My Annual Vacation Begins Friday. . .
It’s that time of year again! If you have been following my blog since the inception, you know that every year I take a week off to recharge my batteries and gain perspective on how other livery companies and other customer-driven industries work to deliver service.
This means you can count on me delivering information about observations of customer service while I am on vacation. We are headed to Charlotte, N.C. with the two main attractions of the week being our attendance at the famed Coca Cola 600 and our 15th wedding anniversary. The race is a tribute to our national Armed Services as well as the longest race of any race in the world. It is estimated to last five hours!
My transportation will be provided by CLT Express Livery. I have had the pleasure of interviewing owners Jeff and Laura Canady a few different times after meeting them at the LCT East Show in Connecticut several years ago. Now, I get to visit with them on their home turf and experience their service. If the service delivery is anything like the reservation process was, I know I am in for a top-notch experience.
Also on tap is a visit to the famed Big Daddy’s Oyster Bar and Restaurant. This whopper facility has seating for 500 guests and is said to be the place to be if you want to mingle with NASCAR drivers. My wife and I are lifelong fans of NASCAR, so this will be a special treat. Of course, I am hoping to see NASCAR super-star Kevin Harvick while we are there. Harvick is a Bakersfield hometown hero.
Speaking of NASCAR and the limo industry, during the Super Bowl, Darrell Waltrip was seen in a commercial driving a stretched Chrysler 300 “race car.” That car actually was used for passenger service in Naples, FL by a franchisee of Racing Limos, Inc. That particular car was one of about 80 in the U.S., and will be on display at a street festival the day before the race. Photos to follow. I also have had the opportunity to take a few laps in a limo around a NASCAR track in promotional events. If only they would have let me floor it!
On a serious note, take a vacation. I meet and interview so many operators in this industry that run at breakneck speed and say they can’t take time off. If you can’t take time off, you are running your business wrong. Find a lead chauffeur or family member that can at least give you two to three days off. It is so important to your physical health, your mental health, and your ability to see how the rest of the business world functions. All work and no play is not a recipe for success. You owe it to yourself to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
— Jim Luff, LCT contributing editor
Print | posted on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 2:42 PM