Oh for the days of old when 9 to 5
switchboard operators was a means of protection from unwelcome callers. Today’s
technology ie Fax, Email, Voicemail, Pagers, Mobiles etc not only traps you from all
directions but does so 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So the moment I arrived at my
office and saw the light flashing on my Voicemail and the bleeper buzzing away on my PC, I
had a feeling in my bones who it might be, and it was;
"Ah good morning Allen T, its the other Alan, your beloved Editor
just calling to say you’ve been selected to write an article for the next Call Sign.
Sorry its short notice but I’m sure you can knock a couple of pages up in 2/3 days
Bye..." (I said a few pages - not a whole book!!!…Ed)
Looking Back
Collared, no ‘could you’ or ‘would you’- just do it! The problem with
our Editor is he not only expects two pages of text in a matter of hours, but expects the
writer to have a literary brain of Tolstoy. So with a mind that is a complete blank but
with little choice, I’m forcing myself to sit at my PC at home in my only free time
and find myself browsing out of curiosity, through a stack of old Call Signs which I was
in the process of dumping in the rubbish bin. Looking at the sales reports in those dated
1989/90, it’s surprising how short and repetitive they were. They were invariably
half a page in size, bold type and covered three subjects; the job figures, accounts
opened and the proverbial whinge about lousy coverage in the West. It was said that only
50% of the members bothered to take Call Sign out of the envelope, let alone read it, it
isn’t difficult to understand why! This is no reflection on the Editor at the time,
after all he didn’t write the reports.
There were a few exceptions of course, particularly during the early 90's
when yours truly ruffled a few feathers of some of our members. For example, when I had
the temerity to suggest that some of our drivers looked as though they hadn’t washed
for a month and dressed as though they had slept with the dossers on a rubbish tip!
Looking back, I smile at the massive surge in the letters page from indignant drivers all
wanting to lynch me, which they did that year by slinging me of the Board. But I had no
reason to smile at the time, particularly on one occasion when a client nearly phoned the
police to arrest what they assumed to be a scruffy looking dosser who was on his hands and
knees in the pouring rain shouting obscenities through the lower letter box of a glass
door which was locked, only to discover that he was one of our drivers trying to make
contact. It was so embarrassing that they closed the account.
Laminated ‘Bills’?
Fortunately, instances such as this no longer occur, however that is not to say the
overall standard of dress at present is entirely acceptable. There is, in my opinion,
still a lot of room for improvement but only you can judge whether or not your appearance
and manner is conducive to the future success of yourself and this Society. In an ideal
world I would like to see a dress code, but I know it would be unenforceable. However, as
an alternative and with your co-operation, what could be introduced is a ban on certain
clothing such as flip flops, string vests or ill fitting grubby track bottoms etc.
On the subject of appearance I’ve had several drivers asking me if it
was possible to have their bill laminated so that they could wear it along with their
badge, particularly when working on the Island with its enforced security. The PCO have no
problem with it and on discussing this with the Board, there are several suggestions being
put forward:
a) To put the Bill in a laminated sleeve with a clip and chain… and b)
We have the facility at Brunswick House to produce a credit card size ID card showing the
DaC logo, a colour photograph, name and badge number which can be placed in a sleeve and
worn either around your neck or about your person.
We acquired the facility to produce these cards for the new Westminster
contract, however when we have finished producing their cards which will be around the
middle of March, if any driver wishes to have a personal ID card, we would be happy to
oblige.
Returning to the old copies of Call Sign, one interesting report from the
then-Chairman was the announcement that we were to build a fourth floor at Brunswick House
to house the new Control Room. I mention it because ironically I have recently been given
the task to completely re-design the Call Centre which I have done and on which work has
already started. It will be a complete re-furbishment, including raising the ceiling, new
air conditioning, lighting, a complete new layout of work stations (linear style) to
accommodate an additional 10 positions and the re-siting of the Controllers to a
self-contained area behind glass. The extra positions, plus newly introduced technology in
client booking facilities, will give us the foundation to build both our fleet and new
client base. And finally of course, the re-furbishment will be of considerable benefit to
the working environment of our Call Centre staff. Further changes subject to planning
permission will be to make a conservatory on the front balcony of the Call Centre for the
staff to use during breaks.
Those of you that take an interest in how your Society operates and would
like to view the Call Centre when it is completed will be welcome. Simply contact Keith
Cain or Tom Whitbread to arrange a convenient time.
Learn French at Brunswick House?
