There are plenty of special days coming up that will make your clients want to ride in a limousine. Here's how to get them chauffeured.
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Jean Laborde, a 54-year-old father of five and chauffeur of the late record-label owner Alan Meltzer, received $1 million from his former employer after Meltzer’s death in October 2011. Laborde said, “I don’t know what to do exactly with the money, but one thing I know for sure – each year I’m going to bring the guy some flowers for his grave.” Meltzer, who had become a celebrity high-stakes poker player in recent years, also left $500,000 to his doorman, Chamil Demiraj. Meltzer's passing at the age of 67 came a year after his wife of 13 years divorced him, and both of the former employees are said to have supported him through the messy process.
-- Michael Campos, LCT assistant editor
BILLING TEMPTATIONS: How to handle an overpayment or underpayment.
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Operators who have had celebrities, professional athletes, politicians, high-powered executives or other VIPs as their clients are well aware of the challenges of protecting their privacy while chauffeuring them around, especially with trigger-happy paparazzi all over the place. Well, a solution may finally have arrived.
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Delta has partnered with
Porsche Cars North America of Atlanta to provide its “High Value Customers” with the Porsche Experience. Delta and Porsche Cars North America have enjoyed good relations since 1984, regularly transporting both Porsche executives and certain Porsche vehicles to and from Stuttgart, Germany to Atlanta. To express its appreciation, Porsche Cars North America generously loaned Delta Airlines a fleet of luxury cars for their disposal.
While Delta is still trying to figure out how best to deploy its new equipment, Delta employees in Atlanta are using Porsche Panamera luxury sedans and Cayenne SUVs for chauffeuring their “High Value Customers,” hoping to surprise and delight them. Source:
AutoGuide.com — Michael Campos, LCT assistant editor
EXPOSED: Illegal operators like this huckster in Rhode Island featured on a TV report not only undercut legitimate operators but tarnish the image of the chauffeured transportation industry, not to mention risking the safety of passengers. It proves why strong regulations are needed, and how the media can provide a worthwhile public service via exposes. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
Limo letdown for bride and groom: wpri.com
WEDDING DAY FIASCO:
The wedding party whose stretch limousine burned out while heading up a California mountainside recently lashed out and named in a newspaper column the Bay Area company and operator that owns the limo. Members of the chafffeured transportation industry will recognize the name. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
LIMO APPLICATIONS seem endless; just when we think we've seen every kind of limo vehicle, along comes an ambulance with limo amenities, according to a report in Crain's New York Business.The natural reaction of course would be to wonder why an ambulance patient would even care about the mahogany, surround sound, and 300-thread count linens. Isn't the goal to have good equipment that keeps you alive while getting to a hospital as fast as possible? But then. . . there's the grandfather in the nursing home who wants to attend a grandson's wedding, or a mother on her way home with a newborn. With the aging of the American population, it'll be interesting to see if there is a market for limo ambulances. -- Martin Romjue, LCT
Veteran operator H.A. Thompson of Rose Chauffeured Transportation in Charlotte, N.C. recently shared his thoughts with LCT on something that should not stay in Las Vegas, nor in your chauffeured operations. It makes all the difference in doing good business.
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A chauffeur bails out on job while waiting for airport arrival. It’s not about how you fall but how gracefully you get up.
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HURRICANE TESTIMONY: An operator trying to get a client out of a storm-related jam found a new affiliate thanks to a memorable marketing piece, proving how an investment in a professional marketing program can pay off in countless ways that can't be quantified. Like the VISA commercial says, Priceless.
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Join me, if you dare, for an exclusive inside look into my legendary central California limo bus wine tours.
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A forward female client makes me grapple with the definition of customer service.
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Just when we think we've seen it all when it comes to marketing.
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HELPING CLIENTS: It's always insightful to see how
personal finance experts advise consumers on renting a limousine. Seeing what consumers are being told in the financial media can help operators strategize on pricing, packaging, and promotions. Operators who clarify options and simplify rates and billing are more likely to earn loyalty. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
"LIMO, WADDYA WANT?" Late night personnel often are not known for giving good phone.
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That’s right, meters, not miles. The musician Prince recently had a stretch limousine take him from his dressing room to the concert stage. Does that even leave time for a sip of bottled water and a mint?
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Child car seats can be a messy and aggravating nuisance to an operator, not to mention expensive. But this problem kind of solved itself.
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Public relations diva Lizzie Grubman lives the mantra, "any press is good press," as she's famous for bulldozing her Mercedes SUV into a crowd of partiers, and more recently, for being sued by her chauffeur, who claims Grubman stiffed him for $1 million worth of overtime.
