Eventually, they were the ones who recommended that we reach out to you.

I reached out immediately, and Head of Sales Anya Babaeva started communicating with me. We quickly found common ground; the conversation was very constructive—you know how it is when people meet who understand each other and want to help. I came with two options—Zoho and Creatio—and shared our requirements.

I received excellent support: everything was explained in a very accessible way, literally “on fingers,” as if to a child. They explained what one system could do, what the other could do, the cost of each, what was needed for their implementation and so on. As a business owner, it was quite easy for me to make a decision because everything was explained very clearly.

Usually, it’s difficult for me to communicate with IT specialists because we speak “different languages”, but here it was an ideal match: the Head of Sales explained everything in business terms, and then the Team Lead of Analysts and the team clarified the technical details

It was a super match that helped us choose Zoho, although the final decision was not made immediately—we hesitated for a long time between Zoho and Creatio. This is the most important thing, because there can be an excellent product, it can be very good. And there can be a great person selling it. But if there’s no match, if you don’t understand each other, it won’t work.

• What attracted you to Zoho CRM, and why did you ultimately choose this system?

We talked to acquaintances as well as with your Creatio CRM and Zoho CRM teams. 

You know, it was supposed to be a “battle of equals.” Communication with the Creatio team left a positive impression: they were professional, and we quickly found common ground. They explained all the system’s features in detail, and at that moment, we had no questions.

But when we talked to the Zoho team, it was a different experience altogether. That’s when we felt that “match.” It seemed like we understood each other perfectly. People play an incredibly important role in decision-making, and I felt exceptionally comfortable with this team. It was with them that I wanted to work.

Moreover, Zoho had one more significant advantage that ultimately influenced our choice. At that time, they showed us an example of their work with a business in Slovakia, I believe it was a cleaning company. They literally demonstrated how our system could look after implementation. Since I am very visual, I need to see the final result. I can imagine something abstractly, but when they showed a real example, it was almost exactly what we needed. This was a huge advantage because I saw that the team already had experience and understood what we were aiming for.

Thus began our collaboration. Then we started working with Team Lead of Analysts Ihor Prytula, and I felt like he had worked with dry cleaners in a past life.

It seems like he knows our business even better than I and our entire team combined. Sometimes we don’t even have time to fully formulate the task because he already understands everything in advance. And again, it all comes down to comfort and mutual understanding with people.

Implementation of Zoho CRM and additional integrations

Team Lead of Analysts at CRMiUM, Ihor Prytula, shares:

Our collaboration with the company “MINK” began with an in-depth analysis of its current business processes. At that time, the company was using the cloud platform “CleanCloud”, which was partially adapted for production needs. All other processes were being carried out manually, leading to time and resource waste and overloading the team.

The processes that needed automation most urgently included registration, processing, and fulfillment of orders, financial calculations, and delivery of the completed order to the guest (client).

Two most suitable solutions were presented to the company: Creatio CRM and Zoho CRM. Ultimately, the choice was made in favor of Zoho CRM, which proved to be more functional and flexible in meeting the business needs of the online dry cleaning service. Let’s take a closer look at the key results of implementing this system:

• A unified sales process has been developed and optimized in the CRM, providing managers with a convenient environment to handle orders and making it easier for management to track the current status of orders
• The system has been integrated with “Wepster” — a multi-channel platform (Telegram, Viber, Facebook, Instagram), which allows centralized management of communications, automates query processing and stores the interaction history
• Zoho Forms has been set up to collect orders at offline locations via QR codes, with the ability to select available slots and automatically confirm orders
• An integration with the website has been implemented, automatically updating the price list in Zoho CRM when prices change on the web platform, ensuring real-time data accuracy
• The CRM has also been integrated with the financial service Monobank and the cash transaction register software “Checkbox.” Clients can conveniently make payments for their orders through notifications at any stage of the pipeline
• The system for automatic mailings via Telegram and Viber has been set up for marketing activities and collecting feedback

We are confident that many exciting challenges and new integrations lie ahead for us, as MINK is an ambitious company focused on scaling and continuously improving its services for guests.

MINK on the team’s reaction to the CRM and its impact on the company

• How has the implementation of Zoho CRM impacted the company?

