Building the Team —
It Takes More Than Just Training
By Robert Roman

Car wash owners often measure performance by daily trip generation and sales revenue, but common experience has shown that above-average results depends on having loyal customers. In this context, it is the customer-loyalty model that serves as the foundation for success in the car wash business. With this model, it is the quality of the product and service that leads to customer satisfaction, which leads to customer loyalty, which leads to profitability.

For this relationship to hold, customers must be satisfied with their recent experience of a company’s products and services — the actual performance received. If the recent experience exceeds customers’ prior expectations, their satisfaction is likely to be high. If the recent experience is not within the customers’ zone of tolerance, their satisfaction may be quite low. As such, it is satisfaction that creates the bond that acts as an exit barrier for customers.

EMPLOYEE TURNOVER

Creating this bond can be a difficult task for car wash owners because the demanding and tedious nature of working at a car wash can, and often does, lead to high employee turnover. In the 1990s, revolving-door workers became a real concern for many car wash operators due in part to the negative impact of employee turnover on the customer service function. This prompted some owners to consider more careful hiring and training of employees along with the implementation of employee benefits and commissions.

Today, industry leaders like the Autobell, Delta Sonic, and Mike’s Express car wash chains have become models of success partly as a result of their unwavering commitment to and investment in their employees.

SOLUTIONS

What sets these companies apart from others are the things they have in common in terms of their business philosophy:

• Happy employees make happy customers
• Hiring is very selective
• Employees are rewarded for above average performance
• The emphasis is on teamwork

Teamwork is important because car washes specialize in fast service, and employees must be willing to work quickly and steadily, often in harsh conditions. Of course, team players are needed for teamwork to succeed. This means having people who can subordinate their individuality and work in a coordinated effort with other people to achieve common goals. Consequently, we can say that recruiting is actually the first step in creating customer satisfaction.

Recruiting new employees at these large car wash chains is not taken lightly. Each company has very strict hiring guidelines and dress code policies. Job applicants must meet education and work-experience requirements and they are pre-screened for substance abuse. Each applicant is evaluated to determine if they will be a good fit, and only the most qualified candidates are selected for employment.

After hiring the best people, team members receive the information and hands-on training to learn the specific tasks they need to succeed. Managers and supervisors are trained on how to make changes to positively impact the bottom line — they are paid bonuses based on their store’s performance. Team members are encouraged and expected to participate in employee development programs that are designed to enhance their people and leadership skills. Ongoing training is required. Quality and professionalism are constantly monitored at all levels.

HOW TO

Of course, most car wash owners do not have the resources of an Autobell or Mike’s Express Car Wash at their disposal or the luxury of a human resources department dedicated to recruiting and training good employees. So, if you happen to own only one or a small handful of car wash sites, how could you become more like a Mike’s?

Sense of Purpose
The first step is to create a mission that engages employees in something larger and more significant than just receiving a paycheck. A mission statement should describe why the company exists and what it hopes to achieve in the future. Consider Mike’s Express mission statement: Create lifetime customers by delivering a fast, friendly, feel-good experience through engaged and valued team members and a commitment to our communities. This statement clearly articulates the company’s reason for being, its business, and the principles or beliefs that helps guide the company’s actions. Car wash businesses without a sense of purpose that is clear to customers, employees, and community are more likely to attract people without a purpose or any long-term goals.

Selective Hiring
Become more selective in hiring employees. Instead of constantly hiring revolving-door employees, consider using a targeted approach where the company’s energy, money, and time are focused on finding, hiring, and training one good employee at a time with the goal of keeping him or her long term. Reducing employee turnover will help build morale and lower administrative expenses. More importantly, it will lead to a more consistent delivery of customer service and creation of customer satisfaction.

Full Disclosure
During the interview process, make it abundantly clear to job applicants what the nature of the job is in terms of working conditions, availability of hours, income potential, and the necessity to follow standard operating procedures. Job applicants should also be made aware of what is expected and required of them as employees in terms of their personal appearance, demeanor, and flexibility. Common experience has shown that small businesses have much less difficulty in delivering customer service and achieving customer satisfaction when the employees are on the same page as the owner.

Training
Develop a training program that delivers value to both customers and employees. In addition to an orientation period that includes at least a week of hands-on training to learn specific job-related tasks, employees should also receive on-going training on a monthly basis to build cohesiveness and improve their people skills. Training should clearly demonstrate to employees what can be accomplished by working together as a team. For example, by splitting up tasks, work can move forward in parallel and objectives can be achieved faster.

Compensation
Pay better than average and engage employees by providing them with the opportunity to earn more money based on overall store performance rather than individual performance. Experience has shown that people working together to achieve common goals often produce results that are far beyond their individual abilities.

Work Environment
Provide an environment where employees want to work. For example, a conveyor system that produces an inferior product is counterproductive to the delivery of a clean, dry car — fast — with great customer service. The more time employees have to spend cleaning dirt and grime that should have been removed in the tunnel, the less time they have to spend on customer service.

Leadership
Obviously, it takes a lot of hard work and skill to merge individual personalities and abilities into a cohesive team willing to work for a common goal. However, this doesn’t happen spontaneously, but rather it results from a long-term commitment to grow, nurture, and exercise employees. This means having a strong leader whose job is not to control but to teach, encourage, and organize when necessary. It is this kind of leadership that car wash operators, as teachers, should strive to exercise.

Bob Roman is president of RJR Enterprises — Consulting Services (www.carwashplan.com). You can reach Bob via e-mail at bob@carwashplan.com.