Why the Personal Touch Matters

My decision to treat them all as individuals stems from the fact that I believe a service such as my prestige car hire business should allow them to express their differences and get exactly what they want from an experience, rather than simply offering just one option to everyone.

My approach has allowed me to build up a series of successful businesses, and to help you do the same I will be sharing my five top tips for treating customers as individuals below:

1. Communication. At Signature we assign everyone a personal account manager, who will build up a relationship with the individual and find out not only their automotive preferences but also their passions and hobbies. Combine this with a detailed knowledge of the rental history and you have a bespoke service that makes individuals feel valued and welcome. It also leads to smoother, quicker bookings that make everyone's life easier.

2. A bespoke service. We tailor-make our service to the client's needs, meaning that they don't just have a huge choice of cars available, but they can also add on flowers, champagne, restaurant bookings and much more to make the experience truly memorable - and unique to them. We like to think of this as our clients concierge service, allowing them to create a car hire experience like no other.

Take a look at the bespoke 60th birthday treat we organised for a client in London, which included the hire of several cars with chauffeurs, a boat trip on the Thames in addition to organising canapés, champagne and a birthday cake.

3. A quick response.Customers don’t like waiting. And nor should they have to which is why our car hire and chauffeur specialists are on hand 24/7, meaning that last minute bookings can be done there and then - perfect for our more spontaneous clients and essential for overseas passengers landing into the UK. Our round the clock service is essential especially when offering a dedicated chauffeur service which is why we have real people on the phone day and night; clients won’t come through to a call centre or answer service, they’ll be dealt with by a professional controller who can manage their booking there and then.Our 24/7 service also produces the reassurance that, should the unexpected occur, we'll be able to deal with it straight away and minimise any disruption to the experience.

4. Honesty. At Signature we are always entirely transparent about what is and isn't possible. This builds trust, and allows us to demonstrate how far we go to make sure an individual is happy with our service and our cars. If their favourite car isn't available, for example, we'll use our knowledge of their preferences to provide detailed recommendations and encourage them to try something new. We have also, however, bought cars on occasion specifically because a single customer wanted to hire one! Honesty should extend through all elements of your business. Our car photographs and films, for example, are all taken of our own fleet shot on location in our own London Experience Centre, allowing people to see exactly what they're getting. This is important for us and has been an essential aspect to building our reputation of being the best. There is nothing more disappointing than booking what looks like a fabulous car and then receiving a replacement that has seen better days. My business has grown on recommendation from happy customers and this has only happened because I have delivered on the promise of excellence.

5. Quality of service.We ensure that our service is always as good as the cars that we rent out. Customers who rent luxury and super cars expect top quality customer service, and we'll always have someone by the phone who can deal with their every question and special request. Good quality service, and a willingness to hear feedback, is what ensures people feel treated as individuals and not as part of a herd.

I truly believe that by applying this attention to detail helps build a stronger business and strengthens your brand.