Creating a good first impression with clean vehicles can be a game-changer for fleets, says Nick Causer, Wilcomatic’s business development manager.

Nick Causer, Wilcomatic’s business development manager

Wilcomatic might be the biggest vehicle washing business you’ve never heard of. However, the company’s Clean Car Club is looking to change all that.

With a footprint of more than 550 sites all over the UK, Wilcomatic has undertaken a comprehensive technological upgrade to our car washes, enabling fleet drivers to activate the car wash using an app, with centralised B2B invoicing and attractive trade commercial terms.

The importance of clean vehicles

Whether you are a national broadband provider or a smaller local business, the first impression given to your end customers plays a big role in your ongoing customer retention. Neglecting cleanliness indicates your company does not consider attention to detail import tant – people buy from brands that are proud of their brand identity.

Apart from the obvious implications of headlights and taillights not being effective – and number plates being covered in grime and therefore illegal – if a vehicle can be seen, particularly at night, it is less likely to be involved in an accident. Regular washing also allows for the early identification of vehicle degradation, such as rust.

Some of the more progressive leasing companies and fleet management companies provide driver tips and recommendations to fleet managers. However, generally, it is difficult to get the word out to the vast majority of fleets. A brand-new vehicle is treated with greater respect than a dirty old vehicle on the fleet. If all vehicles were kept clean more regularly there would be fewer bumps, dinks and scratches and therefore fleet managers could limit financial penalties to the fleet.

How the Clean Car Club app works

Fleets sign up to a fleet wash agreement with Clean Car Club/Wilcomatic. They are provided with an access code for the Clean Car Club app, which can predetermine how many washes each driver can activate each month and the types of wash programme (we offer four main programmes from an Express wash to the top Ultimate Plus wash). Fleet managers send user instructions to drivers, along with the access code and links to download the app. Once the app is downloaded and they have registered, the driver can consult the map and find a wash station near their current location. On arrival at the supermarket forecourt, they simply scan a QR code on the car wash control panel, select the wash programme on their phone and then drive into the car wash when instructed by the app. It’s that simple!

Environmental aspects

Compared to unregulated hand car wash sites and onsite jet washing, supermarket automatic car washes offer a safer and more responsible environment to clean fleet vehicles. Firstly, your fleet doesn’t have to worry about the ever-increasing cost of utilities and chemicals with jet wash cleaning on site. Also, all the supermarket sites trap service water and reuse up to 90% of the water during the wash programme. The machines remove effluent and filter the service water in gravel filters onsite, ensuring there is no run-off into surface water. As a result, our rivers, lakes and oceans are not polluted.

Some fleet drivers find themselves having to travel across country to other company sites to use company jet wash facilities, causing a greater fuel spend and higher emissions. With our solution, fleet drivers can always find a supermarket location local to them, up and down the country, causing less fuel burn, reducing emissions, and saving company time.

What’s next for Wilcomatic?

Within the next nine months, we will have 110 jet washes around the country that will be updated to work with the Clean Car Club. They will all be situated at supermarket forecourts, with a big focus in and around cities in the UK.