The Art of Shuttle Travel

Typically, shuttle services are an afterthought for many dealerships. Most don’t view the service as a revenue generator and therefore don’t invest in it like in other areas of their business. The majority of dealerships are simply providing a service because their customers want it, but not all of them realize that this service is a huge opportunity to increase customer engagement and build their brand image. The added value you provide your customers through your shuttle service can set you apart from competing dealerships in your market, by generating revenue and loyal customers.

Do you provide a complimentary shuttle service to your customers?

If you are a car dealership that provides a shuttle service, or if you are considering starting one, it is important to understand the benefits of doing so, as well as the costs and risks involved.

• Shuttle services are becoming increasingly popular with consumers. This is because they provide them with more convenience and flexibility in their purchasing decisions.
• A complimentary shuttle service can save your customers time in their purchase process: It makes getting from point A to point B much easier for them, which means that they can focus on shopping rather than transportation issues.
• Customers who use your shuttle service will feel appreciated by this added level of personal attention and care—and this alone could turn them into repeat customers!
• And lastly, customers who take a shuttle spend more money on their repairs than those who wait at the dealership.

Does it ever feel like your shuttle service is more of a hassle than a way to help your customers?

Does it ever feel like your shuttle service is more of a hassle than a way to help your customers? If so, you're not alone! We talked to some people who have had bad experiences with shuttle services and found that many are unhappy with the following:

• Drivers don't know their routes very well, resulting in them going out of their way or getting lost.
• Drivers don't know where they're supposed to pick up and drop off passengers. This can result in either unhappy customers or late drivers.
• Rising gas prices mean higher variable costs for your business.
• Many customers are used to ride-share experiences like Uber and Lyft.

In today's world, people are more mobile than ever before. They travel for business and pleasure, and they expect the same level of service when they arrive at their destination. People expect a better level of service when they travel than they do when they are at home.

The art of shuttle travel is all about providing transportation to your customers in a timely and safe manner. It's also about putting your best foot forward when you greet them upon arrival at their destination.

The right shuttle service can make all the difference in the world to your customers. It can also help you stand out from your competition. Here are five important parts of the shuttle experience that will set you apart from other dealerships:

6 Important Parts of the Shuttle Experience

1. Communication

Transportation services are notoriously difficult to run, but that doesn't mean that you can't increase your success. In fact, the key to running a successful shuttle service is communication with your customers. You should be able to tell them exactly where their car is in the service process and what time it will be ready for pickup after servicing.

You could use Quickride as an example of how easy it is for you to communicate with your customers about their vehicle's location and status. Quickride was developed by people who understand how important communication is when it comes to running a successful transportation service, so we've made sure that we provide instant updates on the locations of our vehicles at all times throughout each trip - which means no more waiting around wondering where your car went!

2. Timely, seamless drop-off and pick-up

The effectiveness of the shuttling process begins with a timely, seamless drop-off and pick-up. The driver is responsible for ensuring that their passengers are properly dropped off at their destination. The importance of seamless drop-offs cannot be overstated—there’s nothing worse than feeling like you spend more time getting out of a car than actually driving there!

To make this process as smooth as possible, drivers should:

1. Make sure that your shuttle drivers aren't late. If they are late, they will not only be putting their reputation at risk but also that of your dealership as well. This can result in lost customers or even lawsuits! 
2. Another thing to keep in mind is that shuttle drivers should always do their best to be courteous and friendly toward passengers. This will help create a better impression for your dealership, which could lead to more business down the road! 
3. Another tip would be making sure that passengers are comfortable with their surroundings before boarding a vehicle - this could include providing them with water, snacks, or an umbrella if it's raining outside! 
4. Finally, make sure that you have an adequate number of vehicles so there is no waiting time for customers once they have arrived at the dealership location from their home or office location; this will help reduce stress levels associated with waiting times which can negatively impact overall satisfaction levels among

3. Route Optimization and Tracking

Route optimization and tracking is another way to ensure that a dealership utilizes its resources to their full potential.

It is important to know where you are going, how much time it will take, and how your customers are traveling. This will allow you to optimize routes and make sure that they are being used as efficiently as possible.

There are many ways to optimize a shuttle service, but here are 3 tips to give you a better perspective.

1. Make sure you're measuring your efficiency. You need to know how many cars you're using and how far each car goes on average to understand how much gas you're spending on the shuttle service, as well as other expenses like maintenance and repairs. It's important to track this data over time because it helps you identify trends and make improvements based on actual results rather than guesswork. 
2. Look into different routing options. If there's a way to reduce the mileage between stops while still being efficient (i.e., by using smaller vehicles or making fewer stops), then you should explore it! It will save both the dealership and its customers money in the long run.
3. Consider having multiple shuttles running at once so that they can take turns covering routes instead of covering all routes simultaneously—this way you'll have more flexibility when it comes time for scheduling shifts or other needs.
4. If you aren't optimizing the routes and tracking their performance, you might be missing out on some key data. At Quickride, we believe that route optimization and tracking is one of the ways to ensure that a dealership utilizes its resources to their full potential. By using our proprietary algorithm, you can optimize your service for both your drivers and customers. The goal of the algorithm is to assign/ dispatch/ distribute the rides to drivers in a way that minimizes each customer’s shuttle wait and ride times.

4. Implement an Efficient Schedule for Your Shuttle Drivers

The next step is to implement an efficient schedule for your drivers. While this seems like a simple concept, most people don’t realize that they can make their lives easier by creating a schedule that is as efficient as possible. To do so, you need to pay attention to both the customers and the drivers.

1. First off, consider what time of day you will be sending out your shuttles. If it’s rush hour, then chances are your drivers won’t be able to get around as quickly or easily because there will be more traffic on the roadways. 
2. Secondly, think about how far away from each stop it will take them before they can get home or back onto another route; if there are too many stops in between them (especially if they live far away), then this could also lead them into traffic jams where they may not have any choice but wait around until someone else gets out so that person can drive instead! 
3. Finally, consider what type of schedule works best for who else besides just yourself: For example, some days aren't busy enough, yet but still need service so those would work better than others when trying something new like this."

5. Keep Them Informed

Another way to provide outstanding customer service is by keeping them informed about where their vehicle is in the service process. You can’t have this information if you don’t know what stage of the repair or maintenance your customer is at, so make sure that every time an employee completes a task, they log it into an appropriate database for future reference.

When a customer calls in for an update on their car, you don’t want them calling back because they haven't heard anything and are worried something has gone wrong with their car or that it might be sitting there too long without anyone looking at it. Having a system set up specifically for customers makes it easy to keep track of who needs updates and how often they should receive them without having to look through multiple databases or guess what information might need updating based on previous conversations with certain people (which could lead you down the wrong path).

Service is everything. If you provide a great shuttle service and one that is customized to your customer’s needs and wants, then it can be a win-win for both the customer and the company.

6. Use a shuttle service app to provide great service

To optimize your shuttle service, there are a few pieces of technology that can help you. For instance, Quickride is a mobile app that helps drivers and customers navigate, track and communicate with each other. 

It also provides real-time updates so that you know exactly where all your shuttles are. The app has several features that can increase efficiency and make the process easier for all parties involved:

• Real-Time Tracking: Know where every shuttle is at any given time
• Real-Time Driver Updates: See if there are any delays or problems with certain routes in real-time. This means you don’t have to call or text individual drivers when something goes wrong—you can just check in on their status through this app!
• Real-Time Customer Updates: See exactly where your customers are at any given moment so they don’t get lost (or miss their flight). This will save everyone lots of time and stress!

Conclusion

Once you have optimized your shuttled service, you will be able to provide a much better experience for customers compared to where you started. And if customers are happy with their car dealership, they will be more likely to come back or recommend them to friends.

That is why shuttle service is an art. It can be a science, but each dealership has its way of running the same service. Always remember that there is no replacement for happy customers and everyone working together towards the ultimate goal of making the customer’s experience in your care happy and stress-free!

Quickride is already helping hundreds of dealerships and thousands of customers with a seamless system for your shuttle fleet that includes real-time updates on scheduling and tracking. But more importantly, our reports, passenger reviews, and insights give dealerships the critical information they need to make their shuttle service work better. If you want the ideal solution that takes into account all of your dealership's needs, contact us and schedule a demo today!