Another re-furbishment due to take place will be our multi-purpose Training Centre. Whilst
only a few years since it was built, there is room for improvement and whilst we are in
the process of fitting out the Call Centre, we thought we would combine the two. I
personally am proud of the training room (which I designed) and the use it has had since
opening - which has been quite considerable and varied. Furthermore, I believe it has the
potential for even greater use. For example the facilities available offer the ideal
opportunity to hold evening classes for our members for all sorts of further education,
such as PC Software, Internet and even languages. I’m sure we have members on our
circuit who would be happy to give their time to teach various skills. This is only an
idea of mine which I have not yet discussed with my fellow Board members. Should any of
you consider this to be a good idea then let me or the Editor know so I can take details
of any interest to the Board.
On the question of ideas I have suggested to the Editor that with so many of
our members on the Internet, that perhaps we should start a directory of Email addresses.
Mine incidentally is allent@intonet.co.uk
which I can receive both at home and in the office. (It has already been started
- send your email address to callsignmag@aol.com
to join it…Ed)
Back again to those old copies of Call Sign - 1989/90 in fact. Two items
of interest was the news that we were likely to lose the BBC TV account and that we had
acquired McKinsey’s. Well McKinsey as you know, we have lost after 10 years and the
BBC is once again up for tender. It was as one would expect, a very comprehensive and
demanding tender, but I was relatively pleased with our response and am confident that
when we get to the post-tender and presentation stage that we will be in a strong position
to make a positive challenge for the business. Unlike in the City where we would be
stretched to accommodate a new client of this size without jeopardising our existing
clients, we
are more than capable of giving an
excellent service in West London.
I mentioned at the beginning the difficulty of suddenly being asked to write
a report. Obviously everyone has different tastes in what they like to read in Call Sign
and I’m sure some no doubt consider my contribution at times to be truly banal. So in
an effort to improve the quality of what you would like to see in the Sales Report, why
not write to the Editor telling him your views.
Taxi Driver of the Year Show
My last reference to items in Call Signs of the past concerned the Cab Driver of year show
in the September issue in 1989. I’m sure those of you on the circuit at the time will
remember our stand which consisted of a mock up of a brick wall with graffiti saying
‘they said it wouldn’t work - 150,000 jobs a month says differently’. The
only Board member present at the show was me and boy did I get some stick. As head of
Sales it was taken for granted that I should be lumbered with organising our stand at the
Show even on the occasions when I personally was against us attending. In many cases, I
received very little assistance from anyone within the company, with little or no support
even on the day of the show. It was extremely hard work erecting what at times was a
complete wooden structure over 40 feet long by twelve foot deep. It took all day Saturday
and long into the night for a one day Sunday exhibition. And on Sunday evening after the
show I had the backbreaking task of dismantling the stand and loading it onto a removal
truck together with all the giveaways and equipment which I drove back to Brunswick House
to unload. Not only was I completely knackered, I had to do it without pay because of the
stupid, antiquated rules of our Society and for those who were paranoid about not doing
anything that might upset our pathetic little group of anarchists members.
Why then did I do it?. The reason in the early days was conscientiousness and
a desire to build a stand better than our competitors. It’s hard to believe but one
show - which I think was in 1987 - cost the society nearly £20.000.
Last year was the pits and so disgusted was I at the disgraceful venue and
the depths to which the organisers had fallen, that I vowed I would never involve myself
ever again. So why do I mention the above ?? Simply to make you aware well in advance that
whatever happens in the future, I can be excused for having taken no part.
New Clients
Could I please ask you to make note of a few new accounts that were opened this past month
that we would like you to give particularly attention. Buckingham Palace, Zeneca in W1,
McDermott Will Emery in EC2, CTV Sky TV in Isleworth and lastly, Shook Hardy & Bacon
in SW1 whose receptionist, Ms Lorna Ewin, won the Dial-a-Cab/Times Receptionist of the
year Award.
New Westminster Charges
As you will have read in the Chairman’s Report of this issue, the new re-negotiated 5
year contract for Westminster TaxiCard starts on 1st April 1999. The run-in is now a
maximum of £3 and there is a £4 premium if the trip has a ‘W’ attribute. In
reiterating what I said previously, when being told we had won the contract for a further
term, we won it but against extremely stiff competition. We are proud of the success we
have made this account and it is our intention to build on that success. But we can only
do it with your support. During negotiations, we emphasised the importance of cost value
against service and the necessity to have the charges index linked over the term of the
contract, which they agreed.
To those of you that have regularly covered the Westminster account over the
years, I’m sure you are pleased with the new terms and will continue to give your
support. Those of you that have been reluctant to accept wheelchair trips in the past, the
new terms will I hope been seen as a viable financial incentive.
