Are you a Chauffeur or not a Chauffeur?

Recently I was set the task to find out “What are the top 5 essentials for a Chauffeur to have?” as a marketing exercise. I was expecting to get things that a Chauffeur would find essential to have with them on the job – such as a first aid kit, bottled water, tissues and umbrella etc. However, I think something got lost in translation – and instead I was getting feedback on essentials which make a Chauffeur.   So this got me thinking, what do people think makes a Chauffeur? Being an insurance broker who supplies private hire insurance aimed at Chauffeurs; we like to think we know what makes a Chauffeur to us. But is our opinion different to others? Do people think anyone can go and get an S Class (or other luxury saloon car) and call themselves a Chauffeur? I’m interested to know what people think are the differences between being a private hire driver in a nice car, to being a Chauffeur driver?  And more importantly, do others think there is a difference like we do?  

How to get the answer?

To answer this question I turned to social media and our client database; and I’ve got to say I was pleased with the replies. It appears that what we thought made a Chauffeur was similar to what most people were saying.  

Not to sound like ‘Family Fortunes’ but I asked 100 people and 100 said: –

Water	Discretion
Newspapers	Patience
Magazines	Rapport building when the need arises
Discreet attitude	Immaculate vehicles
Professionalism	Smart attire
Excellent communication skills	Free Wi-Fi
Competitive pricing	Number one priority: The client
Punctuality	Positive Attitude
Reliability	The client must leave happier than when he/she got into your car.
Flexibility	Superb Meet & Greet
Seamless service	Assisted Check-In service

  So based on my initial question “what are the top 5 essentials for a Chauffeur” some of them replied with what I was expecting; i.e. water, newspapers etc. However as you can see, most people wanted to tell me what made a Chauffeur. And I was particularly surprised that only 2 people mentioned the vehicle and no one mentioned having any particular vehicle. Looking at the list; I think that rather like us as a broker, they are trying to treat customers the best they can. Chauffeurs appear to want to treat their customers as priority. It seems to be all about the small things, which add up to create a bigger and overall greater experience.

Photo ©Plan Insurance

We at Plan Insurance Brokers have a saying; and it is so ingrained it is even on our office wall – “Care for your clients or someone else will”  

The Results

I was going to try and do a top 5 list; but I thought there is no point as it all leads to one end. The most essential thing for a Chauffeur is looking after their customer. Call them what you want; passenger, client, customer, VIP etc. All these small details like being flexible, reliable, patient and offering a seamless service all go towards the one essential for a Chauffeur……….Which is their passenger!   So the winner (and most essential) for being a Chauffeur is the Passenger.  

Feedback

With all this I would still be keen on hearing any of your thoughts on what you think a Chauffeur should have as essential kit. Also it would nice to see if anyone has conducted a survey with its customers to see what they expect from their Chauffeur. We would be happy to hear from you – marketing@planinsurance.co.uk