How smart is your car wash?
Artificial intelligence‑enabled technologies are becoming a growing presence across many industries, and the car wash and forecourt are no exception.
OniLogic, a designer and manufacturer of industrial computers, wrote in its study The Car Wash of the Future that “artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are no longer futuristic concepts; they are the driving forces behind the next‑generation products and solutions, impacting everything from operational efficiency and customer experience to sustainability and profitability.” AI technologies, the study added, will “enhance quality, reduce costs, personalize services and promote sustainability. These technologies are enabling car wash businesses to not only survive but also flourish in an increasingly competitive market.”
The automated edge
Sergio DiMonte, president of Crosstown Car Wash, says the most immediate impact of AI in a car wash operation is in staff management. Tasks that once required a person can now be handled by an AI‑enabled system. One example he gives is managing customer calls. A large car wash operation would typically hire a full‑time staffer to handle inquiries, bookings and complaints, or rotate staff away from their main duties to answer calls during their shifts—taking time away from assisting customers.
Last year, Rinsed launched Support Agent, an AI‑powered automated phone support system designed to handle common customer inquiries, including questions about services offered across multiple locations, hours of operation and detailing or interior cleaning packages.
Rinsed Support Agent can also answer questions about a customer’s membership status, process upgrades and update customer information.
Hello Wash offers a similar AI‑powered agent that can take customer calls, resolve common issues automatically and create tickets for staff when needed.
Bill Barber, president of WashLinks, says it will soon be commonplace for customers to interact with an AI agent when calling a car wash, as the technology is evolving to the point where it is as good as—or better than—a human attendant.
“An AI agent now can answer the phone and have actual discussions with a customer, thereby replacing the need for a human attendant,” says Barber. “Regardless of whether you have a single car wash location or 500 locations, an AI service and agent can likely handle the same volume of phone calls that a human attendant would handle at each location.”
Data-driven customer solutions
While AI can free up staff to focus on customer service, it can also help manage overall car wash operations, including customer management.
“Operators are practical. They’re not asking for AI for AI’s sake. They’re asking for better results, and increasingly, AI is one of the best ways to get there,” says David Kuchenski, director, solution consulting and innovation at DRB. “The outcomes we hear most often are faster throughput, better use of staff time and stronger membership performance.”
Kuchenski sees the greatest benefit when AI is integrated into a car wash’s point‑of‑sale (POS) system, helping manage the customer journey and improving staff interactions.
AI acts as a support layer within the POS, functioning as “an intelligence layer across the entire platform, not as a standalone feature. Identification, transactions, tunnel operations and business analytics all become more effective when they’re connected and sharing data,” he says.
For example, DRB’s NoPileups application uses AI to combine customer membership information, car wash transactions and operational data to generate business and customer insights that improve performance and satisfaction.
“We also see AI playing an increasingly important role in helping operators make better business decisions,” Kuchenski adds. AI tools can mine large amounts of sales and customer data in real time to better understand what is happening at the wash and use that information to drive membership growth, offers and other business decisions.
“As more data becomes connected across the wash, AI can identify trends, surface opportunities and provide recommendations that help operators optimize staffing, pricing, marketing and customer retention efforts,” says Kuchenski.
“In terms of customer retention, we can monitor every car that goes through the wash and see if a member who once came in four times a month is now coming only twice a month. Might that be because of a concern they have? Are they going to cancel their membership? Now you can catch them, see what the issue is, talk with them and find out what the problem may be,” adds Barber.
This becomes even more efficient when AI is paired with licence‑plate readers, matching a plate to a customer’s membership information and history.
“Every AI‑powered identification event, whether it’s a licence‑plate read or an RFID validation, enriches the customer record,” says Kuchenski. “That gives operators something the industry hasn’t traditionally had: an accurate, automatically updated view of customer behaviour at the individual level. From there, AI can spot patterns that would be nearly impossible to identify manually, such as a member whose visit frequency is starting to decline or a retail customer who’s behaving like an ideal membership candidate.”
READ: Paytronix adds new features to guest engagement platform
- The connected forecourt
As with today’s c‑store and car wash operations, fuel retailers are looking to build comprehensive profiles of their customers to drive fuel and c‑store sales. AI tools are helping them do that—from optimizing c‑store offerings based on buying habits to personalizing membership programs with targeted offers and promotions.
Even the fuel pump is being optimized with AI. Retailers can now push personalized offers to pump‑side screens based on a customer’s membership profile and previous purchases recorded in the c‑store’s POS system that uses AI to sift through the customer information.
“From a retail perspective, we are seeing increased focus on loyalty programs and value‑added services like media at the pump driving c‑store purchases, car washes and general advertising revenue,” says Mike MacKay, EV charging specialist with National Energy Equipment (NEE). “We are also seeing additional fuel sources like EV charging being integrated at these locations. This new market is an opportunity for brands to attract new repeat customers by integrating their loyalty programs and providing reliable charging stops with convenient amenities.”
Fuel customers are increasingly looking for EV charging options, and fuel retailers are responding by adding chargers and systems to monitor them, reducing downtime and ensuring consistent service.
“There has been a push for quicker charging, especially in ‘corridor’ locations,” MacKay says. “Vehicles and chargers have progressed significantly over the past couple of years, and one or two 50‑kW ports per location are no longer sufficient. Most new locations are looking for modular, multi‑port systems that allow for dynamic power sharing between vehicles to get the most out of their available grid connection capacity.”
As a service provider partnered with many different customers and vendors, NEE uses various technologies to maintain charging systems across the country, adds MacKay. “Some of the more advanced manufacturers provide us with remote access through proprietary portals, enabling us to monitor and even repair some faults without having to roll a truck to site. Others that don’t provide these systems can usually be connected to third‑party solutions that allow owners to monitor their systems and set up alerts to watch for faults in this emerging industry.”
