For auto detailing owners
Know which detailing regulars stopped booking, before their car goes somewhere else.
A maintenance client doesn’t call to say they’re done. The next wash just never gets booked. Keptix shows you which of your clients are past their usual visit, what each one is worth to your shop, and writes the message that brings them back.
Coated cars come with a schedule. Someone has to keep it.
The coating makers set the rhythm themselves. Ceramic Pro and Gtechniq both tell owners to wash a coated car every two weeks. Ceramic Pro’s warranty requires an inspection by an approved installer every year, within 30 days before the anniversary, and Gtechniq requires a visit to the detailer who applied the coating every 12 months.
So every coating you install is a client with a schedule. Life gets busy, the washes slip, and the annual inspection gets forgotten. By the time you notice, they may have found a cheaper wash down the road.
Generic “we miss you” messages use one cutoff for everyone, like 60 days. A two-week maintenance client has already missed four washes by then, while a sealant client at 60 days is right on schedule.
Every client has their own rhythm
| Service | Usually back every | Worth a check-in by |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance wash, coated car | 2 weeks | Week 3 |
| Monthly maintenance detail | 4 weeks | Week 6 |
| Carnauba wax | 6 weeks | Week 9 |
| Seasonal hand wax and detail | 13 weeks | Week 20 |
| Paint sealant | 16 weeks | Week 24 |
Typical gaps, based on the makers’ guidance: coated cars washed every two weeks (Ceramic Pro, Gtechniq), carnauba wax lasting 4 to 8 weeks and sealant reapplied every 2 to 4 months (Chemical Guys), and hand-waxing three to four times a year (Consumer Reports). Keptix reads each client’s own history, so a two-week client is flagged at week 3.
What one regular is worth
Coated car, maintenance wash
$1,950 a year
Every 2 weeks at $75
Monthly maintenance detail
$1,560 a year
Every 4 weeks at $120
Seasonal detail
$800 a year
Every 13 weeks at $200
Visits a year times the ticket. These prices are examples; published full-detail prices run from $150 to over $500 (Housecall Pro). Lose 10 maintenance clients like the first one without noticing and that’s about $19,500 a year.
How Keptix helps your shop
See who’s slipping, by name
Every regular is judged by their own rhythm, with your most valuable clients first.
Know what they’re worth
What each slipping client spends with you in a year, and what the whole list adds up to.
Send the message that brings them back
Written for you, in your shop’s name. You review it, and nothing goes out without your OK.
See who came back
Your scoreboard shows the clients who returned after your message, in dollars.
Leave booked clients alone
Clients with their next job already booked in Square are never counted as slipping.
Know whose book is drifting
On the Command plan, see which detailer’s clients keep coming back and whose are slipping.
Keep your booking app. Connect Square in one tap, or upload a visit history file from your booking or job software, or your own spreadsheet. Keptix works alongside it.
Why I built it
I started my detailing business out of the back of a pickup truck in the Florida panhandle and grew it to hundreds of regular clients. The ones I lost never complained. They just stopped booking, and I didn’t notice until months later. I built Keptix to catch them while there’s still time to bring them back.
Austin Grant, founder of Keptix
Questions owners ask
How often should a detailing client come back?
It depends on how the car is protected. Ceramic Pro and Gtechniq tell owners of coated cars to wash every two weeks. Consumer Reports suggests hand-waxing three to four times a year, and Chemical Guys suggests reapplying a paint sealant every 2 to 4 months. That spread is why Keptix judges each client by their own rhythm.
Do ceramic coatings need regular maintenance visits?
Yes, for most warranties. Ceramic Pro requires an annual inspection by an approved applicator, within 30 days before the anniversary, to keep its warranty. Gtechniq’s guarantee requires a visit to the detailer who applied the coating every 12 months.
Does Keptix work for mobile detailers?
Yes. It works the same for mobile and shop-based detailers, as long as each job has the client’s name on it.
Do I have to switch booking apps?
No. Keptix works alongside the booking app you already use. Connect Square in one tap, or upload a file with each client’s name and visit date.
Will Keptix message my clients without asking me?
No. You review every message before it goes out, and nothing is sent without your OK. Texting from your own local number is coming at launch, only to clients who said yes.
How much does Keptix cost?
The Leak Check is free. Plans start at $69 a month, and the first 25 founding businesses get 30% off for life.
Sources
See how many of your regulars are slipping.
Free, no card, about 2 minutes. Your file is read once, then thrown away.
Get my free Leak Check →Founding members: 30% off for life. Ends at launch. Claim a spot