Bad and Ugly competition
I seem to have tough luck with drivers and also with taxis.Driver has taken french leave;hence had called for a taxi.He was to come home by 8.30 am. He did not land till 9 am. Got jittery and called the cab company.They said he is already on his way!!Not wanting further disruptions in my morning schedule, i scampered to get ready.But not before i gave out words of wisdom to a willing ear!Told kumar, why can't these taxi companies keep to their timings. We ask them for their services to keep up time in our offices or other commitments;and in such a crucial service, the most important deliverable is being there in the customer's place in time and they treat it casually.
While getting ready, I was wondering, taxi service is highly competitive and customers can call any number of service providers available. Why do they not woo customers;let alone woo, why dont they satisfy the basics of customer service?
There was a bigger surprise waiting for me at the end of the trip to office. While signing their trip sheet, I saw that the starting time was 8 am!.The distance from their company in Royapettah to my house cannot take more than 30 minutes and he lands there at 9 am.Hence I ask him why did he take more than one hour to reach. He is telling me ' madam, if 8 am is the starting time in my office, i cannot reach your house at 8 am';arey, what is this ultimate insult to an aggrieved customer?When i take up further with him he says you call up and tell the company, so that next time they will give starting time properly!Again the attitude, dont blame me, blame somebody else in the organisation.If you blame me i only know to be either indifferent or rude.
All this while, his boss must be explaining to the owner , reason for drop in revenues during this month;no it is not poor service which drivers away customers;but intense competition and competitors are quoting and getting customers by rock bottom rates which will be most unprofitable to the owner!
And since owner does not have systems in place to monitor this activity, he will put up with this explanation.
Wait a minute, he could have his mobile number pasted prominently on the windscreen of the taxi with the words "this taxi driver is instructed to be on time, be polite and courteous.If you are dissatisfied, call this number."
I was itching to dial a number and complain;no not to a nin cum poomp of an operator fielding calls but to the owner!
posted by vasukumar @ 12:29 AM
3 Comments:
everythng boils down to individual work culture. I am sure that driver had some grouse with the owner who would not have paid him his promised wages which he is taking on his customer not knowing it would harm him in the long run.
second thing is, may be there are lot of driver posts vacant due to the bpos and calling centre and what not, his attitude is if not this company another one. Each of us should be trained to be professional in every respect.
i wonder how the owner can calmly sit back and be complacent about the reduction in revenues. would bosses in the corporate world accept any old answer from their subordinates? wouldn't they check if the reasons were justfied. and if it was because of intense conpetition, wouldn't the guy try to come up with ideas for better customer service and set himself apart from the remaining companies?
bluejagger; have to comment about a positive customer experience also here. In kolkatta had the pleasure of enjoying true customer service from guest house caretaker. He not only was the quintessential service provider, he had his son stand in attendance to you during breakfast/dinner. Felt like Bertie Wooster and mind harked back to leisurely days and endless hours of doing nothing but contemplating the universe.Jeeves of modern times!
Snowbeak;no, i dont know if the owner can sit back or that he does. I have heard the excuses my colleagues in sales make;every dip in sales is due to less incentives and competitor doing unethical practices and never ever that they have kept in touch with the customer and found out about the service meted out to him. I just made an extension of that to the current situation.
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