From Good to Great: A Chauffeur Named Jay Exemplifies Outstanding Service

At LCT’s 2005 Industry Awards Gala, held in conjunction with the LCT Show in Las Vegas, an auction to benefit the NLA’s Harold Berkman Charitable Fund took place. I bid on the Disneyland package donated by Music Express and won, so my family and I visited the Magic Kingdom during Thanksgiving break. A portion of the package included a limousine ride that we used to get us from Disneyland to my brother’s house, located an hour away.

On Thanksgiving morning, our chauffeur Jay summoned us to the hotel lobby. As we piled into the limousine, there was something familiar about Jay. As we settled in for our ride, I noticed the vehicle’s amenities and refreshments included my favorite things. Was it a coincidence or did Music Express have all of this information on my client card, I wondered. I was intrigued and I wanted to know, so I leaned through the divider and quizzed Jay. He laughed and told me he had driven me in the early ’90s and even though my last named had changed since then, he recognized my first name as well as my company on the trip sheet. He said he took a stab that I was in fact that same person from 10 years ago so he stocked the limousine exactly as he remembered I liked it. I was completely speechless.

It gets better. Jay had studied the freeways coming into Anaheim from his Burbank headquarters and he knew where the holiday bottlenecks were so he pre-mapped the most efficient route to our destination. Jay knew exactly what we would want to listen to on the stereo, he knew the limousine he was driving inside and out and the vehicle was by far the most spotless one I have ever been in. Jay personally hand-detailed the vehicle down to the last bar glass so even in the bright L.A. sunshine there wasn’t a smudge to be found. He was also one of the most personable drivers I’ve ever known. I kept wondering if it was hurting him to smile so much. He was a moving tour guide, which made our trip fly by. I asked Jay about life as a chauffeur and he said he had the dream job — that this was his calling.

What is the difference between good and great service? Chauffeurs like Jay who seem to grasp the art of service. Great chauffeurs care about pleasing people above and beyond all else. Funny how the money seems to follow them! Jay has top seniority, a loyal client book and the primo shifts. He is what we call the “cream of the crop.” The lesson we can learn from chauffeurs who love people and dedicate themselves to serving them is that they get as much as they give in return.

Take advice from someone who spends countless hours in chauffeured vehicles and make it your New Year’s resolution to only hire people-loving people. I guarantee this alone will boost your profits!

May 2006 bring you happiness and success.