BIGGER is great, but may not always be BETTER…. nor affordable.
We often see the convenience and travel center industry moving toward larger stores and forecourts, adding additional lanes and dispensers to new and existing builds, especially for peak sales periods. For those well-capitalized companies, this is a great initiative. Unfortunately, for smaller regional operators, the cost of forecourt upgrades can be daunting.
However, running FASTER and more-efficient forecourts and, for that matter, FASTER compliance, supply, and maintenance teams, is easily achievable for fuel operators, large or small.
Here are just a few ways to improve your forecourt without major capital investment:
Improve your dispenser fuel flow to the optimum range. The target goal should 10 gallons per minute for gasoline-based grades and 35-45 gallons per minute for truck diesel-based grades. Underperforming dispensers can drastically reduce your gallon throughput from 25 to 50%, slowing down your lanes and causing backups during peak demand. Innovative software is readily available to help track your transactions and flow rates and make recommendations regarding dispensing positions that are under-performing. Providers may also offer troubleshooting support to help maintenance teams diagnose the true cause of the slowdowns versus trial and error. As you speed up your fuel flow, customers can quickly fuel their vehicles, visit inside of the store, and move on with their day.
Quickly identify when a dispenser position is no longer transacting and could be out-of-service. Often, throughput can be dramatically diminished when a dispenser is out-of-order and repairs have not been performed. Innovative software is available to notify companies when a dispensing position has not generated sales transactions over a short period of time. This could help identify dispensers in need of investigation and repair. Some software suppliers can also estimate the impact of the downed fueling positions, […]
Cloud-based Fuel Monitoring that Insures Data-Security and Simplifies PCI Compliance
Warren Rogers Associates leads the fuel monitoring industry in capability and accuracy — and data security. Hackers can use other fuel monitoring systems to gain access to your customers’ payment card information. But our cloud-based system has multilayered and redundant security measures built in. And because it never touches cardholder data, our system simplifies PCI compliance and speeds approvals from IT and corporate compliance departments. It starts with our on-site processor. Installed at your fuel retailing location, our on-site processor collects fuel-related data in real time from various peripherals, and securely transmits that data to our highly scalable and redundant cloud infrastructure.
So what makes our system so unique?
· It collects and transmits only the data we need to perform our analysis.
· meter drift
· dispenser flow rate
· delivery audits, fuel shortages and theft
· EPA compliance
· It does not collect or transmit any customer cardholder data.
· It has no incoming channels and requires just a single encrypted outgoing channel.
· It easily integrates with your current systems and never accesses your VPN.
· It doesn’t create holes in your firewall.
· It requires no oversight or upgrades by your IT staff, and can help reduce IT overhead.
Make sure your fuel monitoring system isn’t an entry point for hackers and criminals.
Simplify PCI compliance: Use the only comprehensive, cloud-based fuel monitoring system available — only from Warren Rogers.
Contact us for a free consultation and to see a demonstration of our system. www.warrenrogers.com.
At Warren Rogers, we focus on the above controllable issues as well as many others. With our online portal, fuelWRAp 3.0, and dedicated analyst support, operators can gain a 360 degree view of their forecourt performance. Our exception-based portal and reports are designed with the user in mind….cutting through the “data […]
Fine-tuning your C-Store Operations for Growth and Acquisition
Every day, we see more and more announcements of mergers and acquisitions within the convenience store channel. Convenience Store Decisions, an industry trade publication, tracks c-store acquisition activity closely. Merger and acquisition activity has been especially-high in the last 3-4 years. You can read more about recent industry activity at: https://csnews.com/mergers-and-acquisitions?eiq_2_end=24.
Fortunately, many convenience store operators have been able to obtain lucrative prices for their wholesale and/or retail businesses. There are many reasons that operators sell. These decisions can include economic factors, a desire to retire or lack of successor planning/no interest to continue operations within the family, pending competitive activity, the high cost of regulatory upgrades or EMV, and the recent roller-coaster ride due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Managing through Covid-19 has also left many operators simply burned-out from the stress of ongoing business operations, trying to protect their associates and customers from the virus, dramatic revenue decreases, the EMV deadline, and the volatility of the fuel market overall. For those companies that have made their way through the fog, “growth” is often at the top of their list of future goals.
Whether you are on the selling or buying side, a major question is “How well is your company positioned for merger or acquisition?” We have put together a few suggestions on operational areas to consider should you be getting ready to “grow” or plan to build up your business to obtain the highest price possible. In addition, with many regional operators run by family members over multiple generations, are you ensuring that you are leaving your faithful associates in a good place as they prepare to take on more responsibility or grow with the new ownership? This dilemma keeps many family-operators up at […]
Downtime in the Forecourt can be more costly than you imagine
The Business Dictionary describes the downtime definition as: “Period during which an equipment or machine is not functional or cannot work. It may be due to technical failure, machine adjustment, maintenance, or non-availability of inputs such as materials, labor, power.”
