In part 1, we discussed the importance of leading by example in order to influence our Detailers to have efficient work methods to their daily details and washes. In this second part, we will dive further into the Detailer themselves and what they do to achieve high efficiency in their work as well as how we support them on these initiatives.
Knowledge
For starters, using experienced Automotive Detailers is a massive bonus. In this sort of industry, it is quite common to come across many sticky situations where there are unusual scratches, stains, smells… you name it. For certain contaminants, you will need specific chemicals and supplies to treat them. Fail to recognize the problem thoroughly, they risk wasting time on methods that have very little to no effect; work smart and save time.
For example, certain contaminants such as bug splatter and bird droppings will most often not be removed in your typical car wash, no matter how long you try for. A detailer would know that using a clay bar as opposed to a car wash mitt would be a much more effective way of cleaning this in much less time in addition to using a stronger shampoo (higher concentration/lower dilution) or specialized bug/tar remover.
Technique
Knowledge in terms of technique is crucial to time management as well. For example, knowing to rinse from the roof down will prevent Detailers from having to rinse multiple times due to repeat cross-contamination. Imagine rinsing the sides, only to realize you left the roof last, all that soap and dirt will trickle down the sides again as soon as you rinse the roof. Or washing under direct sunlight, which causes the shampoo to dry on the paint, therefore adding an extra task to rinse the surface and dry off again. To tackle this, we encourage the use of a Checklist as it is a great way to guide your Detailers in terms of the order and sub-tasks needed to complete the wash.
Putting this all together, to bolster their knowledge we tend to send messages and emails containing links to videos and guides that we find online that are useful. Things like car detailing hacks, tips and tricks are a great way to get started. Make it easy for your Detailers to access great information, keep them learning and up to date with the latest products out there. We also come up with our own material every now and then that we distribute to help our Detailers work smarter in the form of training videos and slide presentations.
For a greater range of rich information, it is always best to seek it from multiple sources. This includes
• Car detailing forums – www.detailparadise.com.au
• YouTube Channels and Videos – Meguiars and AMMO NYC Channel
• Facebook Groups
• Reddit – r/AutoDetailing
Up-Selling
In educating our Detailers, we open them up to up-selling opportunities. Many customers ask for a basic wash and upon inspection, realize that a detail is needed to fix certain blemishes as opposed to a wash.
For differences between a car wash and detail click here.
Being a mobile service, travel time is not paid for and if we could extend the service with other car detailing add-ons then it pans out well for the Detailer and the business. A part of what makes a service efficient is ‘pay vs time’, in this case, to compensate for the traveling time, the Detailer can extend their working hours through add-ons/extras. But of course we don’t push our Detailers to do this, it really depends on the condition of the customer’s car and their expectation. Sometimes additional services are required in order to align with their expectations.
As we discussed earlier, bird droppings and bug guts are often mistaken as contaminants that can be easily removed with a basic car wash by our customers. By educating them about the clay bar, by demonstration, we can charge clay-bar as an add-on to the package if they wish to proceed with it. Leave the contaminants there and the customer risks permanent damage to the paint, which can be costly in the long term.
As you can see, knowledge, technique and up-selling are some of the ways our Detailers are able to work more efficiently. Whether it is through past experiences, online guides and tutorials or forums, whichever it may be, the key to efficiency is to learn how to be efficient with your time and resources.
