Managing Your Expectations as a Carwash Owner

If you are anything like I was when I owned and operated carwashes, you want your employees, and your customers for that matter, to be pretty close to flawless. We want things to always run smoothly and customers to enjoy our services. However, what we don’t realize is that will never happen. Customers and employees will make mistakes because they are human, and humans are far from perfect. Most people want to act appropriately, but they can’t consistently execute.



I believe that 9 out of 10 employees and customers want to do the right thing. Do not create rules and policies to manage the 10% that don’t. Just get rid of them after giving it your best effort to save them. If an employee doesn’t do what you ask them to do, it’s only for two reasons. First, they are unwilling (10%) or, second, they are unable (90%). Always assume that they are unable until they prove you otherwise.

Managing is more about coaching and teaching employees than managing. Most carwash workers are unskilled, and for many, this is their first job. You can help them establish good work habits and skills that will last a lifetime.

Standards, processes, and procedures are the lifeblood of car washing. Without them, everyone will bring their own version to work, causing inconsistent results. Therefore, always manage to and reinforce the standards. This makes coaching employees easier.

If an employee did not meet the standard, always ask, “how did we fail this employee”? and review the following:

• Are the processes and procedures in place?
• Did we train the employee to the standard?
• Did we reinforce the standard with the employee? Did we reinforce enough times for them to understand, practice, and become proficient?
• Did we explain, and did they understand the "Why" of the standard?

Most employees will need to be shown many times before they understand and demonstrate proficiency.

Anger comes from a mismatch of expectations and reality. It is unrealistic to expect the carwash to run smoothly and employees to perform every day perfectly. You must expect that things can and will go wrong. Once you do this, your expectations will come closer to matching reality, and your anger will go away. If you become angry, ask yourself, “What did I expect in this situation, and how is it different from reality?” Never ask, “Why can’t anyone just do what I ask them”? You know why. You just can’t accept why.

Perfectionism is an unsustainable mindset. Perfectionism is different than wanting and maintaining high standards. We should always strive to maintain high standards but expect the team to achieve 80%. Your employees do not have the same mindset as you. If they did, they would be in your position and not theirs.

At CarwashOS, we understand your frustrations and expectations because we've been there. To find out what carwash consulting services CarwashOS provides or to learn more about how we can help your carwash achieve long-term results, schedule a free 30-minute consultation.