The Single Area You Control…Always.
If you invest in a business, there will be factors you can’t always control. The competition, the weather, the employee that flaked—some things are out of our hands. But not everything. The area you have complete control over, always? Customer service.
The human experience is crucial to the success of your business. When a customer comes to your wash and interacts with an employee, it can make or break the whole experience. Their car may come out sparkling clean, but if they had a rude or neglectful experience with an employee, it leaves a sour taste. Remember: courtesy and professionalism go a long way in any business, and you have one hundred percent control over the way you treat people.
Customer Service in Action
Some car washes do this exceptionally well. When customer service is beyond the norm, people take notice! Our friends at Clearwater Car Wash in Indiana are a great example of this above-and-beyond approach to service.
When Assistant Manager Trent Barlow and Wash Attendant Michael Lehman heard about a customer losing her necklace while using a vacuum at their wash, they immediately went into search mode. They dug through the trash, looked through all the dirty hoses and filters, and sifted through collection bins with no luck. The necklace was a gift from the customer’s children and she was devastated. So after closing that evening, they tried again. In their second search, they found the necklace! Their customer was so happy to have it returned that she brought all the employees donuts the following day. This is the heart of true customer service—treating others how we want to be treated ourselves.
It doesn’t stop there. Clearwater Car Wash uses their business to encourage service in their community and around the world. Portions of single washes go toward Water for Good, an organization that helps provide clean drinking water in Africa. Each month, they host a donation day where $2 of every wash goes toward a designated nonprofit organization. They work with local community services to supply Christmas gifts to a family in need every December. They also hold raffles and give away prizes and gift baskets to their Unlimited Pass Members each month. They use their business as a way to build up the community and invest in those relationships.
We love hearing these stories that illustrate the power of customer service. What are practices you’ve heard of, or done yourself, that reveal the positive effects of great, above-and-beyond service?
Inspiration