A positive image has many facets -- good signage, a clean and well-organized operation, and an efficient and committed staff. Research shows, though, that an often overlooked ingredient -- uniforms -- can be one of the most effective building blocks in creating and building a better company image.

When worn by every employee, neat and clean uniforms immediately project an aura of respect and professionalism to your customers. They build credibility for your staff as carwash experts and, as personal "signage," build recognition for your company name. Uniforms have even been proven to build the customer's confidence in your services, and in your staff as members of a professional team.

In the carwash business, the first thing a customer sees when they drive up to your facility is a member of your staff to whom they are going to entrust their vehicle. A good first impression is essential; it sets customer expectations at the right level.

As the customer moves through your facility, this positive initial perception is reinforced over and over again by your uniformed staff. From entrance to exit, uniforms presentyour company's image to your customers at every possible point of contact.

Uniforms ... the Options

There are many options available to the carwash owner in putting uniforms to work in building their company image. The most durable and professional options are smocks worn by employees over their street clothes, and full uniforms consisting of a coordinated work shirt and pants.

Your company logo is a must here, embroidered on the pocket, sleeves and maybe even the back. A personal identification badge with each employee's first name is a real plus for personalizing your staff to your customers.

Working apparel like this is usually made of modern polyester/cotton fabrics to stand up to the heavy soil and wear and tear encountered in your business. This image apparel is also made to stand up to repeated laundering without shrinking or fading, and will keep your staff presenting a clean and professional image time and again.

Alternatives include knit shirts and T-shirts with company identity and/or slogan embroidered or silk-screened in appropriate fashion. These options will in general provide you with a greater range in color and design than most smock and work apparel, although this is changing rapidly.

They would also appear to be more affordable for the carwash owner at first glance. But when you consider that they will fade significantly after the first few washings and lose their fit and shape, they may have to be continually replaced to present the proper image.

In all cases, accessorizing your chosen uniforms extends the impact of the image you are trying to project. Caps with your identity emblazoned on the front peak are great.

If you can dictate other factors like the color of belts or the style and color of shoes, the impact is even more positive. The better coordinated all of your employees are, the better they project the image you are trying to create.

Obtaining Uniforms

There are many ways to secure uniforms for your staff, with a variety of financing methods and clothing care plans. The most attractive option may be to specify a uniform and have the employee purchase it from a retailer or working apparel catalog.

Unfortunately, with this technique, the business owner is ultimately giving up control of his company's image and identity to his staff. You can imagine the excuses when some of your employees show up for work occasionally in a different outfit. It always seems to happen on your busiest day, when sending them home to change is just not an option.

In addition, making a minimum-wage employee bear the cost of the image creation effort for your business might simply place too much of a financial burden on your staff to expect the best workers to stay with you for the long run. So if you are committed to taking control of your company's image, be ready to make the uniform investment yourself. It can become a real plus in recruiting and retaining the best staff in the long run.

After you've made the uniform commitment, where do you begin? The best starting point for securing uniforms is to contact your local uniform service company. These uniform professionals are already helping control the images of companies like airlines, fast-food operators, service stations and garages, delivery services, and many other types of businesses in your area, and have developed a variety of plans and programs from which you can select.

The Rental Option

One of the easiest ways to secure uniforms for your staff is a full-service or rental program. The uniform service company will work with you to design exactly the uniform you need in the right style and fabric for your company image.

The company will come in and measure each person on your staff, and deliver fresh, clean uniforms to your specification each week to your facility. During the contract period, which typically runs for three to five years, it will guarantee the cleanliness and quality of the uniforms it is providing and make needed repairs.

It will also often replace any uniforms that simply wear out without charge and provide you with new uniforms for your staff as you hire and fire. You simply pay a rental fee for each uniform change required.

The typical cost for such a full-service plan is usually affordable, a little more than the cost of a cup of coffee (fast-food, not gourmet coffee) each day per employee.

The Purchase Option

The professional uniform service company can also offer you a range of other uniform procurement plans, if you want to spend the time and make the effort needed to organize and manage a uniform program yourself.

Most of the larger national companies offer direct-purchase mail order catalogs, which will allow you to purchase the same high-quality, long-lasting work clothes that they use in their full-service plans directly over the phone.

However, you then must provide the laundering service for these uniforms. If you turn this over to your employees, you are again risking loss of control of your company's image.

Most of these direct purchase catalogs also offer a complete range of services for embroidering your company name on the garments or on patches that can be sewn onto the garments. There is typically an additional charge for preparing your logo for application on the garments the first time, but once the pattern is made, the personalization costs are quite reasonable.

The Lease Option

The uniform service company can also arrange for you to lease uniforms made exactly to your specification. This option helps to smooth the cash flow of purchasing your garments over a period of time and significantly reduces the initial cost of getting your staff into uniforms.

Many service companies also offer lease programs with maintenance agreements, where you own the uniforms but the service company launders them weekly and keeps them in top repair. This option gets your and your employees out of the laundry business and guarantees better image consistency over the long haul.

Whatever option you choose, its time to consider taking better control of your carwash business' image by starting a uniform program for your employees. The benefits are many and the costs are very low.

Matt McConaughy is director of marketing at ARAMARK Uniform Services, Burbank, CA.