Your response has meant a great deal to our customers who had put a lot effort into this major project. It has done our credibility the world of good. Your continued support is still required for one more weekend in December. This will be advised to you via your terminal and will be the final rehearsal before the live weekend of the 31st December through to the 4th January. Even the Bank of England contacted us to be aware of the additional work we should expect. Work during the week following New Year’s Day always slows down greatly, so this opportunity is not going to be around again for a long time to come. So don’t miss out over the new year, it may well be worth coming out to work.
SERVICE , COSTS AND NAMEBOARDS!
A lot of meetings have taken place with customers in recent months and all
have been on the subject of service and costs. The service issues I am pleased to say are
minor ones, but nevertheless are important enough to remind you of. And then there
is the problem concerning name boards. If you are
instructed to show a name board in your taxi window, please do so. The instructions are
given to you at the customers request. If some of you continue to ignore them you leave us
with no alternative but to process a complaint.
Outside Morgan Stanley one evening, three taxis were ordered for the Global
Facilities Manager who was here from the States, the UK head of purchasing and the Travel
Manager. These are the top three decision makers regarding the taxi account. All three
taxis were requested to place name boards in their window. We got one out of three. Why?
Can someone please inform us why it is so terrible to follow this simple instruction. We
have a plentiful supply of boards in reception so if you don’t have one, there is
really no excuse not to come and get one.
And what about costs? Well,
with this one we all know that if customers would only wait for us to arrive rather than
them keep us waiting, journey costs would reduce dramatically. Administration costs are on
par with our competitors and there is little savings to be made in that area - certainly
not the type of savings some are looking for.
Customers are very quick to give us driver feedback. Unbeknown to many, you
are being questioned on a regular basis by your passenger. They are simply checking that
what our Customer Service Managers and the Sales team are saying is correct. We don’t
mind this, in fact we welcome it because our policy is to be honest and truthful when
speaking with our clients. Be aware though. Your perception of an incident or the service
received by accounts customers etc, may not always be accurate. Please be sure that when
you answer any question, if you don’t now the answer, don’t guess.
SEASON’S GREETINGS
As this is the last report before Christmas I on behalf of the Sales Team
and Customer Service Department would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your
families a happy Christmas and prosperous new year.
Keith Cain
HAUNTED LONDON
Call Sign is continuing to provide you with details for the scariest London tour of all - haunted houses! Every issue, we bring you some additions to your catalogue of frighteners. Here are another four haunts to scare your passenger into giving you the biggest tip ever on their way to see The Exorcist!
St James’s Palace, SW1
In 1810 the Duke of Cumberland exercised his droit du seigneur on
the beautiful, virgin daughter of his valet, Sellis. The girl promptly killed herself from
shame. Sellis tackled the duke but ended up with his throat cut. Now and then, the little
valet is seen sitting up in the bed he died in and those who sleep in the room wake up to
the smell if his blood!
A figure in a seventeenth-century white satin coat and wig has been seen here many times. He is said to be a broken-hearted father awaiting the return of his daughter who had eloped.
Sheppey’s Restaurant, Hertford Street, W1
A black-coated figure that many claim was a highwayman, has often been seen
by early-morning cleaners. According to several of those cleaners, the mysterious figure
is rather playful.
Theatre Royal, Haymarket, SW1
Among the many people who claim to have seen the shadow of former Theatre
Royal actor-manager John Buckstone (who died in 1878) are Donald Sinden and Michael
Flanders. In 1963,
More ghostly tales next month…
