And new to the car wash biz! I've been in business for about 3 months and have been reading this forum a lot. Just wanted to introduce myself and if anyone has any pointers for a newby, I'm all ears! Thanks!
Whenever possible, I would suggest addressing customer complaints as an opportunity to impress your customer with extraordinary customer service. There is always going to be the occasional a-hole who is just being unreasonable or trying to rip you off, but any valid complaints should be handled in a way to turn them into a loyal customer.So far, the toughest part of the biz is customer complaints, my staff, and stuff breaking down in my tunnel. I bought a pre existing business that came fully staffed with a great general manager and decent staff. I'm looking to get rid of the GM eventually but don't think i can handle daily operations without him at this point.
I definitely see value in him now, but hope to, some day, surpass him in his knowledge and skill. Hopefully down the road i'll be able to partner with him and get him his own store but only time will tell.Hey Turtle,
Welcome!
I'm curious, you praised your GM twice saying he was great and invaluable, yet you also said you would like to eventually get rid of him. Do you not see value in keeing him long term or his he really not getting the job done?
Two takeaways for me from your posts, with regard to your GM are : Your chain falling off twice in 4 months is not normal and indicates a problem, as well, being loaded up with chemicals indicates a whole other problem.
Can you be more specific with regard to customer complaints? Are these quality of service complaints or vehicle damage issues?
Just a question for ya. What does my GM have to do with my chain falling off?
I'm assuming (maybe wrongly) that your GM is responsible for oversight or performance of maintenance and repair of the equipment as well as preventative maintenance, if so he should be able to troubleshoot the problem and make the necessary repairs (or enlist the help of the manufacturer, distributor or maintenance company) to ensure that the problem will not continue.