Local transportation companies are hiring the drivers in an effort to meet the huge demand for limousines during the convention.
Newsnet 5 Cleveland article here
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The two major global chauffeured transportation companies announced the service at the Global Business Travel Association annual convention in Denver.
The on-demand app will join several hundred affiliates across the country to enable the availability of an extensive on-demand — or “ASAP Fleet” — of luxury cars. New York City will be the first location to launch later this summer, followed by a systematic roll out of destinations across the U.S, the release stated.
“This is an exciting time in the chauffeured car industry,” said Scott Solombrino, president and CEO, Dav El│BostonCoach Transportation Network. “It is extremely important to both companies that our clients continue to receive the highest level of customer care they have always enjoyed, while at the same time have access to the immediacy of on-demand technology which smartphones and portable devices can now provide.”
“Our new On-Demand service will streamline the process for clients to book rides with us and our affiliates,” said EmpireCLS Chairman and CEO David Seelinger. “The app is our safe solution for clients who need last-minute transportation and have high expectations for the quality of their ride.”
More details on how the new app will be set up and connected will be announced at a later date.
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At the 2016 International LCT Show, operator Christopher Quinn’s session offered practical approaches to getting such diverse age groups to work well together. Quinn owns Corporate Transportation Solutions in Sacramento, Calif., and serves as a board member of the National Limousine Association (NLA) and the Greater California Limousine Association (GCLA).
As an active fire captain training a mix of the younger generations, Quinn uses different ways to get optimum performance from his recruits, and also learned how and when to overlook differences. Quinn presented his insights into leading these young men and women while creating more productive, multi-generational work environments.
Generations Defined
Traditionalists are now the world market’s shareholders. Having lived through or been born during the Great Depression with some serving in World War II or the Korean War (1950-53), this older group values duty, honor, country, hard work and every nickel. Coming of age during the era of the military draft, about half are military veterans, so formal uniforms and dress are considered standard for work.
Baby Boomers are the offspring of returning military servicemen after the war. They enjoyed economic booms that make them idealistic and active spenders and consumers, but competitive and goal oriented. This group brought us women’s liberation and the civil rights movements. But they remain more formal in dress and presentation in a work environment.
Gen-Xers were instrumental in the counterculture movement. Questioning established norms was a part of deciphering economic and political uncertainly in their early years. While not as job-loyal, this group also has absorbed more downsizing and layoffs in a post-boom economic world than their elders. Gen Y/Millennials enjoy economic prosperity and new technology. But they also look for group collaboration and want regular, even weekly, feedback on job performance.
Generation Z is still new to the work world, but this group has been wirelessly connected from birth and is likely to face heavy college debt while looking for fulfilling work.
Where Differences Become Clear
Describing each generation’s unique qualities is one thing, but managing them is another. Significant differences in values, skills, and style can challenge managers.
“All of that can lead to misunderstandings and decreased productivity,” Quinn says. “Worse, it generates less-engaged workers who tend to separate themselves into like-minded groups.” This creates silos of workers, generational bias, and ultimately, causes poor communication. “Some generations even feel singled out as less worthy employees,” Quinn adds.
Hiring the right people is vital for an employer, and operators need caring employees who value their work and want to succeed. “Ostensibly, the mission is the same, but the people have changed,” Quinn says.
From fashion and verbal presentation styles to workplace behavior and technological savvy, the people behind each desk vary widely based on their generational category. Communication is definitely one of the primary differences in style.
If a project goal is shared and understood by a group, for example, it may still be difficult to move forward if communication styles are not considered in the “how” of completing the project. A traditionalist is looking for direct requests and established tasks while Gen Xers prefer to communicate by email and text and are more ready to flex as things change. Baby Boomers may happily have a meeting at any time or take calls at home, while younger generations value greater work/life balance and will bristle at a call outside of work hours. The team may be top-notch, but time must be put into agreeing on the methods for working together.
In another scenario, an older owner or manager offers a bonus for a job well done on a project. The Baby Boomer may be glad to get the money, while a Gen Xer, who looks for instant gratification, wonders why she didn’t get the bonus six months ago when the project was complete. And she might even ask that out loud, stunning an older manager who thinks the employee is looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Recognizing the things that make an employee feel valued and motivated is an important step to creating a well-honed group.
Whatcha Gonna Do About It?
Choosing how to mix the various styles is a leadership responsibility fraught with challenges, but it is workable. If done well, the combination of styles and generations could enhance the quality of the company’s service and products.
“Embrace the challenges,” Quinn suggests. “Understand and cultivate the talent that exists in each generation.” This could be technological know-how or optimism. A Baby Boomer may be excited to learn about a new way to use in-house software and could be paired with a younger person to teach.