We have received a product that 100% meets our needs, but we understand that the path to perfection is still a long one. It may take a lot of time before we can say, “Wow, we’ve done everything perfectly!” But at this stage, we clearly know what we want. For example, we say: “Ihor, can we do this?” – “Yes, we can!” “How about this?” – “Not as quickly, but we can do it”. And that’s incredibly important.

For me, as someone who runs a business, it’s fundamentally important not to hear “no”. That word feels like a challenge to me. If something is impossible, I want to get a clear explanation why, or discuss alternatives. Ihor is the kind of person who never says “no”. Even when a suggestion seems unusual, he explains why it might be unnecessary or what better solutions are available. His honesty and ability to argue his point command respect.

This is what I call true partnership. I have the confidence that any task we set will be thoroughly analyzed, and the best solution will be proposed. This is not just a “do it as we ordered” approach, but a search for the optimal solution that brings the most benefit. And such expertise is priceless.

• What was your team’s reaction to working with the system? How many people are currently using it?

Currently, up to 25 people are working with the system. Honestly, I understand that implementing any digital product in a company, especially if not all employees are “digital” natives, is a challenging process. It’s not like you’re given a new program and immediately celebrate: “Hooray! I finally get to use this incomprehensible thing”.

It’s often a challenge for company leaders to properly “sell” the new product so that everyone understands why it’s worth putting in the effort now, as it will make things easier later on

We didn’t have that challenge because we had outgrown the previous platform, “Clean Cloud”, to such an extent that its functionality was catastrophically insufficient. It lacked space and even basic features that could have significantly simplified our work. So everyone—from me to the couriers and the production staff—was eagerly anticipating something more convenient.

Of course, initially, it was very stressful and caused many difficulties because it was something new and unfamiliar. Especially when it involves our customers, since it’s not just about a great product that needs to be delivered, but about the service as a whole.

The entire process—from communication to delivery—always brought anxiety, because if something went wrong, our customers would feel it immediately. Everyone was afraid of pressing the wrong button, making mistakes or writing something incorrectly. But we were eagerly awaiting changes, and when the new program arrived, the integration was quite interesting. We kept the previous Clean Cloud for a while, but gradually started working with the new system.

Of course, this had its downsides: the old program contained our entire database, and here we had to start almost from scratch, building everything from the ground up. It wasn’t easy, but, Ihor, huge thanks to you for your help!

Comparing it to our previous experience, integrating the new program this time was much easier thanks to Team Lead of Analysts Ihor coming to our office and production site. He worked with each person individually, going through their role in the system, and explained everything so thoroughly that everyone understood how to use the program. It was like teaching a child to play with blocks: if you show them correctly, they’ll happily do it themselves.

Ihor visited us, walked through each person’s process, checked what was convenient and what wasn’t, and identified what needed fixing. After these sessions, our “baby” was standing on its own legs and starting to work independently. We went through this journey together, and now the system works wonderfully

Of course, there are nuances that still need refinement. We come up with new features every day, and although we initially thought we would launch the program and simply maintain it, our appetite has grown. We want more, and we understand how to make it better. You support all our wishes, so we continue to configure and improve the system.

• What other integrations do you plan to implement in the future?

As for Zoho, I can say that it is an incredibly flexible system. Initially, I had significant doubts that such large-scale products could be customized for a specific business like a dry cleaning service. However, experience has shown that it is indeed possible.

I even wonder why there is no worthy alternative on the market. Perhaps it’s due to the specificity of the industry. But if Zoho has managed to adapt to the needs of dry cleaners, and we have found all the necessary solutions within this system, it speaks to its real flexibility.

Moreover, Zoho offers an incredible number of options, capable of meeting almost any request. We have never encountered a situation where we wanted to implement a certain idea or feature and couldn’t find a way to do it. Truly, the system offers solutions for any challenge.

In summary

As we can see, the path to automation can be complex and unpredictable, filled with challenges and experiments. Without experience in this field, finding the optimal solution becomes a trial. To save time, resources, and avoid mistakes, entrust the automation of business processes to the CRMiUM team — a multi-system integrator that has successfully implemented over 500 projects.

Remember: each business is a unique entity with its own challenges, goals, and characteristics. This is why a solution that works perfectly for some may turn out to be ineffective for others. Choose the system that best meets your specific needs.