The other day I came across this funny item from a limousine company offering worldwide service:
A Real Limousine Service – Not Just a Booking Agent:
Unlike many other so-called “Worldwide Ground Transportation Providers”, (Company) is managed by a company that owns vehicles and actually operates a “Real Limousine Service”. We understand every facet of the business from handling client requests to professionally training Chauffeurs, and overseeing a preventive vehicle maintenance program. Don’t risk your business with a company whose “specialty” is taking reservations, when a company like (Company’s) focus is providing the ultimate ground transportation through time-tested experience.
Kind of rich with sarcasm, isn’t it? For those that don’t know, Fortis Riders is exclusively a network. We’re proud of that. We don’t own a vehicle, have no plans to own a vehicle, and 50% of our team doesn’t even drive to work (we bike or walk to our downtown office). So why should you use a network when we don’t operate limousines firsthand? In a word, specialization.
Imagine limousine companies as factories. Chauffeur attire, vehicle cleanliness, route planning, every aspect of the trip is made by the limousine company. Factories have concerns that stores don’t. “Limousine Factories” must daily grapple with chauffeur schedules, vehicle washing, fuel prices, traffic disturbances, etc. Factories aren’t able to spend their time creating a boutique environment, where you feel welcome, cared for, and have a personal shopper that knows your tastes.
People in business concentrate on the areas that provide the most revenue. For a limousine operator in a city, most of their revenue will come from local trips where they are using their own vehicles. This is where they’ll spend most of their time and effort. The core of any business is where it makes the most money.
Our different cores translate into differences in service. Here’s how:
1. Everyone’s A Network. No limousine company owns their own vehicles worldwide or even nationwide. Even the biggest companies own their own fleets in a few cities at most. For every other location, they are sending the trip to an affiliate. These Operators may not be experienced with vetting affiliates like a full-time network is. Time and focus makes one better at his work. Limousine companies with networks don’t have quality affiliates as their main focus.
2. International Expertise. Most limo companies don’t handle substantial international work. Local customs, chauffeur selection, insurance requirements are things that vary from country to country and region to region. Again, volume dictates the diligence companies put into the work. Networks have affiliate departments that go on first-hand affiliate trips. Visiting chauffeurs, seeing vehicles, knowing local customs are things that we’ve built into our service.
3. Client Centered. Networks deliver a more tailored service. Limo companies typically won’t have someone on their staff who is well-versed in multi-city road shows, international trips, or providing security detail. Our team can tailor an event, international trip, or security situation to your client’s specifications. When more variables are involved, clients turn to the companies that make the client’s needs the focus. In the chauffeured industry, these companies are networks.
4. Quality Control. Networks provide oversight that no one else does. At Fortis Riders, we track every detail of every deviation in service and compile statistics to measure performance. Very few limousine companies track these stats comprehensively. Most limousines companies I’ve visited have reports from networks like Fortis Riders that they hand out verifying their accuracy rate. We do the measuring to find out who’s the best – only networks provide that function.
5. Cream of the Crop Chauffeurs. Most limousine companies have good and bad chauffeurs. The good ones are used for regular clients and the bad ones are used for one-off trips. If you book direct rather than going through a network, often you’ll be the guinea pig on who’s good and who’s bad. Networks hand select the best chauffeurs to use and can prevent getting a transactional chauffeur. A local limousine company booking with an affiliate will do fewer trips, therefore their knowledge of good and bad chauffeurs is more limited. Their time isn’t worth finding the difference.
Limousine operators everywhere are building a network of affiliates because they see the growth that the network companies have had. However, no major network company is currently trying to become a limousine operator. The reason is clear – clients are switching to networks. Limousine companies should build their own networks as best they can. That’s great. But don’t say that networks don’t know what they’re doing.
Especially when you’re joining our game.
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