Determining expectations and strengths is a matter of good management research. While a Traditionalist or Baby-Boomer reads this as the company’s expectations, a Gen-Yer sees it as it’s intended: To figure out the employee’s expectations; don’t solely force expectations from the top down. Maybe one wants daily feedback, and another prefers to be left alone to work until a weekly meeting. Perhaps some want more flexibility in problem-solving, while others want the methods pre-set to work on. No matter the methods, when all sides know what is expected and preferred, it naturally becomes easier to find ways to drive results from happier, cooperative, and goal-oriented employees.
By clarifying first, managers will make fewer erroneous assumptions. Even better, it is possible to alter long-held beliefs and attitudes. But it takes a little time and patience to let natural abilities contribute in a productive way.
Perspective is part of what makes understanding possible. “Slow the row,” Quinn offers. “As a matter of respect, it is important to pay attention to the other side’s perspective.” Often, the desired result is the same. The Gen Yer may start an explanation with “Dude” as his title of respect, but the idea may be the best one offered at the table. By understanding perspective, different modes of getting there might be worth trying. Instead of seeing a difference or resistance, hearing assorted views can create the appreciation for talents and ideas of another generation.
Good leaders practice such principles anyway. Multi-generational differences just contrast the ways to accomplish excellent work for the organization. Managing these generations may be a challenge, but recognizing what each generation adds in value can be used to benefit the company. More importantly, it will be better for customers as well.
Christopher Quinn can be reached at CQuinn@ctslimo.com.
Quinn notes “each age group of people has different perspectives that affect goals and execution. They are motivated in different but specific ways.” And while the years may overlap a bit based on family structure and personal experience, the generational break down is initially based on birth year:
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The suit, which could include more than 5,000 Uber drivers, was filed Thursday and alleges the drivers have been misclassified as independent contractors, rather than employees. The lawsuit comes on the same day a San Francisco judge is holding a hearing to decide whether to accept the $100 million settlement agreement between Uber and two other class-action lawsuits arguing similar claims.
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Insurance renewals have jumped up at alarming rates this year and we’re not sure why. I spoke to Peter Pantuso at the American Bus Association last month and he said the tour bus market hasn’t been affected at all. I understand our market segment has seen it’s unfair share of party bus accidents, presenting a case for insurers to move away from that niche. On this issue, I side with the insurers. It’s too risky to insure rolling night clubs.
When intoxicated passengers can stand up in a moving vehicle, nothing good is going to come from it. It’s a situation fraught with peril. However, if you are operating a corporate-oriented business and have followed all the right protocols including driver training, maintenance, and low loss-runs, the huge hikes are simply unfair (and a bit suspicious). LCT has pledged to conduct an investigative report on the matter and will be following through with a feature in the upcoming August issue.
Business travel was set to see record highs in the first quarter of 2016 until the terrorist attacks in France and Belgium disrupted the market and created a shock wave of travel cancellations abroad. This has had a ripple effect on airport runs nationally. All things considered, travel is expected to end up 5% year over year. So why are operators telling us business is off?
We believe it has less to do with corporate travel budgets or even Uber, and more to do with our industry showing signs of aging. In most markets, Uber has not significantly affected our industry. There are exceptions, of course. The hotel sector (the concierge industry) in urban areas such as New York and San Francisco are working closer with Uber. But that’s okay. They are price driven. To compete against that business is simply a race to the bottom.
The real issue we face is an overreliance on outsourcing and networking to “share” clients rather than good old-fashioned selling and servicing customers. The more we think of ourselves as transportation or logistics providers rather than a premium-level service, the more we shift away from deep relationships with our clients to just being in the people-mover business. After so long, accounts atrophy. Business travel managers tell me the only time a chauffeured service contacts them is when a contract is up for renewal. They complain there is no support and no communication throughout the year from our industry. This can happen when we are overly focusing on our bottom line. But alas, the day of reckoning is upon us and we need to put on our client-relations hat and reestablish our connections.
Ironically, both our TNC dilemma and employee retention/recruitment challenges are intertwined. When you are having trouble hiring great people and Starbucks can’t fill positions fast enough, you have to ask yourself why. Dynamic, modern and hip companies draw people today. Employees and clients are looking for “experiences” in their lives. This is a very different mindset than days of old. You don’t get to decide what those experiences are. Your people and your customers must tell you what moves them – figuratively and literally! I love the new label of ‘disruptive’ businesses. There have always been disrupters – companies that come into a fuddy-duddy marketplace of “same old, same old” and do it with more flair and creativity.
Employees don’t quit companies; they quit management. Conversely, people don’t turn down opportunities to work for great companies or for the right opportunity, so make sure you are selling an exceptional company. Clients work the same way – they stay if they are happy. New customers are easier to find if the word on the street is your service is just what they are looking for (know thy client and win)!
I am happy to present to you our annual LCT FACT BOOK this month filled with stats that will help you develop a clearer picture of the industry’s mood. Use the second portion of this issue as a Buyers Guide. It lists every active vendor in the marketplace in an easy-to-view page format. And talk to us. Tell us what YOU, our customer, thinks and what MORE we can do for you!
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