How to win and keep corporate car service accounts
One corporate account can be worth hundreds of rides a year. Here is what companies look for in a car service, and how to make sure they never need to look elsewhere.
For a chauffeur company, a corporate account is the best kind of customer. Companies book often, book ahead, pay reliably and rarely shop around once they trust you. Winning one account can be worth more than a hundred one-off bookings.
They are also demanding. A late car for an executive is remembered for months. Here is what corporate clients look for, and how to deliver it consistently.
Agree rates, then apply them automatically
Companies expect a rate for their account that doesn't change from one booking to the next. Two simple ways to do it:
- A discount code per account, such as 10% off for one company, used by everyone who books for them.
- Packages with agreed prices, such as a fixed airport run or a roadshow day.
On Viadence both apply on the server when the booking is priced, so the account always gets its rate and your office never has to adjust an invoice by hand.
Make booking fast for assistants
Most corporate bookings are made by assistants and travel coordinators, often for several people at once. They need:
- A booking form they can finish in a minute.
- An instant confirmation with every detail.
- A link they can forward to the traveller.
Every Viadence booking gets a confirmation email and a private trip page that the assistant can share with the executive.
Show where the trip stands
Corporate travellers don't want to call to check on a car. The trip page shows each step as the driver updates it: driver assigned, on the way, arrived, passenger on board. An assistant can follow three executives' pickups from one browser.
Be realistic about your schedule
The fastest way to lose an account is to take a booking you can't cover. Keep a realistic gap between jobs for travel and traffic, and never offer a time when every car and driver is busy. Viadence checks each car and driver for the whole trip, including that gap, before a time is offered.
Connect to their systems, or yours
Larger accounts often want booking data in their own tools, and you may want it in your accounting system. Webhooks (on Pro and above) send booking events, such as created, confirmed, paid, driver assigned and completed, to any URL you choose. Each one is signed, and failed deliveries are retried.
Let your team share the work
Corporate accounts generate a lot of small requests. Invite your office staff to the dashboard so several people can take phone bookings, confirm trips and assign drivers. Staff can manage bookings without being able to change your prices or settings.
Keep the account
Once you have the account, consistency keeps it:
- The same rate on every booking.
- A named driver, assigned early.
- Live trip status, so nobody calls to check.
- A thank-you after each trip.
See how Viadence supports corporate work on our corporate travel page, or read about bringing customers back with email.
Cover photo by Fortune Vieyra on Unsplash.