Chauffeur training takes a lot of time and effort, but is essential for the running of a reputable chauffeur service. Knowing you are in safe hands is an integral part of choosing a chauffeur company. Not only are you entrusting your personal safety and belongings, but you should be in no doubt the company you use knows what they’re doing.
Basic requirements dictate your chauffeur should have a good working knowledge of the city, present himself and his vehicle well and arrive at your destination well within time. But a professional chauffeur is more like your PA, they will assist your every need which is how we train our chauffeurs at Belgraves of London.
So, if you are wondering why Belgraves of London is the right choice for you, learn more about our chauffeur training process below, including our company values and security procedures.
What We Look for in a Chauffeur
When searching for a potential chauffeur or reviewing applications, we have strict criteria on what we are looking for. We request they have a broad knowledge of the local area, and no less than two years of experience in the chauffeur or hospitality sectors and as part of our selection process, we look for the following characteristics:
Professionalism: to be calm and measured in your service delivery.
Willingness: to show readiness to be of assistance and go the extra mile.
Well turned out: to appear smart and well-groomed at all times
Emotional intelligence: to understand and empathise with clients and have the ability to problem solve
Courteous: maintain emotional maturity by being kind and considerate
Vehicle Maintenance and Driving
When our chauffeurs first step into the vehicle, we don’t just give them a location and ask them to drive, we focus on building their etiquette first, including how to contact and greet a guest, attend to their needs, and know the supplementary services we provide.
To maintain our cleanliness standards and provide a safe environment for you, it is also vital your chauffeur understands the vehicle and how to maintain it throughout the day, including:
- How to clean a vehicle inside and out
- Specific areas to maintain
- What cleaning materials to carry
- How to maintain a car between bookings
- Undertaking regular vehicle checks
- Reporting fluids, tyres, and defects
- Changing vehicle procedures
- How to dress the vehicle (amenities)
- Driving technique and safety
- Accident and breakdown procedures
- Driving security
- EV charging and maintenance
Chauffeur of the Year
We are so proud to say that three of our chauffeurs have won the coveted ‘Chauffeur of the Year’ award at our industry’s independent national Quality, Service and Innovation (QSI) awards. Our latest winner in 2023, Lukasz, wrote about what it means to be a professional chauffeur:
“It goes without saying that a good chauffeur should always be sharply dressed, well groomed, smell good and have an immaculately clean vehicle. But I believe a great chauffeur is one who always has their client’s needs and safety at the forefront. A smooth ride, good route knowledge and vigilance are expected from your client, but I try to always go the extra mile.
By learning what makes my client tick, what they like to do, where they like to go, what brand of coffee they like, I can anticipate what they would want in the vehicle, suggest new places that would interest them to directly make the service tailored around them.
I try to find out about any special dates or anniversaries so that I can surprise them with a special gift. I get to know the front of house staff at their favourite restaurants and the concierges at the hotels they stay in so I can always get a reservation or any form of special treatment for my client. It is always the little unexpected details that a person will take away from the service you give.
I was very proud to win the bronze QSI ‘Chauffeur of the Year’ award this year, but I mention this as I believe no matter where we are in our careers we never stop learning and I am always trying to improve my service wherever possible. I continually listen to my peers, especially very experienced chauffeurs and am never too proud to learn. By adopting good advice has made me the chauffeur I am today.”
Belgraves’ Core Values
At Belgraves of London, it is extremely important to us that our core values are relevant to not only our employees and the competitive chauffeur sector, but to our clients as well.
Our chauffeur training process is completely bespoke to our company values and objectives. We are constantly working to better ourselves for your benefit, leading to the first things we teach our chauffeurs in the making:
- Assistance
- Refinement
- Reliability
- Safety
- Discretion
- Progressiveness
- Integrity
Our overall mission is to provide professional, reliable, and sustainable luxury transportation with a genuine sense of welcoming, and we can’t do that without you.
Whereas, our company objective and vision is to be the best luxury car service in the world by driving hospitality and refinement to new heights. We want the name ‘Belgraves of London’ to be synonymous with professionalism and excellence.
Our efforts to strive for excellence year on year have been recognised at our industry’s independent national awards where we won Chauffeur Company of the Year for five consecutive years (There were no awards in 2020 due to the pandemic): 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Our chauffeur training is what sets us apart from other companies. For more information about what Belgraves of London offer, consult our supplementary services and FAQs page to answer your specific questions. Alternatively, contact us to book your bespoke chauffeur journey.