BY AMY BELL

When it comes to operating a car wash, bigger isn’t always better. In fact, it’s often the small, inconspicuous details that make a huge difference for a business.

Whether it’s the smile on a team member’s face, the manager’s friendly tone or the tidy lobby, subtle nuances can make a powerful impact on your customers. Even better, most of these improvements won’t cost you a dime.

Here are 10 tiny things you can do to create a big boost for your business:

#1 KEEP IT CLEAN

If you want to ensure a great customer experience, cleanliness is key. A filthy facility littered with towels and trash creates a horrible first impression. How can a customer feel confident that your crew will do a good job detailing his car when you can’t even keep your business clean?

“Keeping your place clean may seem small, but it’s huge,” said Bob Burrows, owner of Platinum Auto Spa in Marietta, Ga. “If you clean cars for a living but you don’t clean your own place, that doesn’t look good. That’s probably one of the biggest challenges for me — making sure my employees pick up after themselves.”

#2 WATCH YOUR TONE

A pleasant tone of voice can go a long way to make customers feel welcomed. Make sure your team members are courteous and friendly to every person they serve.

“Don’t let employees yell at customers in the tunnel,” said Matt Brunk, Operations Manager of Wild Blue Car Wash in Colorado Springs, Colo. “So what if the customer hopped the roller? Be polite and make them feel comfortable.”

#3 RESPOND TO REVIEWS

In today’s digital world, unsatisfied customers have a lot more power than they did in the past. Instead of just expressing their discontent to the business manager, many angry customers flock to the Internet to share their unpleasant experiences with the world. Google and Yelp reviews can make or break a business.

Unfortunately, you cannot bury your head in the sand and hope the negative reviews disappear. According to Brunk, it’s important to reply to each one of them. “You have to manage your online reviews,” he said. “Make sure you respond and take them seriously.”

#4 BE FRIENDLY

James Cash Penney, founder of the J.C. Penney Co., once said, “Every great business is built on friendship.” In the car wash industry, even the smallest friendly gestures can make a big difference. “Do simple things like giving the customer a thumbs-up when they are set to go down the tunnel,” Brunk said. “Or give out dog treats to customers who come through with their dogs.”

Burrows wholeheartedly agrees. “Because we’re not an express car wash, our customers want human contact,” he said. “They’re looking for a smile, a greeting and people who know their names. They’re looking for a place where they feel like they’re not a customer, but they’re part of the family. That’s one of our big things here, to offer them a friendly smile. That makes a big difference.”

#5 TRAIN YOUR STAFF

As a car wash owner, you can’t expect your crew to offer exceptional customer service when you don’t show them the ropes. This is where training comes into play.

“You have to train your staff to be attentive to customers,” said Brunk. “Offer a training program for customer service, and hold monthly meetings to encourage the team and communicate issues.”

Burrows reflects this sentiment, adding that it’s important to teach every employee customer-service skills. “My line guys are actually sales people too,” he said. “The truth of the matter is the people who are on the line and drying the cars, they have to sell the place as well. They have to smile at the customer, look them in the eye, say thank you when they get a tip. I spend time training my employees to do that.”

#6 DITCH THE TIP BOX

When Platinum Auto Spa got rid of its tip box, Burrows saw an immediate improvement in employee productivity and customer service. It may seem contrary to common sense, but a shared tip box can actually decrease motivation for team members.

“When I did away with the tip box, it made a big difference,” he said. “It helps us tons because the employees know the tips they get are coming directly from the customer. It’s not something that’s divvied up equally among everyone. If you work hard, you get bigger tips. And it motivates them a lot more.”

#7 DRESS FOR SUCCESS

The old adage tells us not to judge a book by its cover. Even so, customers often judge a business by the team’s attire. In fact, a study by J.D. Power and Associates revealed that 60% of consumers said they have more confidence in employees who wear a uniform.

“Make sure your staff has a dress policy, and enforce it,” Brunk said. “It makes customers feel welcome.”

