With so many taxi owners making a foray into the taxi business improving your service to raise customer satisfaction level is the need of the hour.
As only then as a taxi business you will get an edge over the competition and build a customer base that is satisfied with your services.
But the biggest question is what can be done in order to make sure your customers are satisfied.
Don't worry, we can help you, from taking taxi customer satisfaction survey to empowering customers through apps, we have prepared a list that will guide you in improving passenger satisfaction.
So, let's get started.
But, before getting into that, let's have a look at the below graph which compares the total revenue of Ride-sharing companies v/s traditional taxi companies in the USA.
But automation is only one part of the business, the main focus is always the customers who drive any business including the taxi business. A business owner can outperform another, only if he keeps his customers happy and tends to his needs well.
McKinsey’s 2017 consumer survey indicates shared mobility should see further growth. Of those currently using nontaxi ride-hailing services, 63 percent expect to increase their usage “a lot” in the next two years, and even more (67 percent) say they will do the same concerning car sharing.
Let us look at some of the techniques we need to keep in mind when dealing with customers, in order to provide them superior service:
Here are the 5 ways to improve customer satisfaction in taxi business
A good driver knows the city in and out
Every customer wants their ride to pick them up as quickly as possible. This will be possible only when your drivers know the city inside out. Only then, would they be able to improve customer satisfaction. Imagine being a customer and sitting in a taxi for an extended period of time, because of a driver who is unfamiliar with routes. You will get bored out of your mind.
Such experiences are not going to impress anyone and will hugely impact the CSAT score (customer satisfaction score) of your taxi business. Such situations can get more serious if the passenger has some important errands to run, i.e. reaching the office on time, having a date, going for an interview or a flight to catch, etc.
It is important for taxi drivers to be accustomed to the city they are working in, as the back of their hand. Perfection can come through time spent studying the city maps and getting familiar with the city and its outskirts. The use of GPS in an automated taxi business makes things easy for the drivers, but what will make them stand out is their knowledge. So, spend time getting to know the streets and learn the best, fastest routes to avoid traffic at different times of the day.
Keep your car presentable
People generally don’t want to travel in smelly, noisy public transport. They prefer a journey which is clean and convenient for them. So, if your taxi is unkempt and smelly, it can be a huge turn-off for a passenger who wants to ride with you.
It is advisable to keep your car squeaky clean and get it serviced periodically, to keep it up and running. Always keep the interior fresh by using a nice fragrant air freshener or roll down the windows once in a while to let the fresh air come in.
This will not only improve customer satisfaction but will also enhance their journey with your taxi business. This can lead to customers opting for your services in the future as well over your competitors. So remember just a few small changes can lead to a huge impact on your taxi business.
Be friendly and welcoming
Be welcoming to your customers, when they opt for your service. Customers may overlook how clean you have kept your car, but may not forget how you made them feel during the journey. A grumpy, unfriendly driver would not help things and irritate the customer. It may happen that the customer drops your taxi agency from his favorite list, from the one bad experience with your driver that remained etched in the customer's mind.
Train your drivers to have a friendly, warm attitude towards the customers. Sensing the customers and what they want is the key. For example, there can be a customer who seems to be in the mood for conversation. In such a situation, your drivers can check on them and ask them about how their day is going or about any other general stuff.
Refrain from talking about sensitive and political issues. There are also customers who would like to be left alone rather than engage in chit-chat. So remember, to act according to your customer’s mood.
Read More: Taxi apps to link drivers with riders
Go the extra mile
For a taxi business in pursuit of improving the customer satisfaction level, constantly taking the CSAT survey (customer satisfaction survey) is very crucial. In order to do so you can create a list of customer satisfaction survey questions that can give you insights into your operations and how you can improve them to get better results.
Also, there are some very small things the driver can offer the customer as a gesture of goodwill. The driver may keep some refreshments and water bottles in the cab and offer them to the customer during the ride, or play his favorite music. When playing the music, keep the volume at a sensible level unless it is annoying to the customer or distracts you at the wheel.
If the customer is someone very old and requires assistance with the luggage, then the taxi driver should offer assistance. A customer with special needs should be assisted at all times, and special effort must be made to offer them top service and convenience.
Give customers more power through apps and online presence
Most of the taxi companies today have started offering online taxi booking facilities by adopting easy to use passenger app solution where a customer can simply hail a taxi through online booking from the smartphone or laptop.
Besides this, passengers can find out about the driver and the cab details and how long it would take for the driver to reach them, everything can be tracked through the app with the feature of real-time ride tracking for passengers. The driver is also saved from the hassle of noting down the customer's phone and location address, which gets easily updated on the app when placing the order.
The driver is also saved from the hassle of noting down the customers phone and location address, which gets easily updated on the app when placing the order.
Having a website is also a must in today’s digital world, where customers like to learn about businesses and their processes. Upload all information and average rates on the website, the different ways to approach the service as well as frequently asked questions etc. Give the customer choice to give ratings to your drivers and post comments regarding the service provided to them. A taxi business with good customer ratings, is definitely going to attract more number of customers and help in business growth.
Conclusion
These are the 5 ways to improve customer satisfaction that can help your taxi business. Whichever strategy you choose be it going the extra mile by taking a customer satisfaction survey on a daily basis or being friendly and polite to customers, your ultimate goal should be to improve the satisfaction level of your customer.
One another way you can improve customer satisfaction is by streamlining your taxi operations. To do so, you can use a taxi dispatch software that best suits your business needs. One such software is Yelowsoft, a specially designed software to help taxi businesses. So, if you want to improve your service and operate effectively, get in touch with our experts now.
