We are years ahead of the rest of the market
A customer stays loyal to you until they find a better alternative. At the Loogman Groep, which includes Loogman Tanken & Wassen, this principle has been guiding us for years. That’s why the company is deeply committed to providing an optimum customer experience. Thanks to a focus on innovation, digitisation and additional services, Loogman Tanken & Wassen is far more than just a petrol station with a car wash.
Eight minutes. That’s how long a car remains on the conveyor belt for a thorough interior cleaning by nine Loogman employees. During that time, you could, of course, give the car owner a weak cup of coffee and let them sit in a waiting room filled with yellowed car magazines and fluorescent lighting. Or you could completely pamper the customer in those eight minutes.
Experience
“We understand the technology of car washing,” says Jaap Vieveen, financial director at the Loogman Groep. “But we also understand that customer experience is crucial.”
So, in that otherwise wasted time, customers can enjoy a nice sandwich at Broodje & Co (named after founder Co Loogman) or grab a croquette from the FEBO in the building. They can then relax on comfortable sofas and watch the cleaning process (inside and out) through glass walls. And by the time they have finished their last bite, their car rolls off the line gleaming.
Innovation
“Anyone can compete on price; it’s not that complicated,” says Vieveen. “We want to innovate.” That’s why talented employees are allowed to dedicate a full day each week to brainstorming and developing innovative ideas. “We’re exploring with TU Delft and TU Eindhoven what’s technically possible in those eight minutes. Can a robot refill the antifreeze? Can an electric car be charged?”
We are years ahead of the rest of the market
As modern and forward-thinking as Loogman is today, its administration was outdated until a few years ago. “We have about 30,000 fuel cards in circulation. The associated administrative process was entirely manual: new customers had to fill in a form, which we then typed into a system, followed by a credit check. It sometimes took up to ten days for the customer to receive their pass.”
Capacity for strategic thinking
Customers complained about the delays, and the manual process was both costly and prone to errors. Loogman turned to Aster to digitise its processes and to merge all the different data streams (in addition to Loogman Tanken & Wassen, the company also operates a golf course, a brasserie and two self-storage locations) into a single ERP system.
Vieveen explains: “Aster spent some time on the shop floor to hear first hand what challenges employees were facing and how processes could be improved. What we appreciate about Aster is their capacity to think strategically. They don’t just provide connections and hardware. Aster is our ICT partner which provides input from the start of the process, to ensure that nothing is overlooked.”
Progress
“With Aster, we’ve made tremendous progress. Everything is digitised. A customer who orders their pass today will receive it tomorrow. We’ve developed a car wash app and collect valuable data that helps us serve our customers even better.”
Through digitisation, Loogman also saves on staffing costs. That’s a nice bonus, but that’s not why Loogman does it. “It’s simple: you have to keep up with the times, or someone else will come along and do it better. I can now confidently say we’re two years ahead of the rest of the market.”