There is an easier way to do business, make more money, save time, increase efficiency and optimize the performance of your self-service car wash. The solution involves additional help. This new help will never lie, never steal, never show up to work with a hangover, and always show work on time. Perhaps it's time to think about how advancing software solutions can improve your business.
Like everything in business, you become or die, succeed or fail, improve your business or become complacent. The automotive industry is becoming increasingly competitive as new investors and entrepreneurs enter the arena of building washers, bringing new ideas and new technologies to the table. New car washes are being built under the Pepsi Generation & generations that understands modern marketing, promotions and, most importantly, how to get them to work with technology to maximize their business potential.
Achievements in water treatment; cleaning chemicals for cars, and almost every aspect of car washing has achieved great success from scratch. Not every car wash has the luxury (or extra money) to change all its washing equipment to stay up to date with the latest and best for every few years. For existing businesses that want to start doing more now (without a huge bill), the most cost-effective update that can be made for an existing car wash operation is to invest in software solutions to improve business operations, profitability and employee accountability.
Software is everywhere, and it comes as no surprise that it plays an important role in successful carwash operations. In the cars we drive, there are computers in them with software that regulates fuel efficiency, engine time, controls tire pressure, manages sophisticated GPS navigation systems and calls 911 if you have an accident. The car hashes similar software applications through its business. The main difference is that COST vehicles and car washes make money. Cars and car washes do not need software to work, but for maximum performance it is necessary.
What does self-service software use? Trade point
- Accounting
- Cash Management / Cash Monitoring (coin counting)
- Credit card processing
- Loyalty Program Management / Gift Cards
- Equipment monitoring
- Chemical level / mixture control
- CCTV systems
Automation of accounting - Every successful car wash operation has its own ability to manage your money correctly. The main business of EVERY commercial business is tracking cash flows, expenses and deposits. Most car wash operators use software such as QuickBooks, Peachtree, or some form of custom accounting application to manage these areas of their business. These programs give carwash operators the ability to view their business at a glance and track profitability and track losses. Without this invaluable information, it is almost impossible to make INFORMED decisions about how to run a successful commercial business.
Equipment Monitoring - An important part of the self-service car wash is to make sure that all equipment is in working condition and works with maximum efficiency. Successful car wash operations use equipment remote monitoring programs that can send a text message or call a pager in case of a hardware failure or if the level of soap falls below a predetermined level. Operators of washing can expect to increase the amount of money with reduced downtime and increase the service life of their equipment, after breaking the failures before they lead to a major overhaul. Of the self-service operators surveyed for this article, the most commonly recommended program for equipment and chemical monitoring was the Wash Remote system from Imagine Innovation, one of the pioneers in data tracking, laundry consolidation and monitoring.
Electronic payment acceptance: credit card, loyalty gift cards and commercial fleet solutions - The difference between self-service laundry, which is $ 6,000 in a car wash per month, and a car wash, which is $ 40,000 a month, is that the most successful laundry makes accepting payments, selling and marketing the number one priority. Washing operators like Markus Schenenberger from Texas Shine Car Washin San Antonio talk about the “problem” his company has with accepting payment. Marcus says: “If I have a client who wants to give me money, I will find a way to take it!” Marcus uses a software-based cashless transfer program that allows his clients to use both credit cards and loyalty cards for ANY service in car wash (even in vending machines for cash regiments!). There are many non-cash payment solutions on the market, and there are important things to consider if you decide to add a cashless receipt to your self-service car wash.
Do your research - There are many non-cash decisions for making decisions on the market, and each of them will be slightly different. Use the Internet, talk with other owners of car washes, call the company and ask many questions. Ask for references, discuss the possibility of product updates and make sure you do it right the first time.
Growth Plan - Make sure that the cashless payments that you purchase will grow with your business. Will you be able to add additional services to the system on the way? Can the product be updated after purchase? Avoid buying a solution that will not scale with the size and volume of your business over time.
The secret of the industry: Car washes in the business take customer money in exchange for cleaning services, aren't they? According to distributors of laundry equipment, the first area of a new construction or remodeling project that needs to be reduced due to cost overruns is the equipment and software for accepting payments. Does this mean that you can cripple your business right from the start, limiting their ability to accept all forms of customer payment? Successful laundry operations that exceed the budget will leave the sink free of laundry equipment, instead of eliminating hardware and software that can give their business the advantage they need to increase profits and stand out among competitors. Each industry maintains the importance of implementing some form of cashless acceptance decision when washing.
Software Basics: Software Types Programs with hard coding - This is your standard circuit board with an array of chips soldered onto it. These chips are programmed with a set of VERY specific commands that are executed based on external inputs, such as button presses, which then trigger the desired response, for example, turning on pumps. The advantage of hard-coded logic is that they are not susceptible to such things as computer viruses, and, as a rule, are trouble-free. The disadvantage of hard-coded programs is that they are very simple and do not have flexibility. It is incredibly difficult to upgrade a system that does not have a central processing system, such as a computer. Most of the system updates based on hard-coded logic lead to the physical replacement of printed circuit boards, and in many cases the device block must be replaced. The long-term costs of a decentralized system are much higher than those of their regular program colleagues.
PC based programs - Nowadays, most car washes have a computer in the office or in equipment. There are also businesses that prefer to keep a home office and run all of their accounting software from a home computer. The main advantage of a PC-based software solution is that it has the ability to be updated over time. The main disadvantage of a PC-based software solution is that if something happens to the computer on site or if it downloads a computer virus, data can be completely lost. It is strongly recommended that, if you have a software system on your local computer during a wash that creates a backup for storing data off-site. This can be done using a number of other computer programs or by manually copying information onto a CD or disk in a regular schedule.
Web software programs - No business has suffered from the influence of the Internet. Business Week, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal commented on how the use of Internet technology in business is one of the biggest things that can happen to small business owners and large corporations. Successful self-service self-services use network software to manage customer loyalty accounts, synchronize their data with their copy of QuickBooks in their home office, sell car washes online, send billing to commercial fleet accounts, sell their customer base, and run car wash activities from ANY world if they have access to a web connection.
There are two main advantages to web solutions. The first major advantage is that instead of purchasing a software update CD to update the system, the web software is updated “on the fly” automatically. The second main advantage is that the car wash transaction data, the amount of money, accounting information, customer data and equipment error codes are stored remotely on the Internet. This means that if something happens to the computer system in place, all information is safely stored elsewhere. This reduces both cost and frustration if any problems arise in the future.
Find a solution that works for you. Many carwash operators are not ready to use full-scale software updates through their business. Your business will not fail if you do not invest in software solutions, but will never strive to improve the efficiency and profitability of HURT business. It is important to find a solution that is best for you and YOUR car wash. Want to reduce shrinkage? Look for cash management solutions. Want to keep an eye on employees and wash them? Explore remote surveillance software packages. Want to capture a commercial fleet in your area? Look at non-cash payment solutions to accept credit cards and fleet cards. Want to save time doing books every month? Check out QuickBooks and QuickBooks compatible software solutions to eliminate double entry, and reduce headaches come tax time.
Your business wants to hire new help to help you do the laundry. Next time, consider the software solutions available to you in today's high-tech market.