When it comes to the forecourt, there are many ways that downtime can negatively impact your sales, profits, and most-importantly, customer satisfaction. As we all know, paying $2.50-$3.00 a gallon for fuel is not a favorite past-time for most. And, having an additional poor experience while purchasing fuel can be detrimental to your brand. While some customers who encounter a down lane may try to look for an open fueling lane, a high percentage may drive down the road to your competition…..and never return.
Some examples of common failures that lead to downtime include:
*Point Of Sale failures
*Credit card network disconnects
*Power outages
*Fuel nozzle or hose leaks
*and, many more.
However, there are some circumstances that are controllable with the right tools, applications, and consistent monitoring in place. But, most-importantly and paramount to success, there must exist a company’s strong dedication to improve uptime, customer satisfaction, throughput and profits from the top of the company down, and vice-versa:
*Dormant fueling position detection: Many operators count on manual processes related to the reporting of non-functioning fueling positions. A dependence on store managers or associates to report such issues can be risky given human nature and how busy your store personnel may be. Often, a down dispenser can go weeks without repair. Common causes can be related to defective nozzles, leaking hoses, leaking meters, malfunctioning credit card device issues, etc. Automating the detection of dormant dispensers can be done through the monitoring the dispenser transactions from each fueling point. This can be accomplished easily with the right tools and […]
Warren Rogers Introduces Enhanced Cloud-based fuelWRAp Application
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Tony Caputo
Warren Rogers Associates
800-972-7472, ext 853
tcaputo@warrenrogers.com
Media Contact: Lynn Butler RDW Group
401-553-5113
lbutler@rdwgroup.com
Warren Rogers Introduces Enhanced Cloud-based fuelWRAp Application
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — (March 3, 2021) Warren Rogers, a leading provider of precision fuel monitoring to convenience stores and other fuel retailers, introduces the latest version of their innovative and secure fuelWRAp application. Warren Rogers’ fuelWRAp is the most precise and efficient fuel management system available today. fuelWRAp uses real-time data and leverages the flexibility and smart analytics of the cloud to help fuel retailers continuously track every drop of precious fuel inventory — as it makes its way to their sites, enters the tank, flows through each fuel line, and reaches the meter — even at the most complex, high-throughput sites.
The latest edition of fuelWRAp features a new and intuitive User Dashboard, simplified menu options, detailed diagnostics, insightful performance metrics, and industry-leading exception-based reporting, all supported by analyst teams, directly assigned to each client. Using fuelWRAp, travel center and conventional convenience store support staff can minimize their time spent each day identifying and addressing issues such as dormant or down fueling positions, water in tank, active tank gauge alarms, meters out-of-variance, failed tank, sensor, and line testing, low inventory levels, lost communications, slowing fuel flow trends, and other abnormalities.
Today, many fuel operators count on the manual reporting of store equipment-related issues. fuelWRAp automates these tasks and provides critical information, 24/7, 365 days a year. Users can view their forecourt diagnostics across their enterprise on a consolidated and centralized online platform, enabled for desktop, mobile, and tablet. fuelWRAp will continue to provide customized auditing and operational reports along with the compliance documentation required to meet all state and federal regulations.
“Customers turn to us for CITLDs, […]
Five Ways Every Fuel Retailer Can Boost Profitability
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — Warren Rogers Associates, a leader in continuous and precision fuel management for the retail fuel industry, has launched an updated Warren Rogers’ website, including a video featuring five ways convenience store owners and other fuel marketers can improve operational efficiency and boost profitability at their fuel sites.
The website, www.warrenrogers.com, includes valuable information regarding the company’s “All Points Monitoring System” which takes a comprehensive and precise look at fuel operations — from every underground tank and fuel line, and dispenser, right to the vehicle. The site is easy to navigate and customers can learn about Warren Rogers’ real-time technology and reporting and other services such as continual reconciliation analysis (CITLDS), advanced flow diagnostics, audit technology, statistical inventory reconciliation analysis (SIRA), and more.
In addition, the website features an educational video which highlights five of the key ways Warren Rogers can help high-volume fuel site owners enhance operation efficiency and increase profits. William Jones, president and CEO of Warren Rogers Associates said, “With our comprehensive fuel management system, there are many ways we help fuel profitability. For the video, we selected five of the most common issues customers are concerned about and the specific actions we can take to address them — to ultimately make a real difference in their fuel business.”
The five topics of the video include:
Meter drift analysis and identifying dispensers that are giving away fuel
Detecting delivery shortages and discrepancies with bills of lading volumes
Pinpointing dispenser flow rate issues
Providing timely alerts about fuel theft
Identifying equipment and dispenser problems in real-time to expedite repairs
How else can Warren Rogers help you?
