Many carwash professionals may view equipment as only having maintenance and service needs, but this outlook is not complete. Hogue explains equipment plays a larger role in the customer’s visit since it comes into contact with their vehicle and is marketed throughout the tunnel.
“Remember that even though the client has already paid, they are still being sold through the whole experience in the tunnel,” shares Timothy Hogue, president and senior designer for Modernwash Buildings and Solutions Inc.
Having a friendly staff with branded uniforms also keeps the wash experience going throughout the customer’s entire visit. Hogue says this can help patrons feel more comfortable. “It also relays a consistent experience to the client,” he notes. “The whole experience should be seamless without any issues to cause the client [to] think negatively.”
Carwashes have also begun to see new trends in building design. Hogue says daylighting helps clients feel more at ease and less claustrophobic. This practice “allows natural light into the tunnel space by use of a clear roof system (i.e., polycarbonate multi-wall roof systems, acrylic systems and framed skylights),” he continues.
Daylighting can be extended to the building’s walls so passers-by and customers can watch vehicles being cleaned inside tunnels, “thereby marketing your product (a clean car) to every person passing by,” Hogue notes. “This is the same reason that car dealerships have large glass windows in their showrooms.”
LED lighting, asserts Hogue, can add to the effect of daylighting, as it provides a bright, white light in the tunnel. It also offers the added benefit of saving money.
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