Are you one of the car wash owners who need to recruit employees every so often? Do not despair because you are not alone. Employee turnover may be one of the most common problems in the car wash industry, but it is not entirely unsolvable. Experts agree that the key to boosting your detailer’s skills is effective employee management.
5 Employee Management Strategies to Improve Your Detailer’s Skills
Here are five employee management techniques that can enhance your detailers’ skills:
1. Give them inspiration
Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace Report states that the average American workplace is populated with 70% uninspired workers. That leaves you with only 30% detailers doing the best they can while the remaining 70% seem to have a limbo existence. Can you imagine the possibilities if you can urge all of your detailers to reach their full potentials? They will work happily and wholeheartedly, allowing them to finish their tasks on or before the designated time, consequently providing your customers with utmost satisfaction. The secret of course, lays in your ability to motivate them. You need to paint them a beautiful vision of what their lives can be once you reach the company’s goals, with their help, of course. This will inspire them to improve their skills and work harder.
2. Develop their people skills
Developing your detailers’ people skills may not turn them into rockstar detailers but you will be providing them with lifelong skills that can help them communicate with others better. This, they can put to good use for talking customers into buying add-on services like pet hair removal or air sanitation on the spot or recruiting friends and family members to work for your business.
3. Implement rotation of tasks
Just like you, your detailers can get bored with doing the same things over and over every single day. Add some spice to their detailing lives by rotating tasks. Not only will you bring excitement to their usual routines, but you will also enable them to learn every aspect of detailing. Each of them will learn how to detail tires and engines, wax, polish or repair exterior paint, steam clean interiors, detail headlights and windshields and so much more. This way, your operations will not be hampered in case a detailer absents himself due to sickness or family concerns. Not to mention that your new employees will be grateful to you for the skills they have acquired and of course, for giving them a chance to earn more as a result of that training.
4. Enforce neatness and the wearing of uniforms
In this world where looks reign supreme, neat-looking, uniformed car wash employees matter not only to the customers but for themselves as well. Understand that most of your workers only earn enough to support their families so wearing clean uniforms is a better option than buying new shirts often. To them, uniforms are economical, and provide them with a sense of belonging, confidence and a certain degree of professionalism. As such, they will not be embarrassed to face their fellow employees and customers as well. But how can you ensure that everybody is neat and wears a clean uniform all the time? A good employee management skill is to conduct a routine inspection everyday before the actual working hours. You must also have a stock of reserved uniforms for workers who left theirs at home. And while you’re at it, stress the importance of neatness and personal hygiene as a whole. Say no to Mohawks, body piercings, very visible tattoos and the like.
5. Build transparent employer-employee relationships
Some car wash owners think that transparency is not an effective employee management tool because it can make them look vulnerable to the eyes of their employees and lose their respect in the process. On the contrary, opening yourself to your employees earns their trust, respect and empathy. For example, do not pretend that your business is doing well when you are, in reality, barely earning enough to stay afloat. Tell them the truth and you will be surprised with what they can do. Some of them may suggest promos or services that you have never even thought about. Some may offer to do cost-cutting by saving electricity, supplies and water. Whatever their suggestions may be, one thing is clear – by being transparent, you will not only boost your detailers’ skills but encourage creativity, productivity and unity among your workers as well.
Through effective management strategies, a car wash owner like you can boost your detailers’skills and ultimately, increase your business’ bottom line.
Would you like to learn more about employee management or other related topics? Then feel free to check out DetailXPerts franchisee support section where you can get vital information that may lead to the success of your car wash.
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