We also offer the ultimate in down fueling position and slow flow reporting via our real-time, 24/7 portal called fuelWRAp and industry-leading operational […]
Are you running on empty?
Middletown, RI- Protecting fuel profits is a priority for you and it’s a priority for us. One of the most-difficult operational challenges for fuel retailers today is the prediction of when they may need fuel for their retail locations. Often, due to tank size, it is a just-in-time decision that has to be made in order for the load to fit into the underground tank. Serious issues can arise when a tank runs out of fuel, ranging from lost sales, profits, frustrated customers, and the potential shutdown of your fueling system until new supply arrives. No one likes to run out of gas!
There are many reasons why your convenience store or travel center might run out of fuel:
-Unexpected surges in customer fuel purchases fostered by the weather, street price increases or drops, competitive activity, supply shortages, or other anomalies.
-Inattentive store managers, supply departments, or fuel transporters.
-Archaic inventory collection or communication methods (phone, fax, email).
-Spreadsheets or other manual methods to predict fuel needs.
-Hauler equipment breakdowns.
-Driver, short-handed staff, or fuel terminal delays.
-And, on and on……………..
That’s why we developed the new Warren Rogers’ Procurement application.
Some questions to consider:
-How would you like to know 12 Hours from Runout when you have a tank running low, and every hour until it was refilled? Via text or email and only to those who you wish to receive the alerts.
-How would you like to use daily sales and other algorithms to predict when you need fuel?
-How would you like an online or mobile portal for your Supply Department, 3rd Party Haulers, and even drivers to see your tank inventories in real-time, 24/7? All on their phone, desktop, or tablet?
-How would […]
How are you detecting slowing fuel dispensers today?
Middletown, RI- Of course, we are always in a hurry! However, one of the biggest disappointments for any fuel customer is when the dispenser is pumping slowly. Slow fuel flow can happen for many reasons, but, as a fuel operator, how are you detecting or finding out that your equipment is not operating up-to-par?
Are you reliant on your customers to let your store manager know when your dispensers are pumping slowly? We hope not. The normal customer expectation is for gasoline to flow at between 8 and 10 gallons per minute (and 35-45 gallons/minute for truck diesel). By the time a customer gets out of their car and begins a pay at-the-pump transaction, the average fueling usually time takes 3-4 minutes. Any longer, and your customer will not be very happy, especially in the Winter! In fact, an underperforming dispenser can add 1-2 minutes to an-already frustrating experience for your customers. To a freezing customer, that can seem like a lifetime.
Some reasons for slowing flow can be related to clogging fuel filters, a defective nozzle, or your tank motors (commonly-called submersibles), not performing properly. In high-volume locations, a slow-down at the fuel lanes, particularly during peak times, can be devastating to your business. Complex motor arrangements, manifolded tanks, or a lack of proper maintenance, can also make detection and correction challenging.
How can Warren Rogers help?
We offer the ultimate in down fueling position and slow flow reporting via our real-time, 24/7 portal called fuelWRAp and industry-leading operational reporting procedures. fuelWRAp is viewable on desktop, tablet, and mobile. We monitor EVERY transaction through every site and every dispenser and calculate the speed of those transactions over a short time period. Our analytics then determine when we see […]
Down Dispensers Got you Down?
Middletown, RI- UGH…..The dreaded Out of Order Nozzle Bag!
One of the toughest challenges of running a multi-store convenience or travel center chain can be related to keeping your fuel lanes running smoothly. Often, fueling positions can go down without being promptly-reported to the corporate maintenance department or a 3rd-party repair company, if at all. In these busy and complicated Covid-19 times, priorities have changed and many companies are operating remotely or on thin crews, both in offices as well as the stores, making good communication even harder to accomplish.
A down fueling position can cost your company precious gallons and margin pretty quickly. We are all in a hurry as you well know. Customer frustration can grow when customers pull up to broken dispensers or see Out of Order signs frequently. This lack of proper maintenance can also negatively impact your company’s reputation. It only takes 1-2 poor experiences to send that customer down the road to your competitor, unfortunately. Many customers may not give you a second chance.
There are many factors that can cause a dispenser to go down:
Broken or defective nozzles
Stopped filters
Clogged or defective meters
Loss or interruption of power or connection to fuel controller
Fuel runouts
other electronic malfunctions
Today, many operators are reliant on the store manager or other attentive associates to report broken fueling positions. A manual process for the reporting of dispenser repair needs can carry many risks, however:
The manager does not recognize that a fueling position is not operating properly.
A fuel clerk does not follow the proper protocol for reporting the repair need to the store manager.
Your in-house maintenance department or 3rd-party repair company does not log the repair or deprioritizes your repair […]