R-Luxe Transport CRM & Automation Specialist

R-Luxe Transportation – CRM, Booking, Dispatch & Workflow Automation System

We are a New York-based luxury black SUV transportation company seeking an experienced Automation Specialist / CRM Developer to build a streamlined operating system for our business.

Clients contact us through WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Facebook Messenger, Website inquiries and Phone calls.

Our current process is highly manual:
Inquiry → Collect Info → Quote → Follow-Up → Client Accepts → Collect Missing Info → Payment → Reservation → Confirmation → Calendar → Assign Chauffeur → Dispatch → Complete Ride → Chauffeur Payout → Review Request

We want to automate most routine work while keeping management in control of exceptions, unusual pricing, complaints, driver issues and payments.

Our preferred architecture is likely Airtable or similar CRM/database + Make.com/Zapier + APIs/Webhooks + Square + Calendar + Messaging + Flight Tracking. We are open to better recommendations. We want a reliable, scalable and easy-to-manage system, not an unnecessarily expensive custom app.

CENTRAL CRM/DATABASE

Every inquiry should create or connect to one client/reservation record containing information such as:
Client name, phone, email, communication channel, service date/time, airport, flight, terminal, pickup, destination, passengers, luggage, vehicle, car seat, stops, return transfer, quoted/final rate, payment status, chauffeur, chauffeur compensation, reservation status, inquiry source and notes.

Each reservation should receive a unique ID. Repeat clients should connect to their existing history rather than creating duplicates.

MULTI-CHANNEL INQUIRIES

Where technically possible, WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Facebook Messenger and Website inquiries should automatically create/update the appropriate lead/reservation.

For phone inquiries, we need a quick internal intake form.

The system should determine what information is missing and request only those items.

Example: Client provides JFK, date, Manhattan destination and 4 passengers but no luggage or flight information. The system should request only the missing details. Clients should not repeatedly be asked for information already provided.

AUTOMATED QUOTING

We have standardized pricing for many airport transfers based on airport, passenger count, route, vehicle, stops, car seats and other rules.

Pricing should live in an editable rules table.

Standard reservations should be automatically priced and quoted. Nonstandard situations should go to management review. The system should also support offering return airport transportation when appropriate.

PIPELINE & FOLLOW-UP

Suggested statuses:
NEW INQUIRY
MISSING INFORMATION
READY TO QUOTE
QUOTE SENT
FOLLOW-UP
QUOTE ACCEPTED
AWAITING INFORMATION
AWAITING PAYMENT
CONFIRMED
DRIVER NEEDED
DRIVER ASSIGNED
IN PROGRESS
COMPLETED
DRIVER PAYOUT DUE
REVIEW REQUESTED
CLOSED
CANCELLED
LOST
NEEDS MANAGEMENT REVIEW

If a client does not respond to a quote within a defined period, the system should send an automated follow-up.

BOOKING & SQUARE PAYMENT

When a client accepts a quote, the system should record acceptance, check for missing information, request outstanding details and begin the payment/confirmation workflow.

We currently use Square.

Where practical:
Confirmed Reservation → Square Payment Link → Client Pays → Square API/Webhook → Reservation Marked PAID

Track amount quoted, amount charged, amount collected, balance, payment date and payment status.

CALENDAR & CONFIRMATIONS

Once confirmed, a properly formatted calendar event should automatically be created using our existing reservation templates.

Reservations contain client details, flight information, pickup, airport/terminal instructions, passengers, luggage, destination, vehicle, rate, dispatch information and special requests.

Airport pickup instructions should come from an editable rules table based on airport/terminal.

After booking, confirmation should automatically be sent through Email, SMS and/or WhatsApp depending on the client's channel. We already have established communication templates.

DISPATCH DASHBOARD

We need a simple dashboard showing:
Today's rides
Tomorrow's rides
Assigned/unassigned drivers
Missing information
Outstanding payments
Flight issues
Cancelled rides
Completed rides
Reservations needing attention

Example:
7:30 AM – Smith – Manhattan → JFK – Aaron
10:00 AM – Jones – EWR → Manhattan – Peter
1:45 PM – Patel – JFK → Manhattan – UNASSIGNED

Management should primarily review exceptions rather than manually checking every reservation.

DRIVER ASSIGNMENT

Driver records should contain name, phone, email, vehicle, license plate, active status and compensation information.

