The Importance of Job Descriptions

One thing that I have found at car washes I visit, is that often the ones that do the best have a team atmosphere. Not just any team atmosphere, but a group of highly motivated people working towards a common goal.

How do you get your team working towards a common goal? Ask yourself, do you have company goals? If so, are they posted for everyone to be see? Do you have a mission statement for your car wash? Does every employee have a job description? Mission statements and job descriptions should be part of a company’s goals. In order to do a job well, each person needs to know exactly what their job is. Every job has three (3) core elements, so let’s look at a sample job description that contains these elements.

EXPRESS EXTERIOR
CUSTOMER SERVICE ATTENDANT (CSA)
JOB DESCRIPTION

Purpose:

The purpose of a job is the primary reason that the job exists.

The purpose of the CSA is to provide a safe, speedy, clean, and friendly experience to the car wash customer.

Key Results:

Key results are the results to be obtained that fulfill the purpose of the job. Those results also are the basis upon which employees are evaluated.

Reduce damage claims from customers below 1% of gross revenue. (Safety)
Maintain conveyor speed of 120 cars per hour at all times. (Speed)
Maintain scores of mystery shops above 90%. (Cleanliness)
Increase number of smiles recorded from customers. (Friendliness)
Reduce the number of equipment malfunctions to below current levels. (Continuous Improvement)

Key Activities:

Key activities are the activities that are routinely performed to obtain the desired results of a position. Following the procedures outlined for these activities is also important in evaluating a person’s job performance.

Check every customer’s vehicle before they enter the car wash to ensure that the vehicle does not have any visible safety issues.
Facilitate the speedy processing of customer’s vehicles by following the correct procedures for every vehicle through the car wash.
Continually clean all areas of the car wash as well as the surrounding property to ensure that the customers see a clean, attractive facility.
Smile at customers whenever they are in eye contact and remember to give them the thumbs-up sign when they place their car in neutral.
Continually learn about and perform routine maintenance on the car wash equipment. The first key to producing a good customer experience is to ensure that the equipment performs its intended function and does not cause damage or break down while the customer is in the tunnel.
Perform minor equipment repairs as trained and directed.
Perform good customer service whenever a customer asks a question or makes a comment. Positive contact with a CSA is important to customers’ overall experience.

Motivating your employees toward a common goal can be a challenging task. Establish clear and concise job descriptions for your employees and you are likely to be surprised at the results.

Robert Andre is the President of CarWash College™. Robert can be reached at [email protected]. For more information about CarWash College™ certification programs, visit www.CarWashCollege.com or call the registrar’s office at 1-866-492-7422.