THE LUXURY YACHT CHARTER SPECIALISTS Sydney +61 280 050 054 Florida +1 954 603 7830 London +44 207 193 7830 Cannes +33 970 408 889
Capturing the PrivatAir Identity Nathalie Beuchard, charter sales director for PrivatAir, gives a very personal take on customer service to Charlotte Pénet NATHALIEBEUCHARD still remembers the company slogan that captured her attention when she joined PrivatAir six years ago. ‘It was the term Service d’Excellence,’ she says in her fast, jittery style, perched on the edge of her seat. ‘It was the perfect description of how I envisage customer service.’ Th e words Service d’Excellence are certainly evocative, but in the luxury business aviation sector, both service and excellence are at the core of every client’s expectations. It takes more than slogans and assurances to win the clients’ trust, especially in the current jumpy market. Demand for private charters is still up despite a dip in September, but pricing is becoming more and more aggressive among operators. So how does Beuchard give real meaning to the phrase PRIVATAIR PRIVATAIR Service d’Excellence, in the face of all the competition? ‘Of course you have to negotiate your price, but there comes a point where you can’t devalue your service. We’ll go the extra mile on every other aspect, and we’ll put pressure on our operators and partners to be the very best. We’re known for that, and I believe that’s what makes the diff erence. It’s no longer enough to tick every item on each client’s list of requirements. In the current market, you have to off er an extra special ingredient: the personal touch. You have to really care.’ To fi nd an account manager who is genuinely driven and tenacious enough to respond to every request is quite rare. It’s the person who thinks to arrange for two medical assistants and a special disembarking facility for a client in a wheelchair, so she endures Seventy-Nine minimum discomfort and stress when coming off the plane. It’s the one who answers the phone on a Sunday afternoon and pulls all the strings to rearrange for a late fl ight slot, so that a father can help his son blow out his birthday candles. It’s the account manager who forgoes her day off when a new client is passing through town unexpectedly, just so that he can put a face to the voice, and establish that personal connection. ‘Th e recognition and the gratitude we receive from clients is the best reward,’ says Beuchard with a smile. Such ardent personal service inspires loyalty: one of Beuchard’s clients recently cancelled a prearranged trip with another operator to fl y with PrivatAir. Th ey had the right plane at the right time, and as the client stated: ‘We’re back, and we know the service will be top class.’ ‘At PrivatAir, we are a niche boutique out of choice,’ says Beuchard. ‘We want to keep off ering such responsiveness to our select clients. We make sure we are not just reachable, but physically present. Our new charter sales offi ces in Dusseldorf and London ensure that we are close to our clients.’ She talks with the same enthusiasm about plans for the future. ‘We want to go that step further and act as a personal travel agency, arranging special trips, excursions, journeys of discovery, always with the promise of our Service d’Excellence.’ When such service is served up with that personal touch so deftly personifi ed by Beuchard, there is no doubt they will enable PrivatAir to continue to build long-lasting relationships with its fortunate and discerning clients.
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