In 2020 Wheely London Academy was established in a UNESCO protected Monastery Barn built after 1415 for Bridgittine Nunnery on the grounds of Syon House. Following the flagship academy all the Wheely Chauffeur Accreditation offices were redesigned and renamed into Academies making it a network of educational institutions that train professional chauffeurs to the highest standards of service, safety, etiquette and discretion.

Ignore the sign design though. It was intentionally branded Syon Park as it was more critical to seamlessly match the neighbourhood's style than flexing the Wheely brand

Preamble

Wheely, a luxury ride-hailing service, founded in Switzerland and based in London, Dubai, Moscow, and Paris, delivers top-notch chauffeur-driven rides. With their refined app, they offer a seamless experience, ensuring passengers' valuable time is well-spent, connecting them to significant people and places discreetly and reliably, adding unmatched convenience to their busy lives.

In 2019, I joined Wheely's Design Team as a Communications Design Lead, entrusted with complex design tasks. My mission was clear: simplify and refine the brand's communication strategy, focusing on style, brand promises, consistency, and resource management. I divided our communication into three key branches, separating the premium service TOV and style from the rest.

These branches included premium service TOV, business communications, and chauffeur communications. The chauffeur branch, named Wheely Academy, stood out because chauffeurs, as independent partners, needed their unique communication approach. Initially, chauffeur communications were transactional, focused on qualifications like a clean record and a suitable vehicle.

I recognised an untapped potential to engage drivers, enhancing service quality and brand value. By reimagining Wheely's communication strategy, we aimed to maintain their reputation as a top-tier luxury ride service.

Chauffeur Comms Style

The aim was to infuse the process of connecting drivers with a sense of purpose and sophistication. It offered a chance to elevate one's social standing and become part of a respected professional community. This approach ensured that Wheely retained its drivers not just through increased earning potential but also by instilling knowledge and pride.

Introducing the Academy as a sub-brand to Wheely elevated the service beyond just transportation. It positioned Wheely as an expert and knowledge hub in traditional chauffeuring. Choosing a Wheely chauffeur now meant receiving service from a distinguished Chauffeuring Academy graduate, enhancing the overall value of the experience.

Academy/Guild Concept

To ensure effectiveness, it needed to evolve into communication mechanics that ensured a tangible return on investment. For instance, investing in driver education provided Wheely with greater control over setting and elevating driver performance standards on a broader scale. Transforming a mere platform connection into a graduation ceremony not only made drivers feel special but also granted them social recognition within their communities, contributing to driver acquisition.

Supplementing chauffeur-focused communications with educational or editorial content served as a retention and performance enhancement tool. This initiative could begin with emails and evolve into a web-based editorial platform, featuring articles presented in audio format through text-to-speech technology, enabling drivers to access content conveniently on the go. Additionally, demonstrating appreciation by rewarding driver loyalty with gifts further solidified their commitment to Wheely.

using a holistic approach, By adopting a comprehensive strategy, a straightforward combination of tangible attributes and intangible assets can substantially boost chauffeur loyalty to the brand

We've picked Academy brand style elements tied to Wheely but with distinct goals. While under Wheely, it must look good for occasional exposure in client-related comms

Design

The concept existed only on paper until in 2019 it found its stakeholders (Ops VP David and Education Director Anni) who pushed it to execution. Together with Wheely Design Team they were to design the whole Wheely Academy experience from inviting drivers to chauffeurs graduation. That included rebuilding and repurposing all the insides of an antique barn building into a flagship academy that would set the bar for the rest of the Wheely academies across the globe. A talented architect Berenice Martin joined our team for this job.

This beautiful window is one of the nicest features of the initial interior of the barn building. So we decided to build a meeting room around it. To turn the stone windowsill into a sitting place, we put a bespoke leather cushion on it.

The initial point of the Academy experience is a reception desk where pre-accredited drivers are registered and equipped for the following training sessions at the academy reception.

A determining object for the hallway space it's a bespoke wooden counter with a brass skirt at it's bottom. It was designed to store some equipment and accommodate and two receptionists.

Since the syon park academy has multiple entrances we placed the reception desk at the intersection of several routes

A breakout space at the academy was made so that the students and the academy staff could chill, linger and chat. In order for the kitchen area to coincide with the rest of the interior, we had to completely redesign and rebuild it.

We thought it would be a good idea to put up a poster with real rapturous customer reviews to show how appreciated the work of a chauffeur can be.

a larger poster is a bunch of heartwarming five-star passengers' comments on chauffeurs performance. The smaller one features one of the company's values

Academy's floor layouts are intuitive, requiring no wayfinding signs. However, we've customised Wheely signs to assist drivers during this crucial career moment. Two sign types: one for student guidance and another for staff quarters.

Training rooms are the core units of the academy. They are designed to accommodate groups of 8-15 students, this way each student gets the same quality training experience.

Throughout the training program, students not only sit at their desks but also gather around educational posters, mannequins and display cabinets. Stackable chairs and compact desks enable training classrooms to be instantly repurposed for first aid training.

Educational Assets

The new four-day driver training program developed by Annie has raised the bar for educational assets. We decided to make everything as clear and easy to remember as possible. For example, we have equipped all rooms of all academies with dressed mannequins and display cases with accessories for chauffeurs.

The vehicle flow check poster offers self-study

The significant visual part of education materials is the chauffeurs’ outfit standards. To prevent any misinterpretation and to secure consistency of it we chose to thoroughly photograph each individual piece of clothing and accessories

We filmed educational videos for sensitive topics that require extreme accuracy in explanation

We've created a versatile certificate template for our trainers' graduation ceremony. It features the driver's name at the top, followed by a heartfelt message. This template is easily accessible for trainers worldwide to personalise with names. The finishing touches include a brass-coated sticker and a trainer's signature in blue ink

The traditional image of a chauffeur implies appropriate treatment of the hairstyle. To illustrate grooming standards we chose technical illustration that is clear and cost-efficient way to explain hairstyles features

Promotional Photoshoot

When we have fully prepared the entire network of Chauffeur Academies for launch, it is time to demonstrate the fruits of labor to a wide audience. Following the idea that we want to spend most of our resources on a customer-oriented communication branch, we decided to tell the story simply and verbatim.

We hired only three professional models to secure the photoshoot. The other five students are real Wheely drivers selected at a preliminary casting. The trainer was played by the real senior trainer of the Academy, the legendary Peter Curley. And obviously we used the actual detailed chauffeur outfit standards for the stylist's briefing.

The photoshoot covered chauffeuring standards training, vehicle accreditation, first-aid training, and chauffeurs' graduation

Outcomes

The work done to launch the flagship Academy in Syon Park has set the standard for the entire Network of Chauffeur Academies launched in all cities where the Wheely service is present.

The brand assets developed during the work on this launch are still used in drivers acquisition, training and retention as well as in PR, and as a USP of the brand of luxury transport service Wheely.

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the cherry on the top became a bbc report dedicated to the Armed Forces Day in the UK

The brand assets developed during the work on this launch are still used in drivers acquisition, training and retention as well as in PR, and as a USP of the brand of luxury transport service Wheely

Launching Wheely London Chauffeur Academy