9s and 10s are won in the margins. That’s one of the most important mantras we live by as an organization. Whether or not you’re a van rental agency like us, details matter when it comes to creating remarkable customer service experiences.
Two years ago towards the end of the pandemic, my partner and I stayed in an awesome Airbnb in South Philadelphia. I had to be in Philly to help prep some of our new Transit passenger van rentals, and she needed a break from her routine here in Boston. We booked ourselves a nice cozy quiet apartment where we could get some work done and enjoy quiet time together.
It was a great listing. Very clean, pleasantly decorated, and in a perfect spot close to everything we needed. A perfect balance between inspiring workspace and cozy getaway.
The photos online were gorgeous, and when we showed up, it was just about exactly what we expected. The directions to get in were clear and not too complicated. The host seemed on top of their game. Professional, respectful, and considerate of our travel plans in all of their interactions with us.
We were excited for a great few days away together without worry. She could work on her dissertation and I could spend time brainstorming some of the core values that define Greenvans as a high quality van rental agency.
Expectations vs Reality
I’m sure you’ve stayed in an Airbnb at some point in your travels. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a place is going to be as good as it looks in photos. There’s usually enough info in the comments to get a realistic feel for the quality of the place, and a seasoned Airbnb veteran knows what to watch out for before booking to make sure expectations meet reality.
Choosing the right van rental agency, or the right size passenger van rental for your specific trip can be very similar to choosing the right Airbnb.
Every company you research does a great job presenting themselves, but sometimes it takes a more discerning eye and some experience to know what to look out for. Read a little about the difference between a 12-passenger van rental and a 15-passenger van rental here.
Customer service really means attention to detail.
I bet you’ve been in this situation before:
At first – everything seems great.
- The Airbnb is furnished exactly as you saw in the listing photos.
- There are as many bedrooms as advertised.
- The Wifi works.
- There’s running water.
- There’s actually a bathroom.
The big obvious important stuff is there – check.
But it’s the little things that are just slightly out of place that you start to notice – or rather, you FEEL more than you notice.
One minor oversight becomes a slight annoyance. One slightly overlooked detail leads to noticing another, and another and another – until you have a long list of minor annoyances that ultimately separate a perfect experience from a pretty good experience.
The difference between “pretty good” and “exceptional” is often in the details: The space between those two feelings is where customer service excellence lives.
This was a 2 bedroom apartment with a pullout couch in the living room advertised to comfortably accommodate up to 6 people.
Imagine you’re traveling to a wedding in Philadelphia with two other couples. Sure – this place is advertised as a two bedroom with a pullout couch that can accommodate six people. But enough beds for six people is very different from accommodating six people comfortably. And yes, there was ample parking for the 15 passenger van rental you picked up in Providence for your trip to Philly.
When we opened the cabinet to find ourselves a pair of wine glasses for an evening wind-down, there were four glasses. Not a big deal for two people. Not something we’d ever complain about or even notice.
Imagine you open that same cabinet on the first night of your stay with five of your friends, expecting there to be enough wine glasses for everyone. You find only four glasses. Not the end of the world. Paper cups exist for a reason. Nobody in your group is above drinking wine out of a coffee mug.
Details matter
“Accommodations for six” means more than simply six beds and six pillows. It means having plates, wine glasses, and coffee for everybody. And if you don’t, at least have the dishwasher soap so your guests can wash what they need. If we were the kind of van rental agency that promised you a 15 passenger van, the simplest thing we could do is give you a van with 15 seats. Seems obvious.
We reached into that same kitchen cabinet at the end of the night to pour ourselves each a glass of water before bed: Only five mismatched glasses. Again, no big deal. There’s a dishwasher.
The next morning: Four plates. Two bowls.
These minor details weren’t off-putting at the time as it was just the two of us – and I’m starting to sound pretty needy and particular about the outrageous standards my partner and I have when it comes to accommodations (I promise I’m not this much of a principessa).
But imagine you’re there with all of your friends and you all just want to have a glass of wine, or you all want a glass of water before bed? The simple fact that there aren’t enough glasses or plates for everyone when it’s supposed to be an airbnb for six people to stay comfortably for a few nights. That matters.
Details matter whether you host guests or rent passenger vans
The next evening, winding down on the couch to watch a little TV. We pop on Netflix, reach for the remote and can’t turn the volume up or down. The batteries in the TV remote are dead.
No big deal. Nothing worth complaining about. Here we are piling on just a few little things that are just annoying enough. Ruining the trip? No way. Making things ever so slightly more difficult? Yes.
Then we’re out of glasses and plates at the end of our second night. We load the dishwasher and discover: No dishwasher soap. No big deal. We’ll wash the dishes by hand. Worth complaining about? Not at all. But it’s just enough of an annoyance to be an annoyance. A pile of dishes and a useless dishwasher is some first world problems stuff – but it’s enough to say “WTF” at least a little bit out loud.
Our last morning: We ran out of k-cups for the Keurig coffee maker.
So far, this was the ultimate sin. “Why wasn’t this place fully stocked for our stay!?” We ask quietly to ourselves as we walk to the coffee shop around the corner.
The difference between an 8 out of 10 and a 9 out of 10 is FELT, not seen
It’s experiences like this that help inform us and our team at Greenvans how to know the difference between just getting the top level important stuff done vs caring about the details, because the details matter.
Details matter to the people traveling in our passenger van rentals as much as they matter to us in our own travel experiences. We want our attention to detail to be felt – in a good way. Not in a way that makes you say “that was a great trip and our rental experience with Greenvans got the job done for us just fine.” We want you to feel like we deserve a 10 out of 10 because that’s the level of service that we would want for ourselves.
A travel experience like an Airbnb that’s well furnished, comfortable, and meets your expectations is the easy part. An Airbnb that has enough wine glasses for everyone, enough plates for everyone, enough coffee for your whole stay if they say they have coffee, and details as benign and simple as enough dishwasher soap to actually do the dishes – these are the little details that might often go unnoticed, but are the elements that separate an 8 out of 10 from a 9 or 10 out of 10 travel experience.
How can we be a van rental agency that “wows” you with attention to detail?
Planning trips is exciting, valuable, and important to you: Details are important to you. So why not work with the kind of van rental agency that cares about the details as much as you care about the details. We’re just a piece of your experience. But if you want the WHOLE experience to be remarkable, then all of the pieces have to live up to your expectations.
You’re doing a whole lot more than just searching for a great van rental agency: you’re planning an experience.
It’s the little things that separate an 8/10 from a 9/10 – and it’s a FEELING that separates an average experience from a remarkable experience. We want your experience to be worth talking about.
Consider renting a 15 passenger van from Greenvans in Philadelphia, Providence, or Richmond for your next adventure. You’ve spent a lot of time and money planning the perfect trip and coordinating the needs of many travelers. Make it special.
You don’t need 15 people to rent a 15-passenger van. Our vans are the perfect size for a long road trip with even just a few people. We can remove the back two rows of seats to make our brand new ford transit van rentals perfect for 6 or 8 passengers with plenty of room for luggage, coolers, golf clubs, surfboards….whatever you can dream up, our vans can hold it.
We’re Greenvans: We’re a van rental agency for travelers who care about remarkable experiences.
No shortage of wine glasses, metaphorically speaking, over here.
Be sure to book your 15 passenger van rental to make every mile of the journey something to remember.
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