#8 FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION

Whether you’re managing employees or dealing with customers, clear and effective communication is essential. According to body-language expert and speaker Patti Wood, MA, there are many ways business owners can improve their communication with customers and employees.

“The biggest issue I see right now in my clients across the board is a need to be fully present,” she said. “I often go to a client site to observe as a consultant or coach and/or gather intel for a program designing, and I see managers standing talking with people with their feet pointed to the exit, no eye contact and a lack of facial feedback. It seems so basic, but technology is affecting our attention.” (See the Communication Corner sidebar for more communication tips.)

Brunk agrees that communication is vital in a car wash business. “Have simple signs for customers and encourage them to talk to you when they need help,” he said. “Walk around the vacuum area and talk to customers. Also, observe how your crew loads and talks to them.”

#9 CREATE CHECKLISTS

Checklists are a simple and inexpensive way to streamline your processes and ensure consistently great service. “Have your people do an opening checklist and a daily equipment check,” said Brunk. “Hold them accountable to doing the checklists and equipment checks.”

#10 HIRE TOP-NOTCH TALENT

Recruiting excellent workers for your car wash is easier said than done. However, with the proper hiring and interviewing tactics, it is possible. “Business is booming, and unemployment is low,” said Brunk. “This means you must be a good trainer and have a good onboarding program. I always say, ‘Hire the attitude and train the skill.’ Sometimes it is easier to hire someone with experience or someone that can work on equipment. That is the easy road but not always the best road. Hire someone that has a great attitude, is coachable and wants to learn the wash. Then train them on the skills they need.”

According to Brunk, this approach may be difficult at first, but it will pay off in the long run.

“I don’t hire anyone off the Internet without having them come in for an interview,” said Burrows. “I’ve got to physically see them in front of me. The way they look and how they interact with you during the interview is as good as it’s going to be when they’re in front of a customer. So, look for eye contact, smile and ease of conversation.”

According to Wood, hiring managers should “extend small talk” during each interview. “By extending the small-talk conversation, you allow yourself more rapport-building time,” she said. This also gives you an opportunity to take in visual cues and read the body language of the prospective employee. “Add a few questions to the start of your conversation. One of my favorite ways to do this is to ask, ‘What’s the best thing that happened to you this week?’ It’s a fun, easy question the interviewee hasn’t prepared for. Another approach is to note happy stories in the news and bring them up.”

By making these 10 relatively small changes, you’ll vastly improve the customer experience and boost your bottom line. After all, customer service is the heart of every car wash business. “Customer service is really the business we’re in,” Burrows said. “I’m not in the car wash business; I’m in the customer-service business.”

COMMUNICATION CORNER

Want to improve communication with your employees and customers? Body-language expert and speaker Patti Wood, MA, offers the following tips:

• Go early: Arriving late to meetings is a nonverbal signal that can be read by your team as a lack of respect. You may be perceived as unorganized and not truly competent.

• Shake hands: Research shows that a handshake is equal to three hours of continual face-to-face interaction in its ability to establish rapport. It also has been shown to make you appear friendlier, more intelligent and more persuasive.

• Praise employees and their ideas: Praise your employees and note it publicly. Don’t speed through this step. Take your time and deliver the news with warmth and enthusiasm.

• Make eye contact: A listener should give more eye contact than the speaker. Research suggests that if you want to have good rapport, you should maintain eye contact 60% to 70% of the time that someone is speaking with you.

• Nod your head: You do not have to have a bobble-toy head, but occasionally nod your head to show you are listening and empathetic with the speaker’s message.

• Turn off technology: Signal your intent to really listen by turning away from your computer, letting phone calls go to voice mail, ignoring or turning off your cellphone and saying out loud, “Let me turn this off while we talk.”

• Lean forward: I don’t mean get in their face, but merely lean in toward the speaker. Research shows that in a seated conversation, a backward lean communicates that you are dominant. A forward lean shows interest.

• Expose your heart: To show you’re listening, orient the heart and ideally the upper portion of your body toward the speaker. People self-disclose more to listeners facing them. Even a quarter turn away signals a lack of interest to the speaker and makes the speaker shut down.