At Water Works Car Wash, Colorado Springs, CO, we try to create a customer-friendly atmosphere that lasts from the beginning of our carwash process until the customer's car is done. Employees are taught to smile and be friendly and helpful. "Welcome," "Thank you," and "Come Again" signs are plainly visible. The buildings and grounds are clean and well-kept.

But does it always work the way it was planned? If it did, it would be a miracle. It's all the little things that can go wrong that define whether or not customers come back to your carwash.

We know that most people who receive poor services don't complain; they just don't come back. Customers have expectations of service, and they understand your business better than you might expect. If the results are not up to their expectations -- you are history.

A big part of the problem is that carwash operators invest a lot of time training employees, only to neglect to effectively monitor their performance once they're on the job. And if employees aren't using their training and keeping customors happy, you're not retaining customers and profits.

The key to offering the best service possible is simply asking the customer what they want. You must have a way to assess your quality of service for each customer. You must be able to measure customer service and employee performance be able to manage it. You can monitor service with shopper services, focus groups or comment cards. Comment cards are very effective because, when offered to every customer, every customer gets a chance to assess your service.

Several years ago at Water Works Carwashes, we realized that we were not positive that every car processed through our three full-service washes left our facilities clean with every customer happy. It was then that we devised our "We'll Do It - Guaranteed" system. It gives every customer an opportunity to evaluate our service with a comment card. The added benefit is that the program also provides a benchmark of service that helps make our employees accountable for their work.

Quality Increases Revenue

During the years Water Works has used the "We'll Do It- Guaranteed" system, revenue has increased between 15 and 20 percent per year. Customers wash more often simply because the service is better. While many factors combine to create these sales increases, we attribute most of the success to the "We'll Do It- Guaranteed" system.

It takes an ongoing commitment to discover the changing needs and wants of customers. Further, we all know it is more profitable to keep an existing customer than continually seek new ones. So why take chances on satisfying your customers? The profit lies in designing your own system to ask your customers: "What will it take to keep you coming back?"

The Inspection System

An inspection card is put in every car after it is washed and inspected. The card is a bar-coded 4-by-6 postage-paid reply card, so the customer can evaluate his wash experience and reply at his leisure. The card asks the date, time and location of the wash. It also asks for excellent, satisfactory and unsatisfactory ratings on all aspects of the washing process.

A generous portion of the card is left for written comments. More than 75 percent of the respondents write a comment.

As specially trained members of each final detail crew, a quality inspector is assigned to each vehicle. Each inspector's name is put on the top of the card, so the cards can be tracked for each employee. This makes inspectors directly responsible for the customer's satisfaction with the cars they inspect.

The inspector checks the work of the vacuumers, inside people, window people and outside detailers. They correct problem areas and rewash vehicles if necessary. The inspector greets the customer after the car has been inspected and handles any problems or special requests. At this point they might explain the importance of the inspection card and request its return.

Handling Returned Cards

Each reply is reviewed as it is received. All responses are tabulated on computer. A statistical analysis is compiled to evaluate all the questions on the reply card. A complete report for each wash location is compiled every two weeks and summarized monthly.

Cumulative annual reports are also prepared monthly. Our three locations receive a report ranking all inspectors in the company, so all employees can be evaluated against each other. The report is compiled so each employee knows the area of dissatisfaction by each customer (i.e. interior, exterior, glass, vacuuming, etc.). This enables employees and management to focus on areas of employees' work that need improvement.

Of course the entire report shows problem areas at the wash operation. All written comments are typed in a report listed under the inspectors' names. They are separated into three categories: Positive (Fame), Negative (Shame), and Miscellaneous (those related to things other than the quality of the wash).

Negative Cards

Customers submitting negative cards containing an address (80 percent of all negative cards) are mailed response cards expressing concern about their unsatisfactory experience and an offer of a free wash which expires in 120 days. More than 80 percent of all free washes are returned.

Negative cards asking for a telephone call are copied and given to managers to follow up. (These customers are also mailed a free wash card.) This a great way for our managers to interact with customers and to show them our concern.

The free wash cards are handled by sending a copy of the customer's negative reply card to the location where it originated. It is filed by customer name by the cashier. When a free card is presented to the cashier by a customer, the cashier pulls out the original reply card and calls a manager to review the previous complaint and to assure that the car is cleaned to the customer's satisfaction. The manager then writes a short comment about how the complaint was resolved and then forwards the card to the general office.

This is a great opportunity to do some public relations work with the customer and to retain him as a satisfied customer. It costs a lot of money to gain a customer, and this is an inexpensive way to keep valued customers.

Using The Reports

Remember: such reports are a result of comments by "The Boss," your customer. The reports are totally objective, so they are terrific management tools that let you know how your operation is performing.

Reports can be used as a basis for employee pay schedules, raises and bonuses. At Water Works, all our employees' salaries and raises are based on this program. Employees are easily motivated to work harder when they know raises are based on a system that is impartial and fair. Customers, "The Boss," can give employees raises.

Management has created reasons for giving or denying raises, bonuses, etc. Contests can be set-up for each wash or for multiple locations based on the statistics in the reports. These competitions add fun to the job, encourage teamwork and create pride in everyone's work. For management it is like having the perfect manager working for you (the customer) at a fraction of the cost of a manager.

The reports can easily point to your operation's strong points and areas that need improvement. There is no guessing. Customers will tell you what they want.

Employees Love It

Employees love the system because it objectively focuses on their specific performances and shows them what customers think of their work. They really believe the customer, where they might question their supervisor if he told him them same things the customer is relating.

They also appreciate the positive feedback that the system provides. Managers can use the reports to review individual inspector's work. Problem areas are analyzed, and goals can be set for future work.

Employees can make suggestions about how they can make improvements and set goals for themselves. Management can use the report as a tool at location meetings or company meetings to discuss areas that need different policies and procedures to assure customer satisfaction.

Before an employee can become an inspector, they are trained following a specific schedule using books, tapes, newsletters, management exercises, goal setting and one-on-one training. They then must pass a test on the skills they have learned. With a little encouragement, most are able to pass their test.

With this comes a plaque with their name on it, indicating they have completed our course of studies. These plaques are hung on a lobby wall. Every time I walk by this collection of plaques, I am proud I am a part of helping an employee achieve more than they ever thought they could and progress in a job so they can be a real service to our customers and our `community.'

In my view our employees are our most neglected resource. We agonize over the purchase of new equipment and the next computer or a computer program; try to determine how to sell more extra services; and devise new marketing schemes, but all these positive efforts can be blown in an instant by an employee that doesn't make good on your promises.

We spend 35 percent to 40 percent of every sales dollar on our employees. Make sure you have a system to monitor their performance.

"We'll Do it -- Guaranteed" gives our employees terrific feedback and forces our managers to train and retrain as part of their daily routine. If they don't train properly, the negative comment cards will keep pouring in until something is changed. Remember, performance must be measured or it is impossible to manage.

If you are wondering why your competition is doing better than you are or how to stay ahead of the competition,, consider using a comment card system regularly. It doesn't have to be tied into employee performance, but it should give you good statistical data to use in your decision-making process. Measure for success ... move into the next century.

Jim Spinato is president of Water Works Car Wash, Colorado Springs, CO.