How To Be a Good Chauffeur
Whether transporting clients to a race day, a wedding day or simply a special day out, a chauffeur is always on call to provide a service of the highest standard. Driving people around in a limousine all day may not be for everyone but for the people fulfil this role, working as a chauffeur is an exciting career path that teaches many essential life skills. You’ll not only hone your driving skills – you’ll develop exceptional customer service skills from having to deal with a range of customers and a variety of situations and scenarios.
The day in the life of a chauffeur is one that can vary greatly and one that is full of surprises. In order to represent a company well, a chauffeur needs to possess a number of different qualities.
You’ll always need to arrive on time
A professional chauffeur should always be reliable and this means that they should NEVER arrive late. Regardless of what may have happened during the journey, from “I got lost” to “I had car trouble”, no excuse is ever good enough in this business. This is not just a guideline that can be relaxed as and when you feel like it; it’s a strict rule that must be abided by at all times!
After all, a lot of the time chauffeurs are driving important people to important events. It’s no good if the chauffeur arrives late to pick up the Queen and she consequently arrives late to her event (at which people will of course be waiting anxiously). And it’s not just for VIPs either; chauffeurs must be on time for everyone they work with, whether they are taking the birthday boy to his sweet 16th or the bride to the most important day of her life.
To combat this, most professional chauffeurs arrive at their fleet garage at least an hour before their trip in order to collect information about the client including pick up and drop off addresses, flight information if necessary and any other special requests.
You’ll need to keep your manners in check!
It goes without saying that chauffeurs need to be polite and well-mannered all day long. From the moment that the chauffeur steps out of their car to greet their passengers, they must be gracious and incredibly hospitable to create the best experience possible for the customers.
Chauffeurs must call their passengers by their surname (unless in extreme circumstances when told otherwise) and typically only talk when spoken to.
You’ll always need to be prepared
A day in the life of a chauffeur can bring anything and everything imaginable. This is why most professional chauffeurs always carry a bag full of useful products, from extra mints and the day’s paper to snacks and a sewing kit.
Any true professional will also carry maps of the local area and tourist information pamphlets to provide their passengers a comprehensive overview of the region so they can enjoy their experience as much as possible.
You should never make any assumptions
Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is that you should NEVER assume anything. They don’t assume that their passengers have eaten, brought a drink with them or have had a chance to read the newspaper. They don’t assume that there won’t be traffic on a certain road just because they’re travelling at a particular time of day, either!
As part of the seamless service that chauffeurs provide, they are prepared for whatever challenges may arise. If you’re just embarking on a career as a chauffeur, or have been in the industry for a little while and are just looking for a little advice, remember this – however difficult your role may seem at times, you are playing a crucial part in the customer’s experience. Your efforts go a long way to making their day truly special!
Mike Phillips is a professional driver who has worked in the long haul business as well as car transportation business. When he’s not sharing his many years of driving advice on the bloggosphere, Mike is a chauffeur and blogger for
We Chauffeur You Ltd, Essex’s premier chaffeur car service for any and all occasions.