Today, consumers are wanting fast and convenient services, and on-demand options are on the rise. In the carwash industry, more owners and operators are turning toward mobile carwashes and detailing services to help cater to the shifting needs of on-the-go customers. And, new wash models, such as flex-serve, as well as programs, promotions and technology, such as online payments, loyalty/VIP programs and user-friendly, automated point-of-sale (POS) systems, are also being implemented at car care businesses.

In the article “4 Essentials for Growing an On-Demand Company,” featured on Entrepreneur’s website, contributor Eyal Ronen discusses the rise in popularity for the on-demand industry.

“The ‘on-demand’ industry is exploding; one can hail a citizen driver almost instantly, outsource any number of jobs and tasks online, get almost anything delivered anywhere in minutes, rent out other people’s homes for sleep or work — you name it, all with the tap of a smartphone,” writes Ronen in the article. “With this ever-expanding shift [toward] instant gratification, countless companies … must evolve their infrastructure to accommodate this growing trend or risk being left behind.”

A combination of strong technology and human touch, explains Ronen in the article, is what “enabled this consumer revolution and will ensure better service for the customer.”

In the article, Ronen shares four ways to help successfully grow on-demand services:

• Establish a user interface centered on service. Service is essential for success, especially since more products/services are available at any time. On-demand services need to be convenient, easy and enjoyable. “User Interface (UI) is crucial to creating a successful on-demand business,” says Ronen in the article. “A company’s app or website is the customer’s first glimpse into the service they will receive. It should be thought of as a storefront — neat and clean, with clear signage to aisles of interest.”
• Be reliable, fast and accurate. On-demand services must be quick and reliable. “The less time that passes between an order and its fulfillment, the happier the customer will be, the more jobs you will be able to process and the more revenue you will generate,” asserts Ronen in the article. “As such, your entire system should be built for speed.”
• Analyze trends. A significant amount of untapped statistical data is available for your business, which can be utilized to identify opportunities in the on-demand marketplace. Consider macro and micro data, advises Ronen in the article. Macro data includes factors such as surge times and trends regarding user location or service demands, explains Ronen in the article, adding that micro data can be used to increase efficiency of “individual job request fulfillment,” including information like the location of customers, location of service providers and current stock.
• Stay modular. Information technology is advancing at exponential rates, which means you may have to update your system on a regular basis; for this reason, it may be better off making your system modular and flexile right off the bat. “Smart, sustainable and scalable growth is paramount [because] the logistics required for a large company dealing with [thousands] of customers daily are very different than those of a small [business] dealing with just hundreds — from the size of the support team to the complexity of real-time decision-making.”

Read the entire article on growing on-demand business here.