When management assigns a chauffeur, the system should ideally:
Update reservation
Change status to DRIVER ASSIGNED
Add chauffeur to calendar invitation
Send chauffeur dispatch details
Send chauffeur/vehicle details to client
Record assignment

This should require as little manual work as possible.

Client price and chauffeur compensation must remain separate. Drivers should not see internal margins.

FLIGHT TRACKING

We would like a reliable flight-status API to monitor delays, estimated/actual arrival, cancellations and terminal changes.

Important changes should flag the reservation and notify management/driver according to predefined rules.

Please recommend an appropriate flight API and expected recurring cost.

DRIVER PAYOUTS

After completion, reservations should enter DRIVER PAYOUT DUE.

Management needs a payout queue showing each chauffeur and amount owed.

We currently use Zelle and understand direct Zelle automation may not be practical. At minimum, we need an accurate payout ledger with management approval before funds are released.

REVIEW AUTOMATION

After a completed ride, automatically send a review request after a configurable period with Google/Facebook review links.

Track whether requests were sent so clients are not repeatedly contacted.

NEEDS MANAGEMENT REVIEW

This is extremely important. Automation should NOT blindly process unusual situations.

Examples:
Nonstandard route
Large group
Multiple stops
Unknown pricing
Discount request
VIP/special request
Complaint
Wedding/event transportation
Flight cancellation
Driver cancellation
Payment discrepancy
Duplicate reservation
Missing critical information
Automation/API failure
Low-confidence AI interpretation

Routine reservations should be automated. Exceptions should be clearly surfaced for human review.

MANAGEMENT DASHBOARD & REPORTING

We want one dashboard showing:
New inquiries
Quotes sent/accepted
Conversion rate
Confirmed/upcoming rides
Unassigned rides
Revenue booked
Payments collected/outstanding
Driver payouts
Cancellations
Lost quotes
Items needing attention

Useful reporting includes monthly revenue, reservation count, average booking value, inquiry source, conversion rate, repeat clients, cancellation rate, driver costs, gross margin and outstanding balances.

AI USAGE

We are open to responsible AI for:
Extracting reservation information from messages
Identifying missing information
Drafting replies
Classifying inquiries
Recognizing quote acceptance
Summarizing conversations
Flagging unusual requests

AI should NOT have uncontrolled authority over unusual pricing, refunds, complaints, driver payouts or sensitive decisions. Low-confidence situations should go to management review.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The system should be reliable, easy to use, secure, scalable, mobile-friendly where practical, modular and documented.

It should include duplicate prevention, error handling, automation logs and human override capability.

We prefer organized modular automations instead of one enormous workflow that is difficult to troubleshoot.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

Experience with several of the following:
Airtable
Make.com
Zapier
APIs/Webhooks
Square API
WhatsApp Business API
Twilio/SMS
Meta/Facebook Messenger
Email/Calendar automation
OpenAI/AI integrations
Flight APIs
CRM/database architecture
Transportation/dispatch systems

Transportation, limousine, chauffeur, travel or dispatch experience is a major advantage.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Please do not send a generic proposal. Answer:

1. What architecture would you recommend and why?
2. Would you use Airtable as the main CRM/database?
3. Make.com, Zapier, custom APIs or a combination?
4. How would you consolidate WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Facebook Messenger, Website and Phone inquiries?
5. How would you prevent duplicate clients/reservations?
6. How would you safely incorporate AI?
7. How would you implement NEEDS MANAGEMENT REVIEW?
8. What Square integration experience do you have?
9. What flight-tracking API would you recommend?
10. What parts should NOT be fully automated?
11. What software/API subscriptions and monthly costs should we expect?
12. Show examples of similar systems you personally built.
13. Will you personally perform the work or use a team?
14. Estimated development timeline?

Begin your proposal with R-LUXE AUTOMATION so we know you read the description.

SUCCESS CRITERIA

Reservation information should be entered once and flow through the entire lifecycle instead of management repeatedly copying information between messages, quotes, calendars, payments, chauffeur communications and follow-ups.

Routine airport reservations should require minimal management intervention.

Management should primarily handle exceptions, unusual pricing, VIP requests, complaints, driver issues, chauffeur assignment oversight, payout approval and general operations.

We are looking for someone who can build a professional operating system for a growing luxury transportation company, not simply a few disconnected automations.