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Either write to Call Sign at Dial-a-Cab
House or email us at
callsignmag@aol.com Concierge
By having Concierge, does that mean we are keeping our feet in accounts that
we would otherwise have lost?
Stephen Field (F68)
Brian Rice replies: The reason Concierge was built was in order to
retain taxi business for DaC. All large accounts in London use cars as well
as taxis, but by us controlling the customers ground transport we can ensure
they use DaC when they require a taxi. Both our competitors have a Job
Distribution Engine (JDE) so if we did not control the clients ground
transport needs, then our competitors would be happy to do so.
There is no question at the moment there is a shift by clients to
favouring private hire, a lesser service but at a cheaper price. Hopefully
this may change if there is an improvement in the economy. However, at the
moment by us having a tool such as Concierge, it is helping the taxi
industry stem the tide. There are some that say we put taxi work into cars,
but that is complete nonsense. We act as an agent to order the car on the
client’s behalf. If we did not order the car, the client - or a competitor –
would, but then they might not order their taxi from DaC. The way we do it
ensures they get their taxi from us. Consequently, the answer to your
question Stephen is maybe, unfortunately, in all honesty I cannot be more
precise than that!
Busy ring outs...
Hi Alan
In the autumn when we have busy periods during the early evening, there
are times when we have problems with advise arrival. This results in
passengers and drivers being kept waiting unnecessarily, adding to the cost
of a journey and reducing the number of available cabs.
One evening last week it was very busy with a lot of uncovered
trips, particularly TaxiCards in the W2, W9 and W10 areas. I accepted a
pre-booked local TaxiCard trip and attempted to make my own contact, but
received no response from the intercom (the passenger later informed me that
the intercom was faulty). I had advised arrival but it took ten minutes to
get a response. While I was waiting and contemplating the futility of human
existence, the following message was sent to the fleet: Ring outs very
busy please make own contact.
When the passenger finally came down, he told me he had
tried ringing Dial-a-Cab to ask after his cab, but all lines were very busy.
The result was that what should have been a 10 minute round-the-corner job
took nearly 30 minutes with the fare going over the subsidy, something which
made me feel very uncomfortable.
I understand that it is not possible to have enough staff to always cope
with exceptionally busy periods, but why can't the passenger's phone number
be included on the job details so that we can contact them directly? When
the system clogs up like this, it is very tempting to just work the street
but where would that leave coverage?
Mick Kennedy (M30)
Keith Cain replies: To show drivers the contact number of the passenger so
they can make their own contact seems a very simple solution, but if it were
that simple, trust me it would be have been implanted many years ago. Before
any procedure is implemented, we always try and look at what would happen if
the procedure does not work and what the consequences would be. With this
suggestion – and this is not the first time we’ve looked at it - there have
been a number or reasons why it has not been implemented.
The first is that we would lose a certain amount of control of the
trip. What do I mean by this? Every trip we take, regardless of whether it’s
account, cash, or credit card, we track and log
everything about the trip. This is done so that we can answer any query a
client may have regarding getting the cost of a trip reduced or even trying
to obtain a full credit.
On all our trips we know who the telephonist was that entered the
trip and where they were sitting at the time. This is essential for us to
recall a tape recording of the booking. We have the time the dispatch system
offers the trip to a driver, we know the exact time of any delays the
driver offer, arrival times, any advise arrival requests, the POB time
and what time the trip is |
cleared. All this information may seem
to be over the top, but it is paramount for us to be in a position to prove
to the client that staff and driver did exactly what was required of them.
With a driver making the call, not only would we lose the time the
call was made, but also the proof of who the driver spoke to and what was
said. The tape recording of this part of the trip could be crucial if the
passenger queries the waiting time. A passenger can say they were not
informed the driver had arrived and the only answer we
would have is the driver’s word. Not that we would dispute
what a driver says, but it weakens our argument with the client. Unless we
show via the dispatch system and play back recordings to a client, it puts
us in a position where we have to give benefit of the doubt to the client,
something that can be costly. I know this scenario may sound a little
far-fetched, but it happens time and time again.
There is also the scenario of the driver who will only make a call
if they are reimbursed for the cost of the call. Not everyone is willing to
offer the type of service that Mike is prepared
to offer. We could not leave this to chance and it could take us even longer
to deal with the call back. If we did decide to reimburse the driver, we
would have an administration problem reconciling a driver’s mobile phone
bill and we would probably also need another attribute for those drivers
willing to do it. There is also a case, which I think may be a small one,
that we could have a problem with data protection. I am aware that other
taxi suppliers do this and it is very common within the private hire
industry, but Dial-a-Cab is classed as an agent and while clients are happy
for us to hold personal information about them within the office, to pass on
personal contact telephone numbers to anyone other than an employee just
might cause a problem. I would also hate to put a driver in a position where
accusations could be made against them and we could not vindicate them.
I accept that some clients would welcome this and not have a single
problem, but implementing it would require reprogramming of the system. We
would also need to differentiate which accounts would like it and then have
the facility to recognise which individual within an account would like it.
