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How to Choose the best limo service in the greater Phoenix area

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010


Whether you are selecting a Phoenix airport limo service to travel to/from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport or a Scottsdale limo service for a night on the town to celebrate that special occasion in old town, Accent Transportation Services dba Accent Limo wants to exceed your expectations. Our goal is to make the transportation portion of your plan as flawless, convenient and carefree as possible.


Given that Accent Transportation Services is in the limousine business in the greater Phoenix area, we wanted to provide our readers and prospective clients with some tips on what to look for when hiring a limousine service.


Here are few things you should keep in mind when selecting a limousine service:


– First and foremost make sure that the company carries the appropriate local, State and national licenses and is properly insured.


– Ask what type of vehicles are on their fleet and how old they are.


– Ask for an all inclusive rate so you’re not surprised with all the ad-ins later.


– Ask the exact passenger capacity of the limousine you are booking so your guests won’t end up driving their own cars and there is room for your luggage while going to the airport.


– If you’re booking an airport limo from Sky Harbor airport, make sure your limo will be there whether your flight is early or late. That means you need to confirm that the company you’re dealing with automatically tracks your flights and shows up accordingly vs. claiming that your booking was for a certain time and billing you wait time; even though your flight didn’t land until half an hour later.


– Last but not least your trip is too important not to get your itinerary in writing and to check and see what others say about the service. To ensure a perfect trip, request a written receipt – using a major credit card can help – or an itinerary. Also, looking for references on the car service’s Web site or request them is a good idea. Finally, you should receive an electronic confirmation of your entire trip within a few minutes of booking your ride.


We hope you found these tips useful and that they contribute to making your important trip a great experience.

Phoenix hotels take top honor in service. Do you?

Saturday, July 24th, 2010


As you know, articles about customer service catch my attention. I truly believe that taking care of your customers should be your number one priority in business. That is one of the reasons why Phoenix-based Accent Transportation Services (@transaccent or http://www.transaccent.com/) has been able to thrive in a questionable economy.


Despite the economic challenges Arizona has faced surrounding immigration, two Arizona cities are listed among the top five best hotels for service across all of the United States. Those cities are Phoenix and Scottsdale.


When it comes to hotel guests who are pleased with the level of service, value and overall experience, Phoenix, Arizona is tops. These aren’t just your run of the mill budget hotels – these are three- and four-star hotels. The survey was done by hotel.info, which operates internationally.


Phoenix replaced Indianapolis at the top of the charts – it was ranked second last year. Rankings were based on a survey of customer reviews during the first half of the year. The top five cities, in order, were Phoenix, Indianapolis, Dallas, Las Vegas and Scottsdale.


I found it interesting that even if a guest’s stay was quite pleasant, in assessing the price paid for their accommodation, many guests ultimately gave a critical review of their personal experience at the hotel. This begs the question, was the room truly a bargain, or should the offer really have been less expensive?


We can draw three lessons from the winners. First, value is subjective. Remember, these were not low-end hotels but rather three and four-star establishments. It is cliché but value is in the eye of the beholder. In this case, the value was directly defined by the customer experience.


Second, price does not equal value. When a consumer spends the type of money necessary to stay in a hotel such as these they have expectations. I would guess that the top five hotels have some type of customer feedback process and they make changes based on comments.


Finally, the competition is always improving. Phoenix was not ranked first in last year’s survey. So, how did they move up in the ranking amidst a bad economy and negative press surrounding immigration and travel to Arizona? They did it through good old-fashioned customer service. I would bet they didn’t guess what their customers wanted – they asked.


This survey is done every six months. I will be interested to see if Phoenix can retain the title as the best value and best customer service. Will Phoenix hotel operators continue to offer good service at a fair price or will they relax their focus on serving their customers?


I hope these tips will help your company improve its customer service or help you to evaluate the companies you do business with. As for Accent Transportation Services, we’ll continue to be obsessed with serving our customers through Phoenix airport executive car service, Phoenix and Scottsdale limo service and special event transportation.


Leave us a comment on Twitter at @transaccent or friend us at http://www.facebook.com/transaccent. We’ll give you a 10 percent roundtrip discount for sharing your thoughts. After all, feedback gives us the opportunity to take our customer service to the next level.

Satisfied customers drive success

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Satisfied customers drive Valley limo service’s success. Sometimes a headline says it all. I have included select excerpts from an article written by the Arizona Business Gazette’s Georgann Yara. Check out the full link to the original article at the end.

Misgana Kebede was getting ready for the birth of his first child when he decided to walk away from a promising corporate career and pursue his childhood dream of being a business owner.

Two years later, the success of Kebede’s Phoenix-based Accent Transportation Services is proof that the fantasy he had as a boy growing up in Ethiopia has become reality.