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At 26 years old, singer-songwriter Katy Perry has quite the résumé: her album Teenage Dream is one of only nine albums to ever produce four or more Billboard Hot 100 number one hits, and she is the first artist in history to spend an entire year – 52 consecutive weeks – in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, which apparently give her the right to make preposterous demands of her chauffeurs...
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Every vacation of mine is a trip through customer service. Here is the first of my reports on customer service through the eyes of an operator, good and bad. What can we all learn?
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CUSTOMER SERVICE: Wineries are getting stricter and more formal with their limousine access policies. Chauffeurs now need to do some planning ahead.
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LIVELY LIVERY: One of the more challenging client bases for the industry is the prom market, which is now at fever pitch, with May being the big prom month at high schools nationwide. The prom market is a solid, reliable money-maker for operators, but it comes with more risks and watchful eyes. A generation ago, limos on prom night were the exception; now they are commonplace. One chauffeur with
ABOVE ALL EXECUTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND LIMOUSINE SERVICE in Decatur, Ga., recently was interviewed by a local newspaper about
DRIVING ON PROM NIGHT. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
CUSTOMER SAVIOR: Over the years, LCT Magazine has accumulated numerous tales of outstanding customer service, where chauffeurs improvise to help a client in a jam. However, a recent act of kindness at RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation in Rockville, Md., sets a new standard. . .
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A FLORIDA OPERATOR finds a way to market his services while getting valuable client testimonials. . .
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PLAYING IT SAFE: Operators should try this cost-effective marketing solution that provides great exposure but more importantly does good deeds.
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COMMENTARY: If LCT could give an award for Ad Of The Month, it would have to go to CLS NEVADA’s one page dramatic promo in the Farm-In/Farm-Out section of the April issue of LCT Magazine.
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Teen Dreams: Hoping to arrive at the prom in style but money is always the problem.
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MARKETING TOOL: LCT always likes to spotlight operator blogs, since they are among the most effective ways to market your company, inform the wider public, and build loyalty to your brand.
Chris Hecker of Santa Barbara-based HECKER TRANSPORTATION, aka Serenity Limousine and Sedan Service, started a blog this month. CHRIS HECKER SERENITY LIMOUSINE AND SEDAN BLOG HERE.
A refresher on chauffeur challenges — my BIG adventure:
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In an industry that proclaims luxury and proper etiquette, manners seem to be missing.
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Relaying assignments to your chauffeurs is an important task that requires multiple forms of consistent internal communication.
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SHHHHH, PRIVACY COUNTS: In the world of corporate transportation, celebrity passengers, and uber-rich clientele, confidential matters should remain just that.
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GOOD CAUSE IS GOOD BIZ: Carrie Peele, owner of Blue Diamond Worldwide Transportation, recently bought a stretch limousine and painted it pink to support breast cancer research and awareness. In this Q&A with LCT writer Jim Luff, Peele provides firsthand insights on the benefits and fleet management of a pink limo.
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BAD MANNERS: How would you like it if you sat down at a restaurant, you and a companion ordered food, and then. . . you were told you must pay a 20% gratuity? Or if your boss told you that YOU MUST pay out of your own pocket for mandatory Christmas gifts to your fellow co-workers? Then why do some operators levy a "gift tax," err, gratuity on chauffeured clients?
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COMMUNITY SPIRIT: Operators looking to support a good cause or charitable endeavor can take a page from an 82-year-old South Florida man, who
LOANS HIS STRETCH LIMOUSINE and chauffeur to wounded military veterans who are vacationing along the coast. Although the limo is a private vehicle, the concept can be used by any chauffeured operation. -- M.R.
MARKETING MESSAGE: It seems more than a handful of people could be persuaded to take chauffeured vehicles to and from the airport to avoid the PROBLEMS OF LONG-TERM AIRPORT P-LOTS. Ditto for an advertising campaign that shows frustrated travelers standing in long cab lines outside the baggage claim area. Message: "NEXT TIME, GET YOUR OWN CAR." -- M.R.
SAFE RIDE SPONSORSHIPS: One Minnesota operators sold his limousine and
STARTED A LATE NIGHT TRANSPORTATION SERVICE to keep drunk drivers off the road. The mini-van service draws revenue from its "taxi-fares" and annual sponsorships from local businesses. This concept can be adapted to any set of fleet vehicles in any area, as long as the operator has a set pricing tier and financial cooperation from the community. You don't have to sell your limos to make this work. -- M.R.
As an operator, I can be critical and spot all chauffeured errors, but this company really needs to read LCT Magazine and get a clue.
