When you work from a well run office with a large infrastructure

As part of a large fleet, you come under the umbrella of that company’s professionalism and reap the benefits that come with providing a good service.

As a sole trader operating a hackney Carriage, the responsibility to provide good service falls upon you! If your professionalism is lacking it reflects badly on the trade as a whole. Each and every driver of a Hackney Carriage should think on this.

It’s easy when working from an office. All the customer service is directed by management and if you don’t toe the line you’re out.

If a Hack driver fails to provide good customer service the whole of the trade is tarred with the same brush and as there is no fear of dismissal no lessons are learned.

The Licensing section could act if there were a complaint but as we have seen before nothing much happens if anything. It therefore falls upon us to have a degree of self discipline as we are responsible to the other drivers who through no fault of there own may lose custom due to the bad manners or bad customer service of a less conscientious driver.

The public could care less whether you are a sole trader or a part of a large company. If they have a bad experience, that may seem like nothing to you may be quite something to someone who is paying for the service you are there to provide, they may well decide to never use a Hackney Carriage again.

We had a particular driver who was an extreme cause of customer loss. He upset many customers with his bad attitude and complete disregard for anyone’s feelings. We couldn’t Fire him, we couldn’t discipline him and yet he was costing us all work. The Council seemed powerless to do anything even in the face of evidence from wronged customers willing to testify to his misdemeanours. He eventually had his badge revoked but the damage was done. He lost us a lot of business over several years, long time customers left us and even now almost a year since his departure those customers have not come back. This driver was an example of bad customer service but the smallest of things permanently lose you customers.

I would think it was obvious to everyone that someone who uses the services of a Taxi, does so because it is convenient and expeditious, they want to get where they are going quickly, What they don’t want to do is sit in your Taxi and wait whilst you finish your conversation,coffee,pie,tab or corned beef pastie! The chose to take a Taxi for quickness, we should honour that if only for the fact that they will pay us to do it. It’s how you make your living!

If a customer takes your Taxi and they are only going around the corner they don’t want to see you raise your eyebrows, they don’t want to know how long you have waited, they don’t care when you ask them “How am I supposed to make a living?” and I shouldn’t think they are over keen on being told ‘how lazy’ they are.

They may be going just around the corner today but tomorrow or the next day they may be going further. Even if they don’t, even if they go around the corner every day. It’s a Fare it’s what makes the Rank move. Movement of the Rank is how you make your living. No movement, no money! For those in need of further motivation look no further than your Money bag at the end of a shift.

Its common sense, you give a good service you reap the rewards. Don’t forget the fare in a Hackney Carriage is more expensive than other forms of public transport. The saying goes “you get what you pay for” I like to think that I am courteous and helpful with all customers whether they are going near or far even if they are discourteous toward me. I’m not paying them they are paying me it’s what I come to work for.

Just having a nice car is not everything, the car is the tool, the driver creates the service and it’s not just taking people from A to B. It’s courtesy, it’s conversation,politeness,assistance with bags & luggage, not moaning all over them about your life making them feel suicidal by the end of the trip.(I know drivers who do this) Anyone who is upset by this article or sniggers like a child should look long and hard at themselves and the way they operate their Taxi. If you are not willing to help yourselves how can you ever expect to get on. I hear people moaning day in day out. The same people for years and years but they’re still here. If it’s so bad get another job. Professionalism matters, it matters not only for good customer relations but also for the times when you want someone to take you seriously, when you want people in power to listen they are more inclined to listen to someone they respect and I honestly think there are few who have any respect for us at the moment.

 

 

On a separate but related issue, the numbers of Drunks,Druggies,Shoplifters and other Miscreants who congregate around our place of business on a daily basis, ironically beneath the large signs at North Shields proclaiming “ North Shields A Great Place to Visit, A Great Place to Shop”. They are not good for business or the Town of North Shields. The Police do have the occasional Blitz moving them on but they soon come back. Ordinary citizens are intimidated by these large gatherings, shouting, arguing, fighting & swearing. Taxi drivers can help this situation by not encouraging these people. I know this is not easy as many of these people are Taxi users and at the end of the day custom is custom, who are we to discriminate? The main problems of any anti social behaviour around the Metro station should be dealt with by the appropriate authorities. North Shields is visited almost everyday by foreign tourists from the nearby Ferry port. What must they think when greeted by scenes like this in our town centre? So I think a degree of professionalism is needed from our local council and the police in order for the town to live up to it’s signage, put up to greet visitors to North Shields.

 

Comments are welcome