The majority of his clients are repeat customers who need rides to and from the airport and limousine or car services for VIPS who may want a night on the town. His fleet includes luxury sedans and SUVs, stretch limos and a mini-coach that can be used for shuttling large parties.

Vehicles are outfitted with just about every detail needed for comfort and convenience, like complimentary in-car Wi-Fi, satellite radio and outlets for recharging laptops, cell phones and iPods. The payment process is streamlined with paperless reservations and e-receipts. Hourly rates range from $50 for a sedan to $110 for a mini coach. Airport transfers range from $45 to $125, depending on the vehicle and distance.

When Kebede and his wife, Bilen, opened Accent in May 2008, neither had any experience in the limo industry. Before that, Kebede was working as an administrator for Honeywell dealing with international clients.

He was moving up in the company, studying for his MBA and being groomed for the fast track, but Kebede felt a professional void. He had worked in the tourism industry at hotels and theme parks after high school and during college, and enjoyed the customer-service aspect. “Sitting in a cubicle was great and I learned a lot, but there wasn’t much opportunity. The service industry was always in me. That’s what I loved to do,” Kebede said.

Kebede quit his job and the couple leveraged their credit to start Accent. Bilen was pregnant with their first child and the economy began its decline. But Kebede did not consider backing out. “It was very risky. From the time I started, (I thought) it’s do or die, ” he said.

More: http://www.azcentral.com/business/abg/articles/2010/07/01/20100701abg-smallbiz0701.html#ixzz0t3kq5itS

What is Customer Service (Part II)?

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

In the first blog of this two-part series, I asked what makes a company stand out over others. My theory was that is was part price, part value and part services offered with a healthy amount of “presentation” as they say in the culinary world.

The Bloomberg Businessweek article “Standouts in Customer Service,” ranked the top 25 standouts for 2010. I thought this topic deserved further attention and have included a few tips from the winners.

No. 1: L.L. Bean: famous for its lenient return policies, L.L. Bean now offers free shipping on outbound deliveries and returns. In addition, when it announced the closure of a call center in 2009, L.L. Bean gave employees the option to work as home-based agents rather than outsourcing the work.

No. 2: USAA: this innovative company is giving customers the flexibility they desire by offering bank deposits via iPhone and is working on a way for customers to handle an entire accident claim via smartphones as well as making peer-to-peer payments.

No. 3: Apple: options such as Apple’s “Genius Bar” appointments as well as roaming in-store checkout clerks are new ways Apple is upping its customer service game. Apples reputation for customer service is further engrained by customer-friendly iPhone apps created by other companies.

No. 4: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts: there is nothing like a national financial crisis to put a hurt on luxury brands. The Four Seasons responded by easing meeting planner policies as well as cross-training back-office employees to do double duty.

No. 5: Publix Super Markets: a power player in the Southeast, Publix recently installed an inventory software system to automate order replenishments, which improved “out-of-stocks” by 19 percent. What is Publix’s customer service secret – ownership. The 1000-store chain gives all workers a grant of the grocery giant’s privately held stock.

Accent Transportation Services is in the business of service, providing Phoenix airport executive car service, Phoenix and Scottsdale limo service and special event transportation, which means this topic is of interest to us! As I reviewed the top 25 customer service winners, and specifically the top five, two common themes emerged. Those themes are doing business the way the customer wants it done (iPhone apps, no hassle returns and relaxing policies to earn trust) and ownership (providing employees an actual part of the company).

There a few things in the world that have more impact than helping employees see their connection to a company’s success or proactively changing how your customers interact with your services. We hope you’ve found this information useful. Let us know your customer service tips and what has worked for you. You can reach us on Twitter at @transaccent or friend us at http://www.facebook.com/transaccent. We’ll give you a 10 percent roundtrip discount for sharing your thoughts.

What is Customer Service (Part I)?

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

I’ve often heard that customer service is a lost art. It used to be something that a customer expected. However, of late, it has almost become an unexpected surprise.

Given that Accent Transportation Services is in the business of service, providing Phoenix airport executive car service, Scottsdale airport limo service and special event transportation that exceeds our customer’s expectations, I find this topic of interest.

There are plenty of insurance companies, hotels, financial institutions, credit cards and even car services to choose from. So, what makes one company stand out over another? What motivates a customer to select one over the other? Is it price, services, time or how about value?

It can’t always be about price can it? I realize we’re in a recession; however, at the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

The definition of  “customer service” is straightforward enough. Dictionary.com defines it as: assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services. Obviously, there’s more to it than that.

I recently read a Bloomberg Businessweek article on “Standouts in Customer Service” (did I mention I’m a bit obsessed with serving customers…). Here is the link: www.bit.ly….. The magazine ranked the top 25 standouts for 2010. There were several on the list that did not surprise me (USAA, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, The Ritz-Cartlon, American Express and the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts) but several that did. The entire list can be found through the link above.

