From 26 to 28 May, the forum «Business trip on the successful development of gas stations» was held in Makhachkala. A representative of the MONOPOLY Group of Companies, the head of the oil products supply department Andrey Egorov has visited the event. At the forum, he learned about the current trends in the development of gas stations and gave a comment for the article.
Automation and accounting at gas stations
Specialized programs that consider the peculiarities of accounting for petroleum products help to conduct commercial and management activities at gas stations. Such systems can improve work efficiency due to:
— planning of fuel retail;
— pricing management;
— card processing and loyalty programs;
— financial management;
— optimization of the calculation, starting with fuel supply, ending with measurements in the tanks.
The introduction of similar accounting systems has already increased the volume of revenue and profitability in many gas stations.
Customer service development
Today the gas station covers the client’s needs – for fuel and for additional services. Satisfaction with services is an indicator of the activity of regular visitors.
The location of the gas station, the quality of the fuel and its price affect directly the choice of the client. And the quality of staff work, the technical condition of the gas station and the process of providing additional services are more responsible for the repeated request of the client.
A high level of service at gas stations is a tool in the competition between rivals. Based on the feedback and opinions of consumers, the company builds its image and loyalty. Therefore, the development of customer service is an integral part in the management and establishment of a full range of gas stations.
Gas station automation for customer convenience
At the forum in Makhachkala, participants have discussed programs for drivers’ comfort at gas stations. For example, there is an app that allows you to tip petrol pump attendants by bank transfer. This is very convenient because far fewer people use cash. In addition, at some gas stations it is now possible to pay for fuel using a QR code. This helps to minimize time costs and human labor.
Non-fuel sales at gas stations
During the trip, the driver cares about a convenient gas station, good fuel, pleasant service and, for example, delicious coffee. By the way, coffee is in the top-5 requests at gas stations, people buy it 30% more often than tea. This drink belongs to the category of non-fuel sales, which have a very strong effect on the growth of gas station revenue.
It is also worth noting that, based on the survey for 2020, it is important for a client to have in the salesroom:
-toilets (20%);
-coffee (22%);
-car goods (20%);
-water, chocolate (16%);
-cigarettes (10%);
— snack (9%), etc.
This data is actively used in organization of work at a gas station. Indeed, according to statistics, only 2.7% of people know exactly what they want, the remaining 97.3% are ready to follow the suggested option. Therefore, gas station operators are now trying to anticipate the wishes of the client and offer him something really useful from the category of non-fuel goods.
«These and many other trends that were demonstrated at the forum are proved by the active development of gas stations industry in Russia. Working on the MONOPOLY.Fuel service, we try to take into account all trends and follow them for the convenience of our clients», said Andrey Egorov.