Hand drying the cars in flex-serv operation

We have just converted our wash from full to flex.Our prices for EE are 5,7,9,13.We do not hand dry the cars at all but now we are considering to hand dry the coustomer cars opt for top package($9 and$13)to increase the Avg ticket.I am wondering if any flex operator hand drying the cars? Thanks

We are a flex operation that dries are vehicles. More out of necessity becasue of a lack of blower power to produce an acceptably dry car and because it was done that way from the day the doors opened 8 years ago.If you can retrain your customers I would only offer it in your top two packages like you suggested, eliminate it altogether (assuming you get a car dry enough, or make it an add on too any wash.

I have several customers that are "flex". They hand dry on the line after the blower. Some even blow out the mirrors at the same time. The number of employees for this varies by how much conveyor is after the blower and car count. I agree with John in trying to keep it for your upper packages if possible this should cut back on your employees needed. I would suggest making sure it is easy for the customers to understnd only the upper packages recieve that service. Just to help with complaints that might come of from customers thinking every wash gets hand dried.

we used to touch up the mirrors and backends of suvs when we did the windows and that was it. Even that was a stretch it was unfair to the exterior only customers who were sometimes paying more then an interior customer. stick to just vac and windows you got enough too worry about, just another thing to train to an employee that will last a week or until a busy day. Converted from flex to exterior a year ago and never looked back. good luck though!!!!

Early into the beginning of flex-serve, some operators asked if they might offer hand-finishing to catch the residual water drops... without compromising the flex-serve paradigm.

My recommendation was to segregate all hand-finishing in the aftercare area because that's the best place for centralized labor. Plus, those customers who do not seek a wipe-off service can avoid the delay. It's best to keep the association of any hands-on service away from the carwashing process... and included in the value-priced aftercare component. Automatic exterior carwashing should not require labor. The proper equipment and floor plan design should solve the problem without locking an operator into exit-end labor.

I cautioned that once you start to hand-finish cars after the air dryer, it will be extremely difficult to stop the practice without having customers resent the service being taken away. Doing hand-finishing after the air dryer will force you to expand your towel inventory and laundry capabilities. Simply put, you're looking for trouble by not weaning your customers away from the concept of FREE labor.

Although I caution against FREE hand-finishing with a labor-intensive wipe-down, if your clientele will pay for the service in combination with a quick spray-on wipe-off lusterizer, I'm all for it. That's why we recommend the extra-care finishing service as an aftercare option. Combine it with an interior Extreme-Clean... and you're in clover!

-Steve

I agree with Steve once you start with something it's so hard to get rid of it. You'll get " Last time I was here you wiped it down" Stick to pulling out the mirrors with a wipe. Other then that they are paying for a vac and window. maybe 5 bucks more to all customers you can pull off to the side and an attendant will give it a thourough wipe down. 5 dollar charge. When we were flex-serve we didn't do trunks or cargos becasue learning from our traditional full serve days it slowed the whole process down for someone 2 clean out the backend. so when we to flex we stopped cargo and trunk areas. So people would ask for the trunk and I would tell them I can give you a free vac token to do it yourself. some would do it and some wouldn't.

I have to agree with Steve O. as well. I have many operators who are offering a spray on/wipe off polish with a hand dry for $7.00-$10.00 with any wash.
Big return with little investment.

Steve brings up a good point about adding a service and then removing it later. This could become a negative to your customer.

I offer a spray wipe off polish at my tunnel and it's $29.95 with wash, rim cleaner and tire shine. I do an average of 5 mon-wed and thur-sunday an average of 15. On a busy saturaday I did 33 at $29.95. I wouldn't underprice a service like that

I too agree with Steve. I have a separate area for drying and my Flex services. This allows for the EE to exit without seeing those services as something beyond their price (quaility) points and does not interfere with the flow of traffic. It also, as he points out, keeps all of my labor centralized... towel drying vacuuming, windows, dash... even the XPT is in the same plane (line or area) so we can assist customers without moving from this area. all supplies are localized. It segragates the EE $5-$10 washes from the "extra services" customers who pay for that "extra attention" to get those rims clean, of jams wiped down. This was the customer who wants "speed and convience" can get the EE $5 wash and the guy who pays for detail can pay $13 for a towel dry and add a vac too and never the two shall met! Occassionally one confussed person pulls around to get dried off for $5 and were guide them around into another lane to exit and explain to them (again) the difference. Once a pattern is established, people will behave like cattle! At times (especially in late fall with love bugs and in the dead winter) it looks like Chaos when a new customer pull in the wrong lane... (like the jerk on an LA freeway on the far left lane trying to exit NOW.... stopping 8 lanes of traffic to get over...MASS CHAOS!) but this is usually only with a first time customer WHO CAN'T READ THE SIGNS!

Many operators have been there.. 600 car days, 1000 car days, car jumping tracks, breaks, equipment down... most of all in this business is to establish a rythym, calm, cool patterns and think out your plan. The confussion always happens!

Good luck