RFID/Unlimited Washing for SS Bays

[bigleo48]

All,

The whole RFID tag and Unlimited Washing idea for IBAs has intrigued me. However, with a single IBA, I feel I would plug up my bays with pass holders (read discounted washes) and deny access to full price paying customers.

But I have 8 SS bays that are not operating at capacity 98.8% of the time. So why not try to fill that?

Not sure the cost involved (likely only do half the bays). But have a setup that when the RFID tag is picked up in the bay it switches the coin box on. When the vehicle backs out, it switches off. Simple enough, but that's not how the IBA systems work. This would require time interval monitoring (pinging) from the system every 10 seconds or so.

There are many issues with this (some I'm sure I haven't even considered). Like what is the maximum distance the RFID device can be from the car window? This could be a problem in a larger SS bay. Can the RFID antennas/receives with daisy chained to one computer to reduce install costs? Likely I would imagine.

Anybody consider doing this? Its an intriguing idea I believe.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

I like the idea leo, not a clue what it would cost to implement. Have you thought about what you would charge a month. I just seen where our local movie theatres are implementing an unlimited pass and wondering how you do that. It would seem kids would pass the pass around alot. I put their link below.
Would the IDX wicket system do what you are looking for, with a cheap in bay sensor and a wicket card? I suspect its possible with some cc systems to issue them a fleet card and only bill them whatever you decide.



http://www.marcustheatres.com/

 

[thoffmanjr]

I like the unlimited idea but my plate is full at this new site so I'm trying something different. We have a Micrologic Gift Card dispenser that we will sell gift cards for $20 and give $25 in time. In addition to our price point discounts the customer will really save using a gift card. We also know they use significantly more time while the timer is counting up instead of counting down. We would also be able to promote that the gift card allows for free vacuuming. Micrologic's credit card clearing can run self service vacuums too. So we get $20 up front, our customers spend more time in the bays, and the 14 vacuums we have will be busy out at the street helping the place look more active. They are going to have wireless credit card control soon too for existing locations. Our customers can also redeem the cards at any of our locations in the tunnel, dog wash, self service bays or vacuums. Everything is covered.

 

[bigleo48]

I like the unlimited idea but my plate is full at this new site so I'm trying something different. We have a Micrologic Gift Card dispenser that we will sell gift cards for $20 and give $25 in time. In addition to our price point discounts the customer will really save using a gift card. We also know they use significantly more time while the timer is counting up instead of counting down. We would also be able to promote that the gift card allows for free vacuuming. Micrologic's credit card clearing can run self service vacuums too. So we get $20 up front, our customers spend more time in the bays, and the 14 vacuums we have will be busy out at the street helping the place look more active. They are going to have wireless credit card control soon too for existing locations. Our customers can also redeem the cards at any of our locations in the tunnel, dog wash, self service bays or vacuums. Everything is covered.

We have that ability too...except for the vac part. So we have that covered. But too me it wouldn't be that difficult to do the Monthly Unlimited Pass" for SS bays only. Might be a little pricey, but simple enough.

 

[robert roman]

One issue with unlimited washing and RFID for an in-bay is lack of wash capacity; sites that justified building only one in-bay (average 12 cars an hour) are typically lower volume locations.

According to experts like Fred Grauer, self-service wands have a low use rate, typically between 10 and 15 percent.

Since you have 8 wands, it might make more sense to explore ways to maximize available wand capacity rather than the in-bay’s limited capacity.

One possibility is to limit access to the property.

Customers pay one price to enter property and they get to wash all they want now/today. Once the customer leaves the property, their wash all you want is over for the day.

For example, make the price of entry $8.00. Then offer customers the option of buying an unlimited plan. Say, $60 for the year, paid up front.

For example, if your average customer washes 2.5 times a month and spends $5.00, their annual expenditure is $150.00.

With the unlimited plan, they would save $90 annually.

If you signed up 12,000 customers at $60 each, this equates to $720,000.

This is an intriguing idea, and I did not think it up.

I borrowed it from Ken Brott at DRB.

