january-2012

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.