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staff training department |
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have a substantial number of system updates since my last Call Sign
article, which was at Christmas 1998. All these updates have
associated training programmes and are always user friendly for
telephonists. Very rarely do they affect drivers. One example is with Code 77, which has involved rather a big upheaval among our call takers. Perhaps in past years, it was not quite so important for office staff to understand the way drivers operated, after all they were just providing telephone bookings for drivers to cover. They didn't really need to know why or how drivers worked, just so long as the work was covered. Our training now has a closer link to the driver's needs and especially so re Code 77. Call Takers now have to put in a destination zone and whereas most London codes are automatically entered via the V6 system, if, for example the destination was somewhere in Hertfordshire and the code was NN99, the computer may not be programmed for it and the telephonist wouldn't necessarily know. So they have to be made aware of what NN99 is and why. That has been one of the bigger problems - especially for the newer staff of whom we have had quite a few recently. Validating the pick-up point is quite often a doddle compared to doing the same for the destination. |
We try not to use As Directed for any reason other that its
correct usage, but there are a few trips where AD has had to be used
because the call taker has been unable to trace the destination.
This happened recently and the job ended up in High Wycombe.
Obviously an excellent trip, but not if you live in Romford! The
call takers always try to put the destination zone in but as always,
if you accept an AD trip, you must be prepared to go wherever it
takes you. Customer Service Training |
Chinese
whispers. Every member of staff was involved in the three hour
course that was designed to demonstrate how easy it is to
think you are listening to someone and taking in whatever they are
saying, whereas in reality they were catching small bits and putting
it together in the way they thought it had been given. While this
system can be very amusing, it ably demonstrated how closely call
takers must listen. It is important to remember that unlike most
call centres, we have TWO sets of customers - passengers and
drivers! Most call centres just have their customers and that is
it. Keith Cain and I went out and looked at quite a few customer service videos and finally selected one. While I believe that staff actually enjoyed this part of the course, it also demonstrated the point well. It can sometimes be extremely difficult for telephonists who occasionally have to explain to a client why there is a delay to their cab, and it is very important that they keep their cool. So the video came in useful. In my opinion, the customer service element in the Call Centre hasn't always been as satisfactory as it should have been - even though that may have been through a minority, they were the staff that clients remembered. However, I believe that our customer service it is now first class and our on-going monitoring program shows this well. Melissa Khan |