Food for thought though.

 

[bigleo48]

Robert,

Yes I saw Ken's video on the subject...very interesting how he linked the Gym subscription format to ours. Makes perfect sense.

My property doesn't lend itself well to the 'gated' format, but I did at least think about it.

I'm always keen to consider new ideas and learn from others in this forum.

I also believe that the barrier to unlimited SS washing would be the RFID equipment costs. However this could be mitigated by a slow (one bay at a time) build out. Too me it would be fairly simple to build. The RFID system like the new Siemans Systematic RF600 that would read and deliver the RFID to the database, then to some controls to turn on the bay. The whole credit card billing could be done separately and manually until the subscription gets to an unmanageable point.

 

[Ric]

Robert,

Yes I saw Ken's video on the subject...very interesting how he linked the Gym subscription format to ours. Makes perfect sense.

My property doesn't lend itself well to the 'gated' format, but I did at least think about it.

I'm always keen to consider new ideas and learn from others in this forum.

I also believe that the barrier to unlimited SS washing would be the RFID equipment costs. However this could be mitigated by a slow (one bay at a time) build out. Too me it would be fairly simple to build. The RFID system like the new Siemans Systematic RF600 that would read and deliver the RFID to the database, then to some controls to turn on the bay. The whole credit card billing could be done separately and manually until the subscription gets to an unmanageable point.

Do you have a link to the video?

 

[bigleo48]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e95RBGal2Zw&context=C3539e0dADOEgsToPDskIRHb8m6ljUl3l15FwJevSi

 

[pitzerwm]

Leave it to Ken Brott to think of applying this concept to our industry. I'm sure that everything Ken has touched didn't turn to gold, but his success ratio is pretty high. Something to think about. Personally, I doubt that only half would sign up.

 

[bigleo48]

So I'm continuing to look at this possibility. Now looking a show stoppers and I haven't really found one yet.

So my Unitec Washpay system would allow me to do most of it. They have a second generation system out that allows for subscriptions accounts and RFID use that I'll be looking at for more details. However, I do see it as doable without much downside since I have 8 bays with 99% availability. Just some initial and ongoing work.

So what I plan on doing initially is a 90 day offering at about $120 and then reoccuring $40/month thereafter. That would allow something like "conditional unlimited washing" Can use once a day for a maximum of $10/day (or something like that). I hope to perhaps restrict to some bays (waiting on washpay server capabilities). If not, then they would be able to use it in the IBA but would be charged separately for those washes (not sure why they would do so), but easy to track and bill.

With the system tracking, plate recognition camera, I think I can police it well. However, not sure if I'll need to. Depending on margins (my costs), being able to share the card with others might be a good selling feature, especially with the once a day and daily usage limits.

Initially, I would manually do the monthly credit card billing. Using the software in the Wash Pay to track the accounts and info, my credit card processor's virtual terminal and its ability to email receipts and a calender tracking software...I figure if I had to do 10 a day, that would be really great...so no big deal. Once again to the math, 10 a day is $400 and a month is $12k.

I have the ability to do all the signage, contracts, etc. Piece of cake!

Doing the math, I don't need to do very many to make a big difference on my bottom line. I'm starting to get excited about this. For some time now I have been looking for a real competition killer and I think this might be it. My main competition only has 5 bays and so lacks the ability to process the volume and satisfy the subscriptions along with the non-subscriptions. I can do both!

 

[GoBuckeyes]

BigLeo, any updates on your 'unlimited ss' plan? It sounds very interesting.

Like Tom Hoffman said, he likes it because it makes the wash look busy which seems to drive people in. If you've ever stood around a 'dead' wash on a nice day it seems to stay that way. As soon as a few people are on the lot, it awalys seems to bring an influx of customers.

Additionally, I like the fact that your vacs are not included. I would bet your pass members would pay for your vacs at least half the time, which will grab you another few dollars.

