Coverage – well done!
A Chairman’s report in the December Call Sign that doesn’t mention coverage would just not be the same! But I must say that under the circumstances, you have done extremely well and there is not any question in my mind that many of you have really endeavoured to give our clients a service under extremely difficult circumstances.
   Are we getting complaints from clients? Well, yes we are, but unfortunately they do not understand - nor indeed do they really care - about our problems. However, I certainly understand and you are doing extremely well. But just because there is some praise forthcoming, it does not mean that you can take your foot off the gas, because providing our clients with a service prior to Christmas is as the saying goes, a marathon and not a sprint.
   I’m very aware of the horrendous traffic, wet weather, closing of the Limehouse Link and the surfeit of street work that just adds to the fact of how very, very busy and extremely successful this Society has become.
   Your response in servicing the Rolling Rank on the Island has been nothing less than outstanding, especially as the Link is closed for five nights a week. However, I have visited all our major clients in recent times and unfortunately they are all complaining about service – that’s the length of time it is taking to have an ASAP taxi arrive at their door. I’ve explained that if they require a taxi for ASAP and the taxi arrives in 30 minutes during a busy period, then that is ASAP. If it’s 10 minutes during less busy periods, then that is also ASAP. Unfortunately – if understandably - clients want ASAP to mean 10 minutes or less, 24 hours a day, something that is just not going to happen at this time of year!
   Another problem we also occasionally encounter is our client’s belief that our competitors in the taxi industry can do better than we can and

that is not true, because at this moment in time and despite how
very busy we are, Dial-a-Cab is providing the best service of the three. We may well have more work than the other two, but we are also running the largest fleet.
We have a glut of work, while our competitors have a shortage of cabs – there is a difference! So in a nutshell, your efforts are really appreciated but please keep it going for a few more weeks until we get past the Christmas period and things return to normality.
   I know what it’s like when you have done your very best to get to an account client, only to have them complain about how long they have been waiting from the second they enter your taxi! I’d like to suggest that you apologise to the customer and explain how very busy things are and how bad the traffic is etc. However, what some of our drivers are doing is to complain to the customer that we have taken on too much work, especially with the introduction of a new large account on the Island! Hold on fellas! We started servicing that account on 1 July this year and have increased the fleet accordingly, so please, please do not offer that type of opinion to clients as they could believe that we are neglecting them in favour of new accounts that we have taken on and you know that’s not true, because I’ve written previously that we have terminated the opening of new accounts until the holiday period ends. Please remember that ‘loose lips sink ships!’
   By all means placate the client, but please don’t tell them we have taken on too much work! The first thing they then do is to ring me for an explanation and the last thing I want to do is to tell them that my members have

got it wrong! It is far better that we all sing from the same song sheet and just explain how very busy things are; after all, we have increased the size of the fleet, employed more staff and call
takers, bought larger premises, stopped opening new accounts, operate an incentive for members and I have also written to every client personally explaining the situation – what else can we do? So please, just one more concerted effort until Christmas and our account base will be secure for the forthcoming year!

New building update…
As you are all aware, I do try to keep you up to date with the latest developments for not only our Society, but also within our industry. So without hopefully becoming too boring, the latest developments regarding our new building are as follows.
   We have concluded our ongoing negotiations with the contractors and commencement of the new building’s refurbishment is imminent. I believe we have done an excellent deal, not only on the purchase of the building, but also on its refurbishment. I have every confidence that the contractors will do an excellent job for us as their reputation is above question.
   I am looking forward to the building’s completion, but I will only be satisfied once we have moved completely and all our systems hold up satisfactorily, because in this day and age we are deemed as being not just a radio taxi circuit, but also a technology company and one that is extremely dependent on the latter. Currently, everything is going to plan but with just a little more slippage than I would have liked.

It’s Christmas again…
Finally, I would like to wish all members, staff and of course the Board of Management, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and thank you for making 2006 the most successful year Dial-a-Cab has ever had!