Site Maintenance Archives - Harrell's Car Wash Systems

Developing a happy, satisfied customer base is important at any car wash. Every wash strives to pull in steady business and earn a great reputation among vehicle owners. But don’t forget: just because a customer pulls into your wash doesn’t mean the selling process has ended! We’ve compiled a few trusted tips for increasing your average ticket and ultimately, your bottom line.

Work the Menu

Think of your menu as the unpaid employee, silently promoting your services to customers. The design of your menu board can be just as important as the information it conveys. The average customer likely comes in looking for a basic wash, but presenting the added services in an easy-to-understand format can be effective in increasing ticket averages. Think simple package names that are clearly ranked, straightforward benefits that show the added value of higher packages, and font sizing that makes it easy to read from a distance.

Expand Your Services

Consider adding to the selection of services at your wash, giving customers good reason to purchase more during their visit. Whether it’s a fragrance option or a premium sealant, those special touches are what set your wash apart from the competition, help pull in new customers, and ensure a loyal and returning base.

Get Personal

When employees have the opportunity to interact with a customer prior to purchasing a wash, it’s the perfect chance to get personal and specific. A quick glance at a vehicle will reveal areas that need extra attention. Dirty rims, salt residue, a bug-laden windshield, or muddy tires are all reasons to upgrade a standard wash and purchase added services that target specific areas of the car. When a car wash employee points out the area and offers a treatment recommendation, customers often listen and purchase the added service. A conversation with someone who can see the exterior of a vehicle carries more weight than words on a menu. Make it personal!

Ready to discuss ways you can transform ticket averages? Get in touch with your Harrell’s rep today to find out more.

The busy season can mean greater revenue, and most importantly, more opportunity to expand your client base and obtain more loyal customers. By meeting customers’ needs effectively during the winter, you can create repeat business year-round through a site maintenance program for your car wash. Now is the time to get (or should we say keep) your wash in top-notch order.

There are lots of things that are essential during these cold months but we want to hit on the two most important ones so you can optimize your revenue this season, and perhaps even increase customer loyalty while you’re at it…

Of course, your Harrell’s Chemical Representative can help you stay in control of all this during our regular chemical visits but it wouldn’t hurt to know the in’s and out’s, right?

• Monitor your Chemical Usage! Keep track of the average use per car and look for unexplained changes in uses.

• Proper Chemical Ordering and Storage — Order your chemicals in the correct size to best
accommodate your usage. Chemicals should be used up in 3-4 months or less. The container may
become contaminated if open for long periods of time.

• Use the Right Chemical for the Job — Use the appropriate chemical for the proper application.
Mixing or using the wrong chemical may result in equipment or vehicle damage.

The second element to building your clientele is site maintenance. The importance of maintaining your site cannot be stressed enough! In order to provide quality service to the most customers, you must uphold routine maintenance checks on all equipment. Double check your vacuums, stock your accessories, manage your chemicals effectively, and routinely evaluate the performance of your wash equipment.

And, keep it clean please! Another part of site maintenance is cleanliness. Your site needs to look inviting to customers. Who would trust a filthy, run-down car wash to clean their car? The winter months add some challenges too, so keep your site accessible by plowing or shoveling snow from essential areas, salt ice-prone areas where customers will be navigating, clean up your equipment and check self-serve bays for trash.

By maintaining your site’s equipment, you can fix little problems before they become large, costly problems that will cause you to lose business. So consider a maintenance program to stay on top of your site’s repairs. Up-time is critical. Preventative maintenance and scheduled inspection programs will keep your equipment running smoothly when the snow flies and the cars are dirty.

At Harrell’s Car Wash Systems, we have been providing proactive maintenance programs to the most successful car wash sites in our market for years. Contact our service department for details on how a site inspection program can, and will, improve equipment reliability, lower operating cost, and increase customer satisfaction.