Company: Soapy Joes Car Wash
Company Description: Soapy Joe’s Car Wash is a family owned and operated business in San Diego County. We’re dedicated to providing quality service, customer satisfaction and eco-friendly technology, all at a great value. With multiple locations offering convenient hours, lightning fast express service and premium upgrades, we make it easy for everyone to enjoy their ride. Because of that we were voted “Best Car Wash"
Nomination Category: New Product & Service Categories - Business Technology
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Solution
 Nomination Title: Soapy Joe's Help Center
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated new or new-version product or service, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: If this is a brand-new product, state the date on which it was released. If this is a new version of an existing product, state the date on which the update was released:
The English version of the Soapy Joe’s Zen Desk Help Center opened in August of 2023 and the Spanish version opened in December of 2023.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the features, functions, and benefits of the nominated product or service (up to 350 words):
Total 342 words used.
Soapy Joe’s Inc. is a membership-based express car wash in San Diego. The family owned and operated company is an industry leader and as a cult brand has one of the highest member-counts nationwide. Over the course of the past four years, the company has doubled in size, growing from 11 to 23 locations and membership nearing 200,000. The team is laser-focused on creating memorable interactions that support the membership-based business goals and optimize technology to manage hypergrowth.
The Soapy Joe’s Help Center is a web-based self-help portal implemented in 2023 to supplement existing email and phone support in a year that saw call volume increase 41% and written tickets increase by 16%. Historically the team maintained a 1:20K ratio of agents to members, with 3 full-time call center reps who handle account management in English and Spanish. To support hyper growth the team shifted focus to empower customers directly. The new direction absorbs growth through technology, allowing the company to maintain headcount and focus live-help on more complex issues. With the Help Center in place, the team is entering 2024 with a ratio of 1 agent :45K members, while maintaining customer satisfaction scores at 90% (CSAT).
The new Help Center leverages historical data and predictive AI. The AI-powered site search enables users to find relevant articles as well as the Ask Soapy module which submits automatic tickets to the CX team. Help Center integrations include the Knowledge Base, integrated ticketing system and account management section, and an analytics component that allows the team to monitor efficiency and discover actionable trends and patterns. Offering the Help Center in English and Spanish was a priority, with over 30% of the car wash’s customers being Spanish speaking.
This approach builds on the company’s strong foundation of data collection and analysis, which helps them deliver exceptional customer experiences. Soapy Joe’s has long been a pioneer in leveraging emerging technologies to improve efficiency and engagement, while keeping the barriers to entry low so that customers of all ages and backgrounds can utilize the tools.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Outline the market performance, critical reception, and customer satisfaction with the product or service to date. State monetary or unit sales figures to date, if possible, and how they compare to expectations or past performance. Provide links to laudatory product or service reviews. Include some customer testimonials, if applicable (up to 350 words):
Total 346 words used.
The new Help Center proved incredibly successful in a short amount of time. On average, the call center receives 5,000 calls/month and 4,000 tickets/month.
As of January 2024, the solution generated 19,000 views, and deflected an average of 3,400 tickets per month, amounting to nearly 270 man-hours and $100K in salary-saved in just 5 months.
The integration quickly surpassed internal expectations for self-service scores – the initial goal was to stay under 25% and the score has averaged 18% within the first three months after launch. Top searches include terms such as: cancel, new car, fast pass, touchless. Surprising the team, an article aimed at the beginning of the customer experience called “What to Expect at Soapy Joe’s” performs in the top articles monthly, beating expectations that heavily used articles would focus on the middle-to-end of customer journeys.
Integrating the account management function with the Help Desk articles contributes to the organization’s retention metrics. By offering price promotions to members who search and read articles relating to cancellation, the team can defend over 20% of intended cancellations online. Compared to the <6% achieved live, the Help Center interface is identifying at-risk members before they enter the cancellation workflow. Soapy Joe’s can also overlay search data with self-reported data to verify voice-of-customer. The second most common reason members cancel, according to quarterly member surveys is “new car”. With “new car” and “new vehicle” in the top searches, the self-report is now validated. As such, the team can substantiate investment in new UX interfaces, customer statuses (pause membership), offers and journeys in 2024.
All these features needed to be stood-up with no ticket disruption. The Zendesk system powers customer-facing as well as internal requests amongst the company's 600 employees. Access and continuity of service were of paramount importance.
Since the Help Center launched, overall call volume to the call center has dropped by 9%, which gives the CX team more time to focus on other tickets and helps lower overall rates abandoned calls, which the team drove down from 23% to 16% in 2023.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 11 words used.
- Home screen
- Sample English and Spanish article
- Data and charts 😊
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