Be less crap (and other ways to not kill your business)

Yesterday I was trying to get a taxi, in the market of getting from point A to point B. I was in the city, in a hurry for an important appointment, it was raining, I only needed to take a short trip and price wasn’t high on the consideration list.

There I stood, waving at yellow cars, one after the other, with no luck. Here’s one reason why I was out of ‘luck’ – I could only be connected with those taxis travelling past me on the exact street that I was on. That’s a problem that Uber has provided a solution to, using emerging technology.

I’ve used Uber a lot, and like so many have been impressed by the convenience, price, visibility, reliability and what their brand stands for. Overall my relationship with the Uber brand has been positive, so I’m an Uber convert.

But for five minutes yesterday I opened myself up to ride a taxi again – all the the conditions were stacked in their favour. But taxis failed to pickup this customer in time, so I grabbed my phone, saw around 15 available Uber cars on my screen within a couple of blocks, and booked.

I watched the Uber come towards me on my phone, which assured me I wouldn’t be late for the appointment, and the app told me how long that trip would take. The driver was grateful for the business, despite the short trip. The experience was great. And it reminded me why taxis have been so greatly disrupted.  

Taxi operators will continue to complain to Government about the cost of their licenses. But I think they’re better off complaining to management about the cost of providing a sub-standard booking service. And they might also want to look at the service they’ve been providing to customers for years. It’s is like throwing money out the driver’s window.

Make it easy for your clients to connect with you. And when they do, make sure you grab them every single time, quