The Unlimited Auto Wash Podcast

Secrets of Multi-Location Management with Unlimited Auto Wash

• Kevin Dalton • Episode 14

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How Do You Address The Challenges With Managing Multiple Locations And Employees?

Ever wondered what it takes to run a successful car wash business across multiple locations? Kevin Dalton pulls back the curtain on the operational secrets behind Unlimited Auto Wash's impressive management of six locations and over 175 employees.

At the heart of their success lies an unwavering commitment to consistency. Kevin reveals how they've developed specialized car wash soap formulated specifically for hand washing—neutral pH to protect employees' skin while being environmentally conscious with low-foaming properties. This attention to detail extends to every aspect of their operation, from standardized washing techniques to customer service protocols.

Communication emerges as the cornerstone of their management approach. Monday manager meetings at their Jupiter headquarters set the tone for the week, reviewing performance metrics and addressing customer feedback with remarkable transparency. Kevin shares how they leverage video recordings for training, using any service inconsistencies as learning opportunities across all locations. The company's emphasis on repetition—reinforcing key points multiple times throughout each day and during nightly team meetings—ensures training really sticks. "To hear it one time, it's hard to really grasp... but to hear it a fourth time, it really starts to sink in," Kevin explains.

Ready to see this operational excellence in action? Visit one of Unlimited Auto Wash's six convenient Palm Beach County locations or head to Unlimitedautowashclub.com today. After all, as Kevin and his team prove daily, the right combination of consistency, communication, and data-driven management can make any business shine.

To learn more about Unlimited Auto Wash visit:
https://www.UnlimitedAutoWashClub.com
Unlimited Auto Wash
561-WASH-ME-2

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Unlimited Auto Wash podcast. Get ready to discover the secrets to keeping your car looking spotless and new. Here's your host, Kevin Dalton, owner of the Unlimited Auto Wash, ready to make your ride shine like never before.

Speaker 2:

Running multiple locations and overseeing a large team takes strategic leadership and problem solving. Here's how Unlimited Auto Wash keeps operation running smoothly. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host, slash producer back in the studio with Unlimited Auto Wash owner, kevin Dalton. Kevin, how's it going today?

Speaker 3:

Fine. Thank you very much, Sofia, for asking how about you?

Speaker 2:

It's going great for me too, kevin. Thank you so much for asking. Now, kevin, managing multiple locations sounds like a massive operation. Let's talk about the challenges and how you tackle them. What challenges come with managing six locations and over 175 employees, and how are they addressed?

Speaker 3:

Well, I would first say that our processes and making sure consistency is the same at every location, which entails a lot of training and continual training.

Speaker 3:

We also have to make sure that our suppliers are delivering the same chemicals throughout our six locations. For example, our car wash soap we have specially made for us because we hand wash. So our gentlemen that will wash all day in the tunnel need to have something with a neutral soap so it's not acidic or high in pH, which those can burn your skin like a machine wash. That type of soap you don't want it on your skin all day long, so we have it specially made for us. And it's also low foaming so that we can rinse with less water. And that makes us uh uh unique in our industry because, uh uh, we are conscientious about, uh uh, the environment, but we uh uh. I guess the biggest thing is that the processes of how we do the from the wash to the drying of the car, to the finishing of the interior, to how our customers are treated inside of our locations when they're checking in or paying for their wash so it is a big, big undertaking and it requires a lot, a lot of training.

Speaker 2:

Wow, yeah, I'm sure it requires a lot of training. Now, how does Unlimited Auto Wash ensure consistency and service quality across all locations? Is it just that great training that you have?

Speaker 3:

Sure. Well, it starts out on Monday mornings we bring all of our managers into our office in Jupiter, florida, and we sit down with them and we go through everything about the week before all the numbers, what we did, right, maybe a phone call I may have received from a customer mentioning hey, they're underneath my front seat, my front mat. There were a few specks of dust or whatever underneath there. They could have done a better job. Well, the good thing is we washed 15,000 cars that week at the six locations. So if we missed one mat, that's not bad and so, but we we certainly strive to fix it. We go back and watch video and we save that video, we show it to our managers. On that, from that phone call I received, we go back and watch it and we record or it's already been recorded, but we show that video of where we went wrong to our all of our managers so that it can be addressed frequently with our employees and team members. That are even our other locations, not just the offending one.

Speaker 2:

Now, what strategies help to maintain strong communication among employees and management?

Speaker 3:

and starting the retraining process or new training process for our existing employees and showing them, giving them all the feedback that the manager had learned from our meeting and bringing it to them throughout the day. And then, especially when we closed that evening, all of the employees are brought in quickly for about a 10 minute meeting and re-drilled with the information that we gave them throughout the day. And you know, to hear it one time, it's hard to really grasp. You know you might forget it, but to hear it a second or third time or even a fourth time, it really starts to sink in. And I'm really proud. You know we'll wash. We'll wash 340,000 cars this this year and at six locations. And, uh, to get the few issues from our our customers that we get today is just phenomenal and we are very blessed that our customers feel our consistency is right, in line with what we feel it is. So we really have a great rapport with our customers and it all stems from our communications with our managers and team members.

Speaker 2:

So, Kevin, what strategies help maintain strong communication among employees and management?

Speaker 3:

Well, I think throughout the days, the managers are discussing with the employees on Mondays what strategies we've gone over with the managers. They're really, really instilling what they've learned into our employees. And then again at nighttime, after we close, the manager brings all the employees in and actually this is every night where we discuss, re-examine everything that he talked to them with about throughout the day and I think again, if you hear it more than once, it will sink in and we just have great crew members at all of our locations, so they're always eager to learn and it shows. You know, we will wash, like I said, 340,000 cars this year and to be able to do it as effectively as we do is a massive undertaking. But we've got it down. We've got a great strategy and great processes that we use to ensure everything flows smoothly throughout the day, and I think communication is, quite frankly, the key to everything.

Speaker 2:

Most definitely Now. How has technology played a role in managing workflow and customer service efficiency?

Speaker 3:

We brought on my nephew Patrick, three years ago two, two and a half years ago and he was specifically brought on because he is very, very strong at technology in terms of starting to create a number system, our numbers that we use weekly to effectively go over with our managers so they can understand the full impact of what they do, from how long it takes a car to go from point A to point B in our process, from point B to point C, and how long it should take, how long do we expect it to take. When should the manager look over to make sure that he can time vehicles to make sure they're going from point A to point B to point C in an effective time? So time management is very important. These are some of the things that we didn't do before, but the numbers that we have gathered in the last two and a half years are just amazing that what he's been able to capture and what we're starting to do with it.

Speaker 2:

Well, kevin, that was a fascinating look behind the scenes. Managing six locations is no small feat, and these strategies you use make all the difference. Thanks again, and we'll see you on your next episode.

Speaker 3:

And we'll see you too, Sophia. Thank you very much.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for listening to the Unlimited Auto Wash podcast. Keep your car looking its absolute best by visiting one of our six convenient Palm Beach County locations or by heading to unlimitedautowashclubcom. Remember, at the Unlimited Auto Wash we make you look good. See you next time.