You have read elsewhere
in Call Sign about the
fact that various clients are extremely
concerned about the unacceptable level
of service we are giving - in other
words a lack of coverage. Make no
mistake about it, this, unfortunately is
a fact. Our Account Management team and
call centre are having to spend too much
time placating issues such as cabs
turning up late or not at all, or
drivers not adhering to instructions on
their trip details instead of
concentrating on getting even more work.
We have moved into new premises with more staff, better technology
plus a bright and better working
environment. The drivers that have
visited our new building have been
pleasantly surprised and very
complimentary on it. However, the whole
project doesn’t amount to a can of beans
if we cannot service clients.
I am spending far too much time on the phone and visiting clients
explaining why we cannot cover trips and
why drivers are running in with more
that £4.20. Clients now have the choice
to go to other licensed suppliers. Lets
face it, car companies can - and do -
guarantee that they can have a car
outside the pick-up point when required.
Whether they achieve this or not is not
always relevant - the perception is that
they can.
Customers are now getting wise to the fact that our drivers can
pick and choose trips, unlike minicab
drivers. Also, although again
perception, that car companies are
cheaper than us and trying to explain
that this is not always the case is
difficult when trying to get past first
base - our service. There are only so
many times we can make commitments to
improve things.
We lost the HoC and now an account we have held for many years, has
given us a matter of weeks to make
improvements. In anticipation that this
will not happen, another cab company has
been employed as a back-up. In addition,
due to the lack of service, we are not
taking any more new business and
it’s not |
even Christmas. Tell me what
organisation turns away new business
because the workforce can’t fulfil its
obligation to existing clients? I’ll
tell you what they do - they make
changes to improve serviceability.
Drivers moan about the data dispatch system and the fact there are
so many resends when trying to send
information or accept a trip. I can
assure you that our IT Department have
been working diligently to try and
resolve the problems. But what are the
problems?
Yes, we need more aerial sites. Dial-a-Cab have been in constant
contact with Ofcom who are the
telecommunication authority, asking to
have more sites allocated to us. We need
better channel capacity strength to
allow more taxis to log on easily and
quickly in all areas. You can read more
in the Chairman’s Report.
BT engineers, DaC’s IT team, plus consultants from the USA have all
been working to improve things. But one
of the major problems are the various
packets of data that travel to and from
your on board terminal to our host
computer and back again to your
terminal. The unacceptable number of
rejects and queue positions sent is now
having a profound effect in slowing down
the data dispatch system.
When you take note of the data supplied and the general problem
with coverage, the question must be
asked, do we continue in the same way or
should we change our working practices?
Do we solve the problem by increasing the minimum
number of |
trips a driver must take per month
from 40 to 60? Do we make every job
dispatched non-
rejectable or do we expect every driver
to take it upon him or herself to reduce
their own number of rejects and queue
positions and take as many trips as they
can? I must point out that none of the
above is Board policy or has yet even
been up for discussion. Nevertheless,
something will have to be done if we
want to continue being the premier radio
circuit.
A non-rejectable scenario would, I am sure, be a bitter pill to
swallow, nevertheless if we do nothing,
make no mistake about it - we will lose
accounts. To help with service, new
staffs are being employed in the new
call centre to increase from what was a
35-work station in Brunswick House to 70
in the new building, 1 training room to
2 multifaceted training rooms, plus
increased capacity in both IT and
Customer Services departments. The move
to the new building was in anticipation
of making us an even better Society,
taking on more work, an increase in the
fleet, with driver revenue increasing as
we head up to and beyond the 2012
Olympics. If we cannot cover the work we
already have, what of the future?
I would like to believe that it is not necessary to legislate how
you should work, therefore it must be up
to you. The more work you cover, the
more money you earn. Help us to help
you.Parking
at the new building
Some of you
may have noticed a taxi bay in Chart
Street opposite our premises. I
negotiated with Hackney Council to have
these 3 bays, which are now available
for use. Even though there is payment
machine next to the bays, no payment is
required. The machine will be moved in
due course.
Mike Son
DaC Customer Services / Special Projects |
