First of all I would like to thank all of the members who contribute to this site. I have learned just as much in the past couple of days browsing the forums as I have in the last year working at an Express Exterior wash.
I recently took over as the General Manager of a Express Exterior Friction Wash. I was previously working at the wash as the maintenance & operations manager when the former GM took a position with another company. I am in my early 20's, so I admit, I am a little wet behind the ears when it comes to managing a business. I do have a minor in Business Management, however a large portion of my knowledge is "theory" and is not necessarily applicable in this industry.
The past two GMs have been mainly focused on sales and marketing and have not had a large presence in the operations/maintenance aspect of the business. This has led to healthy car counts, with the unfortunate high cost of maintenance and service. Since starting at the wash I have been able to complete a large portion of our maintenance and service in house and have cut our expenses in that area considerably. As we approach our "busy" season, I am looking for ways to increase our customer base. We currently do not have any kind of loyalty system in place, however we do sell Valutec gift cards with various bonuses throughout the year. We do not have a computer POS system, just a basic Sharp register with a stand alone credit card machine. I would like to purchase a more advanced system, but am looking to do it as affordably as possible.
We currently run a number coupons in multiple publications and I feel that the redemption rates are too high. I would like to steer toward a loyalty based reward/discount system, but am unsure of the best way to go about it, especially without opening up to potential customer/employee abuse. Any knowledge/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I recently took over as the General Manager of a Express Exterior Friction Wash. I was previously working at the wash as the maintenance & operations manager when the former GM took a position with another company. I am in my early 20's, so I admit, I am a little wet behind the ears when it comes to managing a business. I do have a minor in Business Management, however a large portion of my knowledge is "theory" and is not necessarily applicable in this industry.
The past two GMs have been mainly focused on sales and marketing and have not had a large presence in the operations/maintenance aspect of the business. This has led to healthy car counts, with the unfortunate high cost of maintenance and service. Since starting at the wash I have been able to complete a large portion of our maintenance and service in house and have cut our expenses in that area considerably. As we approach our "busy" season, I am looking for ways to increase our customer base. We currently do not have any kind of loyalty system in place, however we do sell Valutec gift cards with various bonuses throughout the year. We do not have a computer POS system, just a basic Sharp register with a stand alone credit card machine. I would like to purchase a more advanced system, but am looking to do it as affordably as possible.
We currently run a number coupons in multiple publications and I feel that the redemption rates are too high. I would like to steer toward a loyalty based reward/discount system, but am unsure of the best way to go about it, especially without opening up to potential customer/employee abuse. Any knowledge/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
