What is the Difference Between Chauffeur and Driver?
How do you know if a driver is a chauffeur? There are many differences between the two, which we will explore here.
What is the definition of a driver?
A driver provides transportation services for passengers, as well as transporting goods and luggage. The word “driver” can also be used to describe someone who steers or guides something such as an aeroplane, ship or motor vehicle.
What is the definition of a Chauffeur?
On the other hand, a chauffeur only transports passengers in cars – this job requires more skills than that of a driver. They are hired to attend to the needs of their passengers and operate the vehicle with expertise in driving it safely. And they are highly experienced and licensed professionals.
A chauffeur does not say “no” to anything, even if it is a difficult job.
The difference between drivers and chauffeurs is often blurred because people use these words interchangeably to refer to anyone who drives professionally for both business and pleasure. But in the end, their roles are very different and chauffeurs deserve to be paid for the extra skills they have developed during their years of experience.
In this blog, we will discuss what the difference between these two professions is, what skills a chauffeur has that a driver does not and why they deserve to be paid more for the work they do.
The Difference between a Chauffeur and a Driver
There are many qualities that chauffeurs possess that drivers do not. These are some of the things that the best chauffeurs do well:
- Pay attention to details
- Maintain the vehicle in impeccable condition inside out
- Impeccable Appearance
- On-Time Every Time
- Excellence customer Service
- The Can-Do Attitude
- Take Ownership and Pride in their work
- Familiarity with the city
- Knowing when to Talk
- Discretion and Confidentiality
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Attention to detail that never waivers
A chauffeur pays attention to every detail of the trip. He anticipates your needs before you ask. The chauffeur will greet you, check the weather to suit accordingly and get into his car with a smile on his face because he’s happy that he gets to drive someone who appreciates being treated like royalty for once in their life.
The driver doesn’t care about detail or customer service.
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The vehicle is in impeccable condition, inside and out
The driver is only concerned about who his next customer will be. Their responsibilities don’t go beyond that.
Impeccable appearance
One of the responsibilities of the chauffeur is dressing in uniform and following the dress code of the company. In order to look impeccable, the uniform should be clean, wrinkle-free, and pressed.
Drivers, on the other hand, usually arrive at work in whatever attire they feel comfortable in.
Timekeeping
Ensuring plenty of time to reach the location well in advance of the pickup time, so the chauffeur can assess traffic conditions and plan the best route while having alternative routes available in case anything needs to be changed.
This is one of the keys to distinguishing a chauffeur from a driver.
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Customer service that is passionate and committed
A driver is not prepared or willing to provide such a service.
The Can-Do Attitude
What is “The Can-Do Attitude’?
The can-do attitude is a positive, proactive and confident mindset. It’s an outlook that you have when there are challenges in front of you, but also opportunities to help someone else succeed at the same time.”
A chauffeur who has a Can-Do Attitude is one who has a zest for life.
One with the drives to go above and beyond their daily work duties, such as meeting new people or taking on responsibilities not assigned by bosses is someone you want in your corner at all times.
Does the driver have “The Can-Do Attitude”?
Ownership and pride in their work
A chauffeur never forgets who they’re working with on any given day because it is critically important to remember that each person has different needs at various points of time.
The Driver just want to finish his day as soon as he could.
Creating memories? Most probably thinking about how much paycheck he is going to get this week.
Familiarity with the city
There are times business travelling clients may need to locate dry cleaning services or a nice ambience restaurant to entertain their guests. Knowing these aspects of the city will give the clients a great impression and encourage customer loyalty.
A typical driver is more focused on driving and getting you from point A to Point B.
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Knowing when to Talk
A chauffeur knows just when to talk. This will help determine how they broach a topic or offer assistance in making sure that you are as comfortable as possible during your experience with them.
Being a good chauffeur observe the customer’s environment and gauge their mood before speaking. And takes the ability to know when and what type of conversation is appropriate. You need to be able to gauge whether or not your passengers want company, so you always make sure they are comfortable with being around you before speaking too much. If it’s near time for them to get off at their destination and they’re in an excited mood because they’ll see friends, family members, etc., then joking might work out well since many people become more talkative during these times anyway! But if someone just wants some peace while travelling from point A to B without any extra chit-chatting involved? Then waiting until that person asks questions about something personal would likely do the trick better than trying anything on your own accord beforehand.
The ability to know when and what is appropriate to joke, talk, or stay quiet comes from experience. The best chauffeurs are the ones who have a lot of it.
Drivers, on the other hand, can be either very chatty or very quiet.
Discretion and confidentiality
A chauffeur will often drive business leaders and celebrities. Discretion and confidentiality- these are the two things that make a good chauffer great for any client’s needs.
The chauffeur understands the importance of discretion. Especially if the information is confidential, they will be cautious and careful in their speech and actions.
They are the trusted confidants of the rich and famous who will never share what they know, especially if it involves their clients’ privacy or whereabouts.
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Conclusion
All drivers are not chauffeurs.
All chauffeurs are great drivers. To be a great chauffeur, it’s more than just driving. They will have to possess the above characteristics listed above.
Chauffeurs know the ins and outs of navigating a car in traffic, how to get around construction zones, parking lot shortcuts. They understand that being on time is more important than anything else when it comes to making your client happy. And they have learned the importance of keeping their clients comfortable by anticipating needs before they arise – like knowing what music to play is best for clearing up road rage or when to turn down the volume when clients are having a meeting. All these skills make chauffeurs worth every penny they’re paid and deserve recognition as professionals who provide invaluable service to their customers. Thus, it’s important to hire a reliable limousine company that offer professional chauffeur services.
We hope you have found this blog post to be informative and that it has helped you understand the difference between drivers and chauffeurs.