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CUSTOMER COURTESY AND SERVICE: Make sure all chauffeurs know what it takes to earn a good tip. American Limousine Sales in Los Angeles offers these TIPS ON TIPS on its blog, except "limo driver" is not the accepted industry term for a chauffeur. A dealership blog offering advice to operators and prospective vehicle buyers, however, is an excellent marketing tool to demonstrate that vehicle sellers know the business they are selling to. -- M.R.
A TEAM TO REMEMBER: How do you orchestrate sumptuous service with style and smiles? I found out on vacation. . .
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SPECIAL SERIES: The Hyatt conjures up thoughts of luxury. Do they deliver? Four days gave me plenty to observe.
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NO-COST SERVICE: The chauffeured transportation luxury brand launches Premium Care Maintenance as part of its goals to enhance customer service.
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BRUTAL PHOENIX SUMMER: Operators in the U.S. Southwest face summer hassles less frequent in more humid climates. Operators Rachel Ricks and James Romero, the spouse-team that runs IN THE SCENE LIMOUSINE, post a Transportation and Travel Blog on their web site that promotes limo specials and discusses the challenges of running a fleet during the summer season. In The Scene also has an EVENTS BLOG FOR ITS ORANGE COUNTY, CA MARKET, where it bases some of its vehicles. Such slice-of-life posts can help build a rapport with customers and explain what to expect. -- M.R.
MARKETING IDEA: One reason why inebriated motorists attempt to drive home is to avoid having the hassle of retrieving a vehicle the next day and/or leaving it in an unsafe or unauthorized place, i.e. a parking deck that closes at 2 a.m., a darkened street, an exposed parking lot with vandalim risk, etc. So, operators could provide the solution. . .
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MARKETING IDEA: THIS CONCEPT is undoubtedly a success among schoolkids, so why not expand it to the office crowd? A limo and lunch package between an operator and local restaurants would appeal to companies/employees wanting to celebrate special workplace occasions.
ABOUT AS LOW AS IT GETS: It was bad enough that hundreds of cabbies ripped off passengers by manipulating fare meters, but overcharging and/or denying service to disabled passengers?!
17 PERCENT OF THE CITY'S CAB AND CAR SERVICES got caught in the sting. ADA-compliant transportation has the potential to be a major market for luxury limousine operators, who provide a much superior quality of service.
THIS COMPANY IS GETTING READY to pursue the ADA transportation market. As always, ethical standards of customer service are priceless. -- M.R.
IDEAL EMPLOYEE: A veteran chauffeur who works for
ETS INTERNATIONAL recently was profiled and interviewed about his
CAREER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. ETS International won a 2010 LCT Operator Of The Year Award.
LONG-TERM MARKETING: Operators who provide limo service for school academic rewards programs not only build good will but get future limo clients hooked at an early age. One program in South Carolina creates the full red-carpet treatment (note the limousines and clapping chauffeurs). ARTICLE HERE. EVEN BETTER VIDEO HERE.
SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Sensitive pricing for today’s economy can make you flexible enough to get the sales volume you need.
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CUSTOMERS FIRST: A recent letter from the president of the National Business Travel Association underscores the importance of helping out clients/customers during a crisis. Many travel-related business are forgoing the price-gouging that occurs in desperate situations. Caring for your customers during times of distress is a sure way for operators to secure lasting loyalty that can pay off for years to come. Click below to read letter.
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POSITIVE PUBLICITY: A 22-passenger Tiffany limo bus becomes the
biggest limo in town in Sudbury, Ontario. The operator of
Nite Lite Limousine Service scores a publicity coup of sorts with a 2-minute 30-second
SLIDE SHOW on the hometown newspaper's web site.
MAJOR CATFIGHT, ERR, CABFIGHT:
NY cabbies are furious about accusations from the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission that they GOUGED CUSTOMERS through meter manipulations; whatever the final conclusions, i.e. the truth which is likely somewhere in between, we can safely say you don't have such pricing drama with the more upfront, reservation-oriented chauffeured transportation services.
New York luxury limousine operators should take full advantage of recent developments -- the meter fights, crabby cabbies, cell phone rudeness -- to promote and market the saner, more practical benefits of chauffeured transportation. This could be a golden moment to educate the riding public about luxury-limo and gain some market share. -- M.R.
MARKETING PARTNERSHIP: An "
Under The Influence" program in South Africa pairs a
wine tour with a Lexus; the concept of a wine-tasting, shopping excursion, museum tours, etc., via chauffeured luxury vehicles carries a lot of potential for operators, and offers opportunities to showcase new models/limos.
BAUER'S INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION of San Francisco has carved out a cutting-edge niche with its Wi-Drive WiFi equipped luxury commuter motorcoaches, which are a success among Bay Area commuters wanting to work on the way to and from work while being a bit greener. The service is featured in today's Wall Street Journal under the headline Hailing A Luxury Ride To The Office.