Operator Smashes Cancellation Policy Norms

VAIL, Colo. — When you operate in a heavy tourist town of about 20,000 people and around 60 competitors, something about your company must really stand out. Nate Pippett, co-owner of B-Line Express, believes a combination of exceptional vehicles, well-trained staff, and thinking differently propel his success.

Break Tradition

The company has adapted its cancellation policy from 24 hours to three after they found the 24-hour policy kept many repeat customers from booking their return rides. “We’ve washed our hands of any penalty unless we have to bend over backwards to be somewhere. It’s kind of a thing of the past; you have to just roll with the punches now,” Pippett says.

In keeping with the theme of staying relevant in this tech-based world, the business has also rolled out a customer app similar to Uber in the way it looks and feels. They used to get multiple bookings in advance anywhere from two weeks to a month out, but now most reservations come within 48 hours.

“We actually book about 40% of our daily trips when someone calls and asks ‘how fast can you be here?’” he explains. They’ve since expanded their number of dispatchers to keep up.

They’ve also found value in conducting online surveys via email and text to find out from customers if they are meeting their needs. This in turn helps in chauffeur training. “A lot of it involves trying to predetermine what a guest’s needs are. For instance, if we know it’s going to be a family trip, we’ll have a car seat installed and a movie playing. It’s important to do a little homework and really get to know the client.”

Unique Area = Unique Staff

In the Vail and Aspen areas, where the company primarily serves, clients are mostly people who come to ski or snowboard in the winter. “We’re lucky to be in an area where there are a lot of extremely overqualified people who decide to work for us,” Pippett says.

B-Line hires newly graduated students who cannot find a job in their fields of study, as well as doctors, lawyers, and other professionals who have had previous careers and are now looking for a part-time job to make some extra money in retirement.

“Our biggest separation from competitors is our staff and guest service levels. We employ chauffeurs, not drivers,” he says. The company’s vehicles and chauffeurs have to be able to handle the harsh snowy environment and the curveballs it throws at them. Trips take them from Vail and Aspen to Denver on a daily basis, often going over two or three mountain passes.

Your heart and soul have to go into mentoring and training your staff because a company is only as good as its lowest employee on the totem pole, Pippett says. They offer continuous training, because “you can’t just hire someone, give them only two weeks of your time, and figure they are good for the rest of their career. There are always bits and pieces you can pick up on to do your job a little better.”

The business runs 16 vehicles which they turn over every two years, including AWD Chrysler 300 sedans, Yukon Denali SUVs, and custom-built executive Sprinters that include coach seating, satellite TV, DVD players, and other amenities that make the five hour trip to Denver a little more bearable. B-Line predominantly deals with families and leisure travelers during the winter, and summer brings a mix of everything, including business travelers.

Learning & Growing

Pippett and business partner Chris Bookidis started B-Line in 2007, and previously worked in unrelated industries. Bookidis was in fine dining and construction sales, and Pippett was a golf professional. Pippett became a jack-of-all-trades during the winter months, and eventually ended up working in the hotel and transportation world. After a while, he decided to jump in and buy a couple of vehicles. The company has since grown about 30 to 40% every year.

Through the years, Pippett has realized how many lessons you have to learn the hard way. “You do the wrong thing once or twice before you learn how to do it the right way, and you can’t let your ego get in the way. You should seek out fellow operators and see if they’ll mentor you. You must have processes and procedures for literally everything your staff is doing, whether it’s your dispatcher, reservationist, or chauffeur.”

The business is working on establishing a worldwide platform of affiliates so they can deliver the same service as they do in Colorado worldwide. They’d like to be able to provide chauffeured transportation for their clients not only in Vail and Aspen, but also in the home markets they are returning to.

Keywords

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How To Shop For A New Fleet Vehicle

Shopping for a new vehicle is a daunting task. Whether you are buying a simple sedan or a luxury bus, you have much to decide, from where you will purchase to how you will pay for the vehicle. Here is simple guide to help you through the process.

1. Do You Need It?
Many operators have been cast into financial perils by deals too good to pass up. The most enticing ones offer no down payment or no payments for the first three months. While these may look good, you should not consider adding a vehicle to your fleet unless there is a customer demand you consistently can’t fill, you need to replace a retiring vehicle, or you want to expand into a new market within your area. Never let a sales gimmick or offer cause you to make an impulse buy.

2. What Do You Need?
When adding vehicles to your fleet, consider exactly what you need. Are you farming out sedan jobs daily? Do you want to break into the shuttle business and need your first shuttle bus? Do you have a sedan with 200,000 miles on it that needs to be replaced? Whatever compels you to shop for a new vehicle should be based on facts, previous growth history, and projections into the future. You likely will be locked into this purchase for three to six years, and you don’t want to be left with a gigantic paperweight.

3. What Do You Want?
Once you determine what type of vehicle you are shopping for, zero in on the options available. The list includes built-in Wi-Fi systems, specialized sound systems, seatbelts, or no seatbelts. Think about whether you want your bus to have a P.A. system or not. Do you want your new bus to have a restroom? Have you thought about servicing a restroom and where you will dump it? Know before you go!

4. How Will You Pay For It?
Having a letter of credit issued by your bank or finance company can give you considerable clout. It shows the sales rep you are serious and you have financing already secured. To the sales rep, this is the same as cash. Use that as leverage in your price negotiation. They may tell you cash or financing doesn’t matter to them, but it does! Make sure you know what your payments will be on various levels such as $50,000, $75,000, and $100,000 so you are comfortable with your monthly payments against the potential revenue.

5. Always Do A Test Drive
Because almost every vehicle purchased in our industry has been modified by a third-party manufacturer, always take the vehicle for a drive on city streets as well as the highway to see how it handles on the road. Make sure you check the A/C and heating systems. Some extended vehicles come with only standard A/C systems, which may be inadequate to supply demand on hot summer days with lots of warm bodies. Look for vehicles with enhanced A/C.

6. Insurance Matters
Don’t forget to discuss your new purchase with your insurance company before you buy the vehicle. If you have no experience running buses, your insurance premium will be higher than one for an operator with five buses. More than one operator has bought a specialty vehicle only to be unable to insure it for various reasons including unapproved (non QVM) manufacturers, lack of operational experience, or the insurance company simply didn’t want to insure the vehicle. Many operators have bought their first party bus and expected the insurance to be more than a limousine but never expected it would be 10 times the amount. Ask before you buy!

Smooth Operations provides a broad range of information focused on new ideas and approaches in management, human resources, customer service, marketing, networking and technology. Have something to share or would like covered? You can reach LCT contributing editor and California operator Jim Luff at Jim@LCTmag.com.

Keywords

buying guide   buying vehicles   Fleet Vehicles   How To   insurance rates   Jim Luff   new vehicles   Safety & Insurance   small-fleet operators   smooth operations   vehicle sales   

 

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