Cheat Sheet - How to get ahead

Given the increasing competition from ride-hailing apps against Private Hire Operators, customers are still choosing to book with minicabit around the UK as they want to enjoy the peace of mind of a reliable, great service from long-standing, tried and trusted Cab Operators.

The experience provided by your drivers and controllers makes all the difference when customers give their reviews.

"My driver arrived early and there was plenty of room in the car for the wheelchair.The drive was perfectly fine and I can't express how much easier my driver made it for me once I got to the airport (it's my first time flying since becoming disabled). He went out of his way to make sure that I got into the airport safely, which I was not expecting at all. Thank you!"

To gain more bookings from minicabit, please ensure that you and your operators follow the steps below (with actual reviews showing what can happen when you don’t):

Customer service in the Cab office

1. Do your day and night controllers know how to manage our bookings?

• Make sure that your controllers provide detailed handovers ideally 30 minutes before the start of the new shift so that everyone is aware of any live issues and what's to come.
• Only assign your best and most experienced drivers to minicabit bookings. If you have a dispatch system, the booking steps will be managed from there
• Make sure you’re contactable for customers during your operating hours so that your customers are able to reach you.
• Do not reject jobs passed to you from minicabit and mark them as ‘live’ on your minicabit dashboard

If a customer calls up your cab please ensure that the person responding is:

• Calm - Customers can be quite emotional, especially in instances that are time-sensitive. - Don’t react negatively in these situations. Don’t raise your voice to the customer, and try your best to keep them calm. - Ensure that your reaction is calm and understanding. 

• Attentive - Actively listens to the customer's complaint/query and makes the correct judgement based on this. 
• Polite - Greet the customer in a warm manner e.g. Good morning/afternoon/evening how can I help you? And keep the interaction light and friendly. 
• Empathetic- If a customer is upset be empathetic, reassuring and apologetic.
• Where necessary please raise potential issues with Minicabit or the customer as soon as they are spotted so we can hopefully resolve the issue well in advance of the customer booking. ● If any customer complaints have been raised with yourself please do let Minicabit know as soon as possible so we can proactively resolve the issue with the customer. 

"Disappointing experience with a cab operator

There was no confirmation from the operator so I phoned the number many times andI got no response. I didn't want to take a chance and cancelled the booking. Don't need this type of uncertainty and stress before travelling... minicabit must do more to filter and host only cab providers that deliver good service."

2. Customers have chosen your firm to take their journeys based on the price &availability settings that you entered. Therefore, you should never have to reject a booking. In the event that you cannot complete a booking:

• You can schedule a pause of your account if you know that you’re going to be busy at a particular time of day or week. When paused you will not receive anymore bookings during this period. Please note, that you must still fulfil bookings that were made before your account was paused.
• You can consider subcontracting it to another licensed fleet as long as they are of high reliability & quality, and you take full responsibility for the outcome (see clause 3.6 of our Admin Terms & Conditions). Make sure that you are able to source alternative licensed drivers for the customer. Please note that ‘Car breakdown’ is less acceptable as an excuse, given the reliability of modern-day cars
• Rejecting jobs will result in an automatic fine being applied (unless otherwise indicated) – instead, we’d prefer the customer enjoys their trip with you but if you can’t find any alternative drivers, then please reject early as none of us wants to stress out the customer

"Your taxi may have been cancelled & you will find out only when you need the taxiI booked a taxi to Gatwick airport for 12 noon and received a confirmation.When no taxi arrived I called the number provided on the confirmation email only to be told that the booking has been cancelled and I should call minicabit…Hours away from my flight with no taxi and a family with a wheelchair-bound member, this company did dump me in the deep end with no responsibility towards their paying customers. I won’t recommend using them at all."

3. Driver Behaviour

We expect all drivers transporting our customers to be: 

• Polite and Courteous 

- Greet the customer warmly and say please and thank you. 

• We would like drivers to assist customers with luggage if asked, provided the driver is physically able to do so without risk of injury to themselves, the customer or damage to the vehicle. 
• If the driver is unable to do this when asked please apologise to the customer and politely explain that they are unable to help with luggage for personal reasons. 

It is vital your drivers deliver the 3 Ps:

 

 

• Unfortunately, there may be instances where customers are delayed, lost, or for any reason a bit late for their booking. If this is within reasonable time be understanding and polite and don’t make any comments that will make the customer feel uncomfortable. 
• If you are no longer able to wait then please inform the customer politely, and with a clear reason why the booking can no longer go ahead. 
• Under no circumstances should drivers raise their voices, be rude, swear, or make rude or threatening gestures to or in front of customers. We take this very seriously and investigations will be made if we receive any reports of such behaviour. 

The safety of our customers is of utmost importance to us therefore drivers must: 

• Adhere to all speed limits and road signs. (Reports of customers feeling unsafe due to the driver's speed or lack of road awareness will be taken very seriously). 
• Never be on their phones while driving. 
• Not take personal phone calls while driving. 
• Ensure that they are fit to drive. (Reports of drivers overly tired of falling asleep at the wheel will trigger an investigation). 
• Take the shortest possible route to the destination. 

4. Vehicle

We expect all vehicles transporting our customers to be comfortable for the duration of the journey. Please ensure your vehicle meets the following standards: 

• Free from litter, dust or unpleasant smells. 
• Free from loud music without the permission of the customer. (Always ask if the customer would like music or not remember some customers like a quiet journey!) 
• Temperature appropriate: 

- Ask the customer if they are ok with the temperature in the vehicle. 

- Put the windows up or down as per the customer’s request 

Use air conditioning on particularly hot days or when appropriate. 

5. Managing any customer complaints

The best and most memorable customer experiences occur when a negative issue is quickly, proactively and respectfully resolved. Whether a complaint is justified or not and even if a customer might be emotional, a driver or Controller arguing with them only escalates tensions unnecessarily and reduces any chances they, their friends or colleagues, would book again with your firm.

 

 

A great experience by your cab office and your driver can truly brighten a customer’s day, so this is your opportunity to show the customer why they were right to book with your firm.