 

[Washmee]

Big, I think your price of $40/mo. is too high. Most conveyor washes who offer monthly plans charge between $20-30 and the customer doesn't have to do anything to get a clean car except sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Big, I think your price of $40/mo. is too high. Most conveyor washes who offer monthly plans charge between $20-30 and the customer doesn't have to do anything to get a clean car except sit back and enjoy the ride.

That is true Washmee, and maybe that is why 'Unlimited SS' won't work or pencil out? There is an exterior tunnel a few miles away from me that sells their unlimited monthly wash pass for $19.99. I know that I wouldn't be interested in selling an 'unlimited ss' pass for $20. However, I would love to have 200-300 people paying $40/month, but I don't know if finding that many people would be possible.

 

[Washmee]

That is true Washmee, and maybe that is why 'Unlimited SS' won't work or pencil out? There is an exterior tunnel a few miles away from me that sells their unlimited monthly wash pass for $19.99. I know that I wouldn't be interested in selling an 'unlimited ss' pass for $20. However, I would love to have 200-300 people paying $40/month, but I don't know if finding that many people would be possible.

I've been selling monthly plans at my wash for about 18 months now and the average customer visits about 5 times per month. Last year it worked out to a $2.50 discount per car washed. That is better than the other $3 off coupons that I have offered for years. There is also something to be said about the wash looking busier. It does seem to attract other people to come in and wash.

 

[MEP001]

If you've ever stood around a 'dead' wash on a nice day it seems to stay that way.

I've noticed that too. There have been times where the wash is empty on a day and during a time it shouldn't be, so I'll pull my truck in a bay and wash it. Almost every time, within a minute people start filing in.

 

[mmurra]

When we changed over our 6+2 to wash all you want for $6 at the gate, we noticed an increase in the bay action. The place looks busier partly because people stay longer, but it makes the place looks busy, ie: popular!

We are looking at the RFID system for the wash. We have an adjacent tanning salon with a large monthly membership base and we could bill the monthly through that program. Mark

 

[bigleo48]

I'll be looking to launch this in a couple of months, so more work to do. I have also been talking to Unitec about changes they could make to the new washpay server that would make it easier to manage these accounts.

Also, on the $40/mth pricing... I'm in Canada where the economy is doing better overall, people will have the ability to "pass the card" if I don't go with an RFID system initially. Also, I'm in a small city, so I don't have any "express $3 conveyors to compete against.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

BigLeo I would figure how often your average customer comes into your wash per month and what you figure the average spent per customer.
Add one wash/ave. money spent to figure out what you should charge for a monthly unlimited plan to that average customer.
Example: if an average customer comes in 4 times per month and spend $4.00 each time = $16.00.
Then charge $20.00 for the unlimited wash.
I think what's being said about charging to much vs. keeping your bays busy or looking busy is very important.
If you're worried about not charging enough you could post signage that this is an "Introductory Offer."
It does no good if you charge to much and only have a few customers buying it.

 

[bigleo48]

I found some glitches with the Waspay server that prevents me to roll this program out. For example if I set the card to 'One Use Per Day', it doesn't count that use till the use is over. So you can swipe the card in multiple bays at once and they all work!

 

[1gr8-wash]

All,

The whole RFID tag and Unlimited Washing idea for IBAs has intrigued me. However, with a single IBA, I feel I would plug up my bays with pass holders (read discounted washes) and deny access to full price paying customers.

But I have 8 SS bays that are not operating at capacity 98.8% of the time. So why not try to fill that?

Not sure the cost involved (likely only do half the bays). But have a setup that when the RFID tag is picked up in the bay it switches the coin box on. When the vehicle backs out, it switches off. Simple enough, but that's not how the IBA systems work. This would require time interval monitoring (pinging) from the system every 10 seconds or so.

There are many issues with this (some I'm sure I haven't even considered). Like what is the maximum distance the RFID device can be from the car window? This could be a problem in a larger SS bay. Can the RFID antennas/receives with daisy chained to one computer to reduce install costs? Likely I would imagine.

Anybody consider doing this? Its an intriguing idea I believe.

Call Exacta the have just done an intresting rfid system that can be used for bays at about 2k per bay