A limo trip looks simple to the passenger: they book, a chauffeur arrives, they reach their destination. Behind that, a reservation passes through several hands and checks. Each one is a point where a trip can go right or wrong.
Below we follow one example trip, an airport pick-up for a corporate traveller, through each step. The exact process differs between companies and software, but the stages are much the same.
1. The reservation is taken
The booking arrives by phone, email, the website or a corporate booker. Whoever takes it records every detail in the dispatch software:
- Passenger name and mobile number, and the booker if someone else is arranging it.
- Pick-up: the airport, terminal if known, airline and flight number, and scheduled arrival time.
- Drop-off address and any stops on the way.
- Vehicle type and number of passengers and bags.
- Meet-and-greet or curbside pick-up, sign name, child seats or other requests.
- Rate, payment method or account, and billing reference for corporate trips.
Missing information is the most common cause of problems later, so a good reservation process asks for anything that is not provided.
2. The booking is confirmed to the customer
The customer receives a confirmation with the reservation number, date, time, addresses, vehicle and price, plus the cancellation terms. For corporate accounts the confirmation may also go to a travel manager or assistant.
3. A chauffeur and vehicle are assigned
The dispatcher assigns the trip to a chauffeur and vehicle, checking availability, travel time from the previous job and vehicle suitability. The chauffeur accepts the job through the driver app or confirms by message. If the company does not have capacity, the trip may be passed to a trusted affiliate operator.
4. The trip is reconfirmed
Ahead of the day of service, usually the evening before, dispatch reconfirms the next day's trips with each chauffeur and checks for any changes from customers. This is where double bookings, missing details and unassigned trips are caught while there is still time to fix them.
5. The flight is monitored
For airport pick-ups, dispatch tracks the flight on the day. If it lands early or late, the chauffeur's timing is adjusted so they are in place when the passenger arrives. Any waiting charges then follow your own terms for flight delays.
6. The trip is managed live
During the trip, the chauffeur updates their status and dispatch watches for anything that needs attention:
- Chauffeur on the way to pick-up.
- Chauffeur on location, with the passenger notified if that is part of your service.
- Passenger on board.
- Trip completed at drop-off.
If the chauffeur cannot find the passenger, the flight is diverted or a vehicle has a problem, dispatch handles it: contacting the passenger, arranging a replacement vehicle or updating the customer, while following the company's no-show and delay procedures.
7. The trip is closed out
After drop-off, the trip is checked and closed. Extras such as waiting time, extra stops, tolls and parking are added according to your rates. The final charge is taken or the trip is added to the account's invoice, and any notes for next time are recorded on the customer's profile.
8. Billing and reporting
Corporate accounts are invoiced on the agreed schedule, chauffeurs and affiliates are paid for completed work, and the owner reviews the day's or week's trips, revenue and issues. Patterns in those reports, such as repeated late pick-ups at one airport, feed back into how trips are planned.
Where things usually go wrong
- Details missed when the reservation was taken, especially flight numbers and passenger mobile numbers.
- Trips left unassigned because nobody checked the next day's schedule.
- Changes made by the customer that never reached the chauffeur.
- Calls missed at night or at weekends, when customers often book or change plans.
- Extras not recorded at close-out, so the company is never paid for them.
Each of these is a process problem rather than a people problem. A written workflow, consistent use of the dispatch software and clear cover for every operating hour prevent most of them.
How Callstones supports this work
Callstones provides outsourced limo dispatch for limousine companies in the U.S. and Canada. Our team can take on agreed parts of this process, from taking reservations and assigning chauffeurs to monitoring flights, managing live trips and closing out trips for billing, working inside your own dispatch software and following your procedures.