In 2014, Costa Oil saw a need for oil changes to be made easy. “When customers come to us, they never have to feel like they’re putting on a suit of armor to battle with our [staff] on what the price is going to be,” said Brandon Cornelius, chief operating officer of Costa Oil. “We [focus] on oil changes only. No upsells. We want to make their day as [easy as] possible,” Cornelius added. This focus on people first is the foundation of Costa Oil’s entire business model.
From the way they approach pricing to marketing to the technology they use, everything is rooted in supporting the customer first; it’s sustained the business through 10 years and over 50 franchises.
Creating a community-focused business model
Following the least disruptive path to the customers and community has been Costa Oil’s motto since opening its first location in Penbrook, Pennsylvania. Instead of building a brand-new shop on an empty plot of land, they refurbished an empty building that had been central to the community since the 1920s. This flagship location is where they learned the value of the intersection between business and community.
“That store really proved to us that consumers are looking for a community-centric business, and we really dived into that, and we wanted to make that national,” said Cornelius. Starting in a location with a population of less than 5,000 , they realized the importance of taking care of the grandmother who takes their grandkids on road trips to the college students away from their parents for the first time. With this in mind, one of the main differentiators of Costa Oil is that they involve the customer in the process by showing them the reading of the dipstick once the oil is changed, allowing them to give final approval.
This intimate community mindset has also spilled over into other areas of the business, like their marketing efforts. Costa Oil splits its marketing between coupon codes and proactive marketing. In other words, they spend their time encouraging customers to come in-store and also make sure they’re safe outside their stores. “Sometimes our marketing is, ‘We’re about to get a huge snowstorm. Everybody, please go check your tires. We want you to be safe.’ That’s why people follow us on social media — because we have those extras out there, and it’s another value add,” Cornelius explained.
Using technology to create a solid business foundation and customer satisfaction
Establishing a business that can withstand the test of time is important to Costa Oil. When it came to deciding which business tools they’d use to power their business, Square made the most sense, according to Cornelius.
[The thought process] In the beginning was what’s gonna be the path of least resistance? What’s something that we’re gonna be able to use in perpetuity of our brands, but also something that [we] can teach somebody else how to use when we open up a second store or third store. ”
Brandon Cornelius → chief operating officer of Costa Oil
The business relies on Square to access real-time data reporting and enhance the customer experience. Cornelius noted that he’s also able to train staff on Square within three to four hours, giving him and his staff time back to learn deeper elements of the business and the industry to ensure customer satisfaction. The robust data reporting available on Square tools also makes it easier to prioritize customer satisfaction — no matter the franchise location. “If there’s a car sitting in the bay while I’m watching the Square Dashboard and then personnel checks that customer out, I will see that in real time,” said Cornelius. Tracking customers’ progress in real time makes it easy to find areas for efficiency and opportunities.
On the other hand, tracking customer order data over time makes it easy to solve problems down the line. “We’ve had to pull data and it’s been there for us because customers have the receipts that show exactly what we’ve performed on the car,” Cornelius said. Through Square Dashboard, Costa Oil is also able to build customizable receipts that note what to do if they’re unhappy with their service. They’re also able to use receipts as a way to say thank you. At the bottom of each one, they often add notes that say things like, “Thanks for being a part of the community and choosing us.” “I think that customization goes a really long way with customers because they feel heard by a business, and they’re not just another number,” explained Cornelius. “All of these add-ons that we can put into our Square software have made our franchisees that much more successful too,” he added.
Franchising with the utmost control
Costa Oil also uses Square Franchise Suite to help further the success of their franchises. When Cornelius wants to download reports on his franchises to see how they’re performing, he’s able to do so with ease and save up to three or four hours a week. “I can log into [Square] Franchise Suite, click export, and the tool downloads the reports as a CSV file or an Excel file. It uploads directly to my Google Drive and I’m ready for my call. It’s a game-changer,” he explained.
Cornelius is also able to control every item that’s sold or offered at any of the franchises with one click through Square Franchise Suite. “We actually had a franchise at one point add on brakes to their item library. And I got an email the moment it happened. And then I could actually go in and erase it out of the item library,” said Cornelius.
If I ever need to change the SKUs of our oil that we’re gonna be using as a company, I can go in whenever I want to. I can be on a flight and push it out to every franchise at one time. Before, I would have to log in, send out a how-to video, have everybody open their own account, do their own reporting, and then they would have to send me the verification that it was done. So this is giving me back probably 20 hours a week.”
Brandon Cornelius → chief operating officer of Costa Oil
Retaining customers and staff with simplified tools
Another element to maintaining the success of the franchises is ensuring customers return to Costa Oil every time they need of an oil change. The business uses Square Loyalty as a part of its customer retention program and implements it in a variety of ways to keep customers engaged, from birthday deals to oil change reminders. Square Loyalty also allows Costa Oil to track loyalty customer behavior, like how much they’ve spent with the business, and set up rewards once they reach a certain amount. “[Square Loyalty] tracks all of that for us and makes it very easy. It’s a lot less brain power being used on the admin side. And I can take that time that I’ve saved and put it somewhere else and grow the business and support another franchise,” Cornelius explained.
Staff retention is also something Costa Oil can manage with ease with the help of Square Franchise Suite. “If I have to move an employee from Hanover to Harrisburg, the Square Stand looks exactly the same at every location that they go to. So there’s no, ‘Well, this location does it this way’. It’s standardized for the entire solid system,” Cornelius said.
Costa Oil’s thoughtful approach applies to both staff and customers, making it the thriving, trusted business it is today. It’s a notion embedded into the fabric of the branding, from the business model and technology all the way down to their logo: the head of the Greek God Hermes. Hermes represents the patron of travelers, and taking care of those on the road is at the essence of Costa Oil: “We want you to look at the Hermes head and think this is a good place to be because we’re in the community, and we’ll take care of you just like you take care of us.”
