Twenty-one years ago, I was young, energetic, enthusiastic and driven by a passion to deliver the best customer service. At the time DrivenByQ was the new kid on the block! A revolution in communication. Embracing email and online booking instead of outdated fax machines! The increase in efficiency delivered a better service at a lower price when compared to the incumbent chauffeur suppliers.
Fast forward twenty-one years and DrivenByQ is now the established market leader: The go to choice for business professionals. From a marketing perspective, trading for twenty-one years is an impressive opportunity. We could raise our profile by plastering social media with a whole load of photos and content. We could add stories and encounters from all those years but, we choose not.
If experience has taught me one thing, chauffeur companies don’t promote when they are busy. They go crazy on promotion when they are struggling. It is the first sign that something isn’t right for them. This was confirmed recently when the biggest chauffeur company in the region, advised their 70 strong chauffeur team, they were on notice.
With the war in the Middle East affecting travel to Dubai and Qatar, consumers are changing their habits. They want to feel safe. Any chauffeur service or chauffeur company relying solely on this work are now seeking new opportunities. It means their position is changing and they’re approaching business customers for work. Unfortunately, having so many drivers on the payroll as employees makes them very expensive! Their model does not adapt very well to other services.
As DrivenByQ celebrate twenty-one years in business, we are quietly continuing to do what we do. No drama, no fuss, just a simple blog post, carefully keeping the equilibrium. We don’t need crazy growth or industry awards saying how good we are. Instead, we prefer to be the invisible company with the best reputation, maintaining steady growth through recommendations.
Anyone can start an executive travel company and buy nice vehicles. It is relatively easy to gain multiple five-star ratings too. Most executive travel companies then think social media is the place to promote, telling people how good they are. The truth is though; it isn’t what you tell people about yourself. It is what people tell their friends and colleagues about you that counts.
A reputation isn’t something you create online, it is something you earn over time. That comes from showing up every day! Come rain or shine, week after week, year after year. Regardless of the unpredictable weather, varying traffic, disrupted flights, last minute changes, the impact of major global events, congested airports or even unannounced roadworks. When it comes to the basics, twenty-one years of just turning up on time and being there, says something.