How to support gas station staff with PACE Drive

Mobile payment directly at the pump definitely offers many advantages to users of PACE Drive. You can pay for fuel quickly and conveniently in just a few steps via smartphone, smartwatch and, since September 2022, even directly in the car via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Nevertheless, the question arises from time to time as to whether mobile payment at the pump might harm gas station staff, as this could result in the loss of jobs.

Below, we’ll explain how using PACE Drive can even help gas station staff in their day-to-day operations and why it’s not a threat to their jobs.

First of all, it is important to keep in mind that the work at a gas station does not consist purely of cashing in money. For many gas station operators, shift work is one of the challenges in finding good gas-station personnel.

The range of tasks at the gas station is wide; in addition to the classic cashiering, there are a multitude of daily activities that gas-station staff have to take care of: refilling products, keeping the bakery store running, baking and topping bread rolls, keeping the gas pumps clean, maintaining the car wash, regularly checking the products for their expiration date, cleaning the shelves and keeping the store clean, among other things. If the service station also has a bistro, there are even more tasks that need to be done.

As a result, one can be quite sure that gas station employees not only collect money for fuel and otherwise have little to do all day. Above all, irregular peak times at the gas station lead to stress, both for the gas-station staff and for the waiting customers. Unfortunately, if there is also a shortage of manpower, tasks have to be redistributed among existing staff, which in turn leads to unnecessary stress.

PACE Drive equalizes the day-to-day business in favor of the gas station staff by allowing fuel-only customers to pay quickly at the gas pump and predominantly customers, wanting to visit the shop, to queue in the gas station store without long waiting times. Throughput at the pump and in the store can thus be increased, especially at peak times.

By shortening the queues at the checkout, gas station staff have more time to attend to other service matters, which in turn reduces both time pressure and staff stress levels. The attractiveness of jobs at the service station thus increases and customers are also more satisfied.

As a result, it is less likely that customers will leave the store without their goods because they may have changed their minds due to the waiting time. In addition, customers who are in a hurry to fill up can quickly clear the pump again, which quickly makes room for the next vehicle drivers. Another positive effect is that customers who want to refuel and store are not under time pressure from other drivers waiting at the pump, as they can park their vehicle and then store in comfort. This means that store and refuel-only customers do not get in each other’s way, and customers also enjoy an optimal service experience.