The article asserted that most would assume that 2009 would have been a particularly hard year for customer service. Companies slashed inventories, cut back employee hours, benefit and pay (all huge attitude motivators). However, customer satisfaction rose rather than declined.

Analysts believe that the recession motivated companies to focus on taking care of the customer. Discussions on cutting costs, outsourcing and automation turned into discussions on how to increase customer loyalty.

Good or bad economy, Accent Transportation Services (www.transaccent.com) believes in exceeding our customer’s expectations. We do this through value; we offer free in-car WiFi in all of our cars as well as complimentary recharging of your devices after a flight (laptops, iPods, smart phones, etc.), and other services. We don’t mind competing on price either! Tell us you read this blog, follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/transaccent or friend us at http://www.facebook.com/transaccent and we’ll give you a 10 percent roundtrip discount.

Stay tuned for part two of this article, where we’ll share some of the customer service tips and tricks from the top 25 customer service winners!
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WiFi…Almost Everywhere

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

According to The Nielsen Company, people around the world spent more than five and half hours a day on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter in December 2009 – an 82 percent increase from 2008.

In response to the growing trend of staying connected, major companies, food chains, airlines and even hotels are offering WiFi access to help customers connect with the information and sites they need. In fact, McDonald, will waive its $2.95 fee for WiFi access this year. McDonalds is joining the ranks of Barnes & Noble and Borders. Free WiFi is popping up in unusual places, such as Taco Bell, IHOP and Denny’s.

Even Airlines are starting to expand their in-flight WiFi offerings. These in-flight WiFi options are not free – yet. I say yet as a few years ago, WiFi options in hotels were the big trend but most came with big fees as well.

Flash forward to today and there are many major hotel brands offering complimentary WiFi connections – these connections once required a fee. These brands include, but are not limited to, Courtyard by Marriott Hotels; Residence Inn Hotels; Four Points by Sheraton; Hampton Inn Hotels; and Hyatt Place Hotels. In addition, there are several hotels that offer free access with membership, which is free. These include: Kimpton Hotels: Omni Hotels; Fairmont Hotels and Wyndham Hotels. In the hotel industry, free WiFi connections are becoming “go” or “no go” decision points. Many people are choosing to stay at specific hotels or hotel chains based on whether they offer WiFi. I found a great report on WiFi and free WiFi offerings at hotels across the nation at www.hotelchatter.com or I am sure you can check a specific hotel by Tweeting them at @HotelChatter.
As you travel, whether for business or pleasure, you can and should be connected to the information you need when and where you need it. Even as you head to the airport, you can access the Web as more and more airports themselves are offering free WiFi options. To date, more than 219 airports offer some type of WiFi access. Travel Post has a great resource to see your options at airports, http://www.travelpost.com/airport-wireless-internet.aspx, or you can Tweet them to ask at @TravelPost.

Given that Accent Transportation Services is in the business of service, providing Phoenix airport executive car service and Scottsdale airport limo service, we offer free in-car WiFi in all of our cars, which range from Town Cars to stretch limos. To the best of our knowledge, we are the only Arizona-based limousine service to offer this option.
In today’s busy world, fewer people are “disconnecting” when traveling for business or pleasure. In addition to complimentary WiFi, we recharge your devices after a flight that typically drains your laptop, iPod, smart phone or other devices.
Where are your favorite places, as well as the most unusual, to get free WiFi? Tell us at http://twitter.com/transaccent or http://www.facebook.com/transaccent and we’ll add them to our list that we share with customers and will Tweet as well.

Productivity on the Road…Getting Recharged and Staying Connected

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

According to a recent survey, people are turning to technology to stay connected, to do more with less and to maintain job security (there were 15 million Americans out of work in March). The current economy has most feeling stressed, overworked and anxious. (more…)

Phoenix teens praise Accent for Prom Limousine Experience

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

We received many emails with testimonials from our prom clients with great pleasure, thanking us for their Prom night limousine experience. Here’s what one of our first time teenage client from Glendale sent to us:

“I would just like to write to thank you for your service! you really helped make our prom a night to remember and we were all very impressed! the driver was great and his service was greatly appreciated! thanks again and we will definitely recommend you to others as well as look to you for limo service in the future!”

We are proud of our chauffeurs, many of whom go the extra mile to deliver Accent’s promise. We’re also very honored to have fun and loyal customers.

Welcome to Accent Limo’s Blog

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Thank you for visiting our newly launched blog. We have redesigned our website to better communicate with you about our services and what we’re about. We have also added links to all of our favorite social media.

Even though, we’re not completely done with it, we hope that you will find that it is more user-friendly, more secure, and more information rich.

Feel free to leave comments, ask questions, and browse topics. At Accent Transportation Services dba Accent Limo meeting and exceeding your expectation is our number one priority. We always appreciate your feedback on how we can better deliver on the Accent promise: Hospitality In Motion.