You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. As soon as customers pull into your forecourt, they are taking in the environment, forming opinions, and ultimately deciding whether or not their first impression of your business is a good one.
One of the very first things customers may notice about your service station is its level of cleanliness. A chronically dirty or unkempt appearance is ultimately detrimental to the success of your business. From store safety to overall reputation, a clean environment makes all the difference when it comes to the satisfaction of your customer base.
Maintaining Your Brand Reputation & Trust
When it comes to attracting new business, word of mouth is one of the most effective tools around. This is why maintaining a great reputation for your service station is critical. If a customer visits your petrol station and immediately notices foggy windows, grimy pumps, and an oil-stained driveway, they’re unlikely to care much about other aspects like product or customer service. Your petrol station has instantly established a reputation with that customer as a dirty place of business that doesn’t value the overall customer experience.
Unfortunately, this negative experience won’t affect only one customer. It’s very likely that this customer will warn others against visiting your service station at risk of encountering similarly unkempt conditions. As a business, your reputation precedes you. Make sure what is being said is positive by making an effort to clean all visible customer areas daily.
Cleaner Petrol Stations Keep Customers Safe
Customer complications resulting from dirty store and forecourt don’t end at a bad reputation. Ignoring the cleanliness of your business can actually be a dangerous habit! Neglecting issues such as outdoor and indoor spills or greasy floors can result in accidents and injuries. Slips and falls are among the top causes of workplace injuries for both employees and customers.
If an injury resulting from a spill or mess occurs at your petrol station, you may even be liable. Customers could be able to prove that your business is at fault, and that you acted negligently as an owner by failing to maintain a clean, safe environment for your customers and employees. Ultimately, establishing a great cleaning routine today can save you trouble and money tomorrow.
Minimise Risk For Customer Illness
Now more than ever, regularly disinfecting your workplace and areas of high customer traffic has become critical. To customers, cleanliness has also come to represent a business that values the safety and wellness of their clientele. Amidst the pandemic, businesses who have not prioritised regular sanitation have risked becoming vectors for the spread of illness. In today’s climate, it is critical to your customers that they observe special attention devoted to regularly wiping pumps, registers, and thoroughly cleansing areas like bathrooms and door handles.
Establish a Daily Routine
Thankfully, there’s a lot you can do to make sure that you are providing an exceptional customer experience for customers at your petrol station. Establishing a daily cleaning routine for employees will help maintain and mitigate any significant areas of concern. Daily sanitization of customer bathrooms and high touch surfaces like counters and door knobs, regularly mopping, and frequent visual inspections of customer zones will ensure that every first impression is a good one.
However, there’s only so much you can do alone. Some cleaning and deep cleaning tasks are simply impossible for employees to execute by themselves. For extra help with hard to reach places, our partners at Hard Surface Cleaners have all of the tools you need to make sure your service station maintains a sparkling reputation in your community.
Seek Help with Hard Surface Cleaners
Australian-owned with a long history of excellence, Hard Surface Cleaners is fully prepared to help you transform your petrol station. From pressure washing your driveway and pavement, to clearing your canopy of cobwebs, HSC uses the highest quality, environmentally friendly products to make sure your business meets the highest standards. Don’t let a chronically messy service station overwhelm you. Reach out to Hard Surface Cleaners today for a clean you and your customers can trust.