Like every industry in the world, the car wash industry is going through a process of digital transformation.
This goes beyond simply using computers in daily operations or posting updates on social media; instead, it refers to the monumental shift in organisational processes, systems, competencies and strategies that leverage digital technology.
Technology and the digital world has become integral to everyday life, both in business and in personal life.
For car wash operators, advances in digital technology completely change the way they should think about their business. Powerful technology and digital assets that can save time and money, at the same time as delivering hyper personalised services and experiences for customers, is something that those managing car wash businesses can’t ignore.
This looks set to only be the beginning, with big data, artificial intelligence, automation and other trending topics potentially offering new possibilities in the near future as well.
Car washes can either be proactive and look to where the industry is likely to head, or end up struggling and manically trying to catch up in years to come.
For car wash operators, digital transformation offers an array of benefits. We’ve identified 5 areas of a car wash business that can benefit by incorporating a digital approach today.
How to Use Technology in a Car Wash Business
- Marketing and Advertising
As well as traditional forms of marketing and advertising, car wash businesses need to ensure they are present where people’s attention is – particularly, searching online and social media. Not having a presence in these sorts of places will severely limit a car washes visibility with potential customers.
Therefore, investing parts of the marketing budget into activities like appearing in search engine results as well as building up active social media profiles, will help the car wash gain momentum in a largely digital media world.
Using e-commerce is also an example of how car washes could collect payment before customers even use the service and leverage the way people enjoy buying online and from their mobile.
- Integrations and Automations
The ability to save time and reduce the amount of unnecessary admin tasks is one of the big benefits of technology. Solutions can that integrate and connect devices, equipment, software and other parts of a business allow operators to utilise multiple data points without needing to manually review each one separately. This in itself can save a huge amount of time each week.
This is particularly useful for car wash businesses with multiple locations or those looking to scale.
- Customer Feedback
Direct feedback from customers is a great way for businesses to improve their services and gain an understanding of how customers are viewing the brand.
It’s often not practical to speak to customers in the forecourt about their opinions and experiences with the car wash. However, email surveys, quick scorecard feedback surveys on kiosks, and leveraging other digital channels, can provide operators with automated feedback loops to help them constantly improve.
This kind of data can be synced into monthly reports, allowing managers to quickly gauge how a car wash is rated and reviewed.
Online review websites, as well as Google and social media platforms, also allow car wash businesses to gather reviews and feedback which can help organically build a strong reputation for the business.
Another idea is to introduce a customer loyalty scheme into your car wash service. You’re bound to be competing with several competitors and businesses offering a similar service, so you need to be able to showcase the benefits customers will receive when they return to your car wash.
- Personalisation
Not all customers will be the same, so car washes that can identify and adapt their products and services (even automatically) can allow car washes to appeal to a wide range of customers, by still having the same equipment/staff.
Products like our Auto Passport, that use RFID technology, illustrate the possibilities by incorporating new technology into existing processes and systems. RFID technology allows car washes to know which specific vehicle has pulled onto the lot. Each vehicle can have its own wash options, upgrades, special pricing or even block certain options via the profile settings for the vehicle’s RFID tag. It’s fantastically flexible making life easier for your customers, providing the appropriate sales offerings defined by you.
This means the right offer can be presented to the customer at the right time – helping boost sales and boost customer engagement.
Similarly, here at PSD Codax, we have multiple solutions depending on the type of car wash business. This means specific technology and equipment can be used depending on the requirements of the location.
- Stock Keeping and Inventory Management
If your car wash has an accompanying convenience store or related products to sell, making sure stock levels are replenished is paramount for customer satisfaction. Having bare shelves and products not in stock is a quick way to both create a poor brand image and also leave customers feeling underwhelmed after interacting with your business.
Using software and applications to accurately connect sales and product management can ensure there are no surprises when it comes to what’s stocked instore.
POS (point of sale) software can also give operators an easy view of what is selling and what isn’t. Our POS integration technology provides simple integration options so you can collect sales data or sell carwashes from almost any sales desk. This is very powerful data at your fingertips, allowing car wash businesses to double down on what’s popular or adjust what isn’t doing so well.
Car Wash Technology
If you’re looking to get the most out of digital technology and leading car wash equipment, then make sure you get in contact with us here at PSD Codax. Our development centre is focused on adapting new technologies to keep ahead of the market and bring new ways for operators to improve the flexibility, security and profitability of how they sell carwash and valet services.
To learn more, simply download our brochure or get in touch with our friendly team today.