If a passenger has more than one contact number, would we need to show them
all to the driver? As you can see, it’s another dilemma if the driver cannot
make contact. If we were to redesign a brand new dispatch system, I think I
would like to put this on a wish list.
We have implemented the automated ring back facility that is
working very well and has improved our call back service (Aspect). However,
even with this facility, some clients just do not like talking to a computer
and require a human voice. The trip Mike refers to is
for a TaxiCard user and with the system requiring the person
on the end of the phone to press numbers on their key pad, for some it can
be very confusing.
Mike, I hope you don’t say that you wish you’d never asked, but as
I said in the beginning a procedure that seems on the face of it to be so
simple, could have many repercussions for us when it does not operate
smoothly.The minicab route to Chelsea and
Westminster Hospital!
Regarding the story about the "Taxi" driver helping to deliver the baby (October
Call Sign Editorial), did you notice that the couple
were from Wandsworth and the driver was quoted as saying he was worried when
they reached Chelsea Bridge? Shoulda got a proper cab!
I’m very interested in the tour of DaC House and systems. Should I
contact Keith Cain direct? Maybe he could show a few of us around at the
same time?
Mark Sherlock (W41)
I did abbreviate the story for space reasons Mark, but yes, I had wondered
which route he took to C&W Hospital from Wandsworth if he became concerned
when at Chelsea Bridge! However, I was more concerned about the BBC
referring to him as a taxi driver when the driver in an interview said he
was from Addison Lee!
As for the tour, it would probably be best if any driver interested
in a DaC tour (and it isn’t a 10 minute gallop)contacts Keith Cain directly. |
Email to
keithc@dialacab.co.uk or phone
reception and they’ll put you through ...Ed Naughty
PHVs?
Alan,
I’m not very good with the computer, but recently checked out the
following website
www.londontaxidirect.co.uk after seeing it on the back of a VW Sharan
PHV and thought you would find it interesting.
Paul Corr (N83)
Thanks Paul, we passed your info onto John Mason at London Taxis and Private
Hire who promised to look into it. True to his word, he came back around two
weeks later to say that they had now closed it down and were in the process
of considering whether legal action against the operator was appropriate
...Ed
Where are we?
Hello Alan
I don’t know how many years I’ve been asking, but I’m asking our call
takers once again. There are times when we need more information on the trip
details page than we are often given. I understand that you aren’t taxi
drivers, but if an address sounds incomplete then it probably is and we’d
appreciate it if you could check before sending the trip into the system.
I recently had a trip from Harben Parade NW6; the only question was
where it could be because it doesn’t show on the map. Ok, there is a Harben
Road in NW6 and the chances are that it would be close, but on a main road
such as Finchley Road where the pick up was, you only have to slightly drive
past it and you then must go round the houses to get back again! So if a
passenger gives their address as a parade, can call takers please ask
exactly where the parade is, as it may not show on our maps.
Sid Nathan (K88)
They’ve read it now Sid! ...Ed
Dear Alan,
Normally when it comes to medical matters I am rather squeamish and tend
to bury my head in the sand when it comes to personal health checks and
block my ears when friends recount details of operations. If there is a
scene in a film involving use of a needle, I avert my eyes and almost feint
if there is a discussion about blood loss. So it was with great reluctance
and after much cajoling from my partner that I accompanied her to the London
Ambulance Service Headquarters in Waterloo Road to attend a short course in
Adult Basic Life Support.
We learnt the difference between Cardiac Arrest and a Heart Attack,
signs and symptoms of each and basic procedures to follow, including placing
patients in recovery position, CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) on
mannequins, dealing with a person who is choking, and immediate help that
can be provided to someone who is bleeding or has a burn or scald.
There was also a demonstration on use of a defibrillator. These can be found
in hundreds of locations round London, including underground stations, 121
at Heathrow and in many large offices. All information was given in a lively
and informative manner, covering only what you should do whilst waiting for
an ambulance to arrive. This course is free, lasts about an hour and a half
and I can recommend it to all taxi drivers. It is usually held at 6.00 pm at
the headquarters at 220 Waterloo Road, but if there are sufficient numbers
interested a different location and time can be arranged to suit.
More info at phone 020 7783 2534 or resustraining@lond-amb.nhs.uk.
Laurence Kelvin (W88)
Dressing the part?
I was interested to read about Anthony Mitchell (T88) and his efforts
towards a Code of Conduct for both the Taxi and PH trades (October
Call Sign). Imagine then my disappointment when I read about his
idea of introducing a Dress Code and yet Anthony himself, when pictured with
Lee Scott MP, did not follow his own recommendation and wear a Dial-a-Cab
logo’d jacket! I appreciate Anthony was promoting the cab trade as a whole,
but I cannot help feeling that displaying our own corporate image would have
helped his valiant endeavour.
But all is not lost! There are still a few brand new Dial-a-Cab
logo’d jackets left at Roman Way in all sizes, but
hurry while stocks last!
Alan Green (E52)
As several drivers have phoned about Anthony’s meeting with Lee Scott and
the document itself, I have decided to publish it in full inside this issue.
As for the jacket, Anthony himself agrees that it is a good point and that
he never thought of it...Ed |
