| Speed and efficiency is paramount in all services | | | | point blank; "Can the average three man crew do 60 |
| businesses. What has always amazed me is that very | | | | cars an hour?" |
| few companies or entrepreneurs take it seriously. | | | | Yes, but you may not need that many people for |
| Consider if you will that in manufacturing everyone is | | | | washing car dealership cars. For instance, if you are |
| focused on finite capacity scheduling models, Six | | | | using the very, very clean water, one person can do |
| Sigma black-belt strategies, and total quality | | | | 60 cars an hour at a car lot, if you use efficient |
| management and in retail everyone is focused on | | | | procedures and don't waste your motions. And it is |
| supply chain streamlining and revenue per square foot, | | | | really easy for two people to do this, if the second, |
| and employees per revenue, and yet, we often find | | | | person (the dryer) hangs back about 8 to 10 cars, |
| managers challenged by applying metrics to the | | | | from the sprayer. |
| service industry. Why? | | | | Who you hire is just as important, so I recommend if |
| Indeed, it hardly matters if you are mowing lawns, | | | | you are going to hire people to help you - hire soccer |
| picking up trash, or washing cars, a service business | | | | players, or people that race motor cross, boxers, |
| must treat it as a rocket science to make money and | | | | wrestlers, or track runners because they have the |
| increase profits, total efficiency matters, as much or | | | | athletic ability to move quickly without running out of |
| more in a service business than in retail or | | | | steam. This is very important. |
| manufacturing, trust me on that. And as long as I am | | | | If you are washing cars at an office building - you can |
| mentioned in car washing, let's take that ball and run | | | | wash a small car in about five minutes by yourself |
| with it shall we? You see, for years I ran mobile car | | | | once you get good at it. And two people can easily do |
| wash rigs, and later franchised that business before | | | | a wash, vacuum, tires, and inside Windows in 10 |
| retirement. | | | | minutes. A two-man crew can wash 50 to 60 post |
| Not long ago, a mobile car wash operator asked me | | | | office jeeps an hour if they are efficient, and you park |
| about efficiency and how many people it might take to | | | | your rig in just the right spot to maximize without |
| clean cars on new dealership car lots, and he asked | | | | having to move the unit. It's all about efficiency. |