Enter machine size, average daily turns at full operation, average revenue per turn, and estimated days out of service. The calculator returns direct lost revenue (turns × revenue), opportunity cost (customer churn from frustrated regulars), and total annualized cost if the machine has a recurring failure pattern. A 60-lb washer down for 5 days at peak season can cost $400–700 in direct revenue plus $200–500 in customer churn.
The Hidden Customer Churn Cost
Most operators count downtime as just lost cycles — but the bigger cost is regulars who switched stores while yours was broken. A typical regular customer worth $300/year LTV who switches saves the competitor an acquisition cost while costing you $300 of future revenue. Downtime that affects 10–20 regulars (typical for a 5-day machine outage in peak season) can compound to $3,000–6,000 of annualized revenue loss from a single repair delay.
How to Use It
Operators — run after every significant repair to quantify what the delay actually cost. The numbers usually justify spending more on rapid-response service contracts (AAdvantage Parts & Service) and on backup equipment redundancy. Buyers — run on the 'condition report' of an acquisition target to estimate how much hidden cost is baked into reported numbers from machines that are partially or intermittently working.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I estimate customer churn?
Use 5–10% of regular customers per major equipment outage as a planning assumption. Networked stores can measure this precisely (compare regular-customer return rate before vs. after outage). Use the calculator's default churn rate if you have no data.
Should I count partially-working machines?
Yes. A washer that runs but takes 35 minutes per cycle instead of 22 is effectively 35% downtime even if it's 'working'. Same for a dryer that doesn't fully dry — customers re-run cycles or leave. The calculator handles partial-functionality scenarios.
What does it cost?
Free. Save and export with a free WashBizHub account.