A Coded Message

Our new business cards have a simple black and white logo to reflect our old-fashioned customer service and traditional etiquette. On the flip side of the card we have social media icons and a QR bar code. These signal we’re a modern day business utilising the very latest technology to stay competitive.

Right from the start, I wanted technology at the heart of our business to improve efficiency and deliver an edge. Some people think ‘tech’ is geeky but the truth is if you travel in one of our vehicles, you never know about our systems except for when our drivers are in-the-know and informed if flights are late or early!

Comparing smart phones of today against desktop computers of five years ago reveals huge developments in miniaturisation and the empowering of mobile communication. It points to what could be expected in the future and where investment for a business may be prudent. Why be tied to an office and associated costs when you could work off the mobile carried in your pocket?

Smart phones drive the evolution of social media and mobile communication. They give us the ability to say what we want, when we want, regardless of location. They facilitate convenient access to information and the manipulation of data. Our new QR codes are a talking point. When we explain to people the bar code readers are free, they are even more enlightened.

That Looks Easy

A chauffeur-driven car arrives outside a house. The passenger boards and speaks of possible redundancy. Finding alternative employment is on their mind. They entertain the option of buying a nice car and maybe taking a few people here and there, after all, how hard can it be to run a successful chauffeur business?



If you watch the news at the moment, you can’t help but notice the hype surrounding the possibility of a double-dip recession, constant fluctuations in the stock markets, collapsing banks, increasing energy costs and the downgrading of credit ratings for countries. Add to the mix the possibility of major eruption at an Icelandic Volcano and you could easily start dwelling on doom and gloom.

For anyone considering the corporate chauffeur market, my advice would be “think-twice”. Not because of the conditions surrounding the market but because of the volume of work required in order to return a profit. A start-up needs to be incredibly committed to developing new business. They undoubtedly require a network of associates to engage the capacity that would deliver economies of scale (for which you should register for VAT).

Once you pass the growing pains and become profitable, then my advice would be to start thinking about the Eurozone debt contagion, reduced availability of credit and possible long-term closure of airports. If you see it all as doom and gloom, then give up and go home. If however all you can see is a world of opportunity to embrace big changes, new demands and genuine challenge then what are you waiting for?

Softly Does It

Two years ago, we organised an event as part of Wrexham Business Week. It was one of the biggest things DrivenByQ ever organised. We hired a hotel for a night, invited 150 guests and then went to town making every single one of them feel fantastic.

As all our guests were female, we did all the things ladies like. We had a champagne reception, fresh hand-made chocolates, designer shoes, handbags, beauticians, hair-dressers, professional bar men creating cocktails and of course a well-known TV celebrity from a popular soap opera (just to top it all off).

We gained new business from the event but, what we really did was cement ourselves as the market leader and demonstrated how great a company we are to work with. In addition, we really enhanced our customer loyalty by getting the atmosphere just right.

This week, we supported another Business Week but in a different location. Being new on the scene we decided to take a subtle approach this time. Our new logo was well received but maybe next year we should organise our own event and this time invite three hundred ladies?

Latest Developments (State-Of-The-Art Style)

Six years ago when DrivenByQ started trading, our identity was left as a blank canvas and never really developed. The reason was so we could find our feet, specialise and then maybe cultivate a brand reflective of our market position. Looking back, it was probably a good thing because it took time to find our niche.

Most of our business came through social networks. Our identity was left to simmer on the back burner. It never really seemed important. After all, if you are gaining new business all that matters is your ability to deliver on what you promise. Something we have been praised for over and over again.

Ultimately, a business has to market to a new audience if growth is to continue. It becomes time to consider an image and how it is perceived by potential customers. I have discussed this several times over the last year in a number of previous blogs, emphasising how awkward it is to find agreement from a team who are passionate about their work.

This week we have an exhibition stand with the potential to create awareness amongst new customers. Thankfully though, we have agreed on a logo; ordered new personalised business cards and even emblazoned them with the latest QR bar codes. What better way to reflect the fact we really are a cutting-edge company?

The Small Touch That Makes A Big Difference

A young sales executive gets the break of their career. They have a meeting with a new customer for an account that could be worth £20m a year. On the last leg of their journey to visit the customer, they hire a chauffeur who will drive them from the airport to their destination. They have one hour to finally prepare and compose themselves before meeting the buyer. They sit in the car and try to focus but the driver is chatty. He doesn’t stop talking about his weekend of hell shopping with his wife and is oblivious to his passenger’s despair.

Quite often a travel agent or a PA will use the Internet to book a chauffeur-driven car for an executive who is travelling on business. Most of the time, the only thing they have to rely on is the presentation of the chauffeur companies' web site. It can be a daunting task and it can be very easy to find someone who looks acceptable enough and then proceed with the booking.

A good question to ask however is whether the chauffeur provider can send more than one car if necessary or if they can send a fleet of cars maybe – this is just a hypothetical question and the booker will never need such a request but what it does is gauge if other drivers will work with the company. This is a pretty good indication of their capacity and how well established the company is in their local market. It is probably best to ask this question by phone too and measure the response. A slight hesitation can reveal a lot.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter what car you drive, how early you arrive or how smooth you are over speed bumps. As a chauffeur, you must be able to read people and be attentive to their needs. It is something that is often overlooked by someone hiring a chauffeur service and something that is never valued if you never need to travel yourself. Believe it or not, drivers are not all the same and a good driver can be of enormous value. Just think of the young executive on the way to the meeting and wondering how they will break the ice. What if their chauffeur has valuable local knowledge, knows the £20m customer sponsors a sports team that just got promoted and knows exactly when to drop it in to a brief conversation?