4 Key Steps to Dealership Clean

With everyone working from home and staying inside as much as possible, the automotive industry was hit hard by the pandemic.

According to a survey done by McKinsey, sales plummeted 47% in the US and up to 80% in Europe. Many car dealerships had to close, but for those still standing there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

McKinsey’s statistics also showed that the purchase intent is slowly coming back to the level it was before COVID-19 hit. As the economies are starting up again, people are returning to work and going out more.

Car dealerships are working hard to ensure future business, making changes to their daily routines to stand out. One thing that can make a big difference in this is the cleanliness of your dealership.

Your facility is highly important in establishing a positive image for your company. A clean environment will impress clients and make them feel comfortable, which increases the chances of them purchasing a car.

The visible perception of cleanliness makes customers feel at ease in your facility but is also important for your own sales force. When they are working in a clean and healthy space, they will be motivated to deliver their best work.

When cleaning your car dealership there are a couple of areas you should focus on. First of all, your showroom, and especially the floor. A clean floor is crucial to making a good impression and impacts the overall health and well-being of everyone inside.

According to CleanLink: ''other high-profile areas are front entrances, glass doors and displays''.

The entrance to your showroom should be spotless since this is the first thing customers see when they enter the facility. Cleaning these areas frequently and thoroughly is highly important.

How To Keep Your Dealership Clean

1. Find A True Partner for Your Dealership

Cleaning teams are the key to achieving that “dealership clean” level of cleanliness. If you have a good team, they can make a big difference, but if staff is unreliable, they can cause stress and cost you valuable time and money.

Finding a true partner in your cleaning team and service provider is key. Ideally, you would want your cleaning team to be just as invested in the equipment and the job as you are. However, this isn’t always possible.

A solution to this is with the subscription service offered by ICE Cobotics. By subscribing to our autonomous cleaning equipment you will gain a true partner who is invested in the equipment with you. Our Client Care team is dedicated to providing you with reliable service whenever you need it, at no extra charge.

ICE Cobotics is just as invested in the equipment and cleaning as you are—so through the subscription, you gain a team to support you and your team, making sure your dealership is always clean and ready for customers.

2. Use Data to Increase Cleaning Efficiency

Another issue you might run into is showing up to work and finding your showroom less than clean. Achieving the same high-quality cleaning each day can be a challenge. Although you might have a cleaning checklist, staff might have a different idea of "clean" than you do.

A good way to track cleaning is by choosing cleaning equipment that uses fleet management software, like i-SYNERGY. This way, you’ll gain access to data, reports, and proactive alerts, so you can track when and where equipment is being used and manage cleaning protocols and processes for greater efficiency and productivity.

This information will give you a clear overview of what, where, when, and how your dealership is being cleaned. In this way you will be able to speak to a confirmed clean, continuously delivering a clean and healthy environment for your customers.

3. Build the Dealership Team with Automation

Finding a good cleaning team can be a challenge, but keeping it is often the real issue. According to research, the cleaning industry continues to face turnover rates that run up to 200%.

Absenteeism and these extremely high turnover rates make it difficult to accomplish the consistent and quality cleaning that is necessary to impress customers.

This problem can be faced with the help of cobots, collaborative robots, that are designed to work alongside staff. They increase efficiency and productivity by taking over repetitive and mundane tasks from cleaning teams.

Cobots, like Cobi 18 an autonomous floor scrubber, give cleaning staff time back in the day so they can focus on other high-priority areas.

Not only does autonomous equipment clean thoroughly but their presence during opening hours is also important to impress clients. Seeing and thus knowing that an effort is being made to clean the facility will make customers feel safe and confident while shopping for a car.

Cobots have built-in safety features such as 2D & 3D cameras and Lidar sensors, always ensuring the safety of clients and staff. They are reliable and consistent, meaning you will never miss a clean.

4. Invest in Durable Cleaning Equipment for Your Dealership

Cleaning staff needs equipment that will work consistently and effectively at any time to ensure the quality of their work. Obsolete equipment can be a major obstacle when you are trying to optimize the cleaning process of your dealership.

The use of outdated equipment comes with different problems. First, it will cause more downtime, meaning the machine might sit idle for longer periods.

This will increase the workload for staff and subsequently diminish the quality of cleaning. Aside from this, obsolete equipment has a short lifespan, resulting in higher costs for your business.

Investing in quality equipment, like Cobi, comes with many benefits. The machine is easy to use and ICE Cobotics has an extensive virtual training library that is available online, so anyone can access it at any time.

Providing your team with the right tools is an important step in reducing downtime and keeping your annual cleaning costs low and your dealership clean all year long.

ICE Cobotics is an industry-leading technology and cleaning equipment company specializing in autonomous solutions and all-inclusive subscriptions. Feel free to reach out to our Automation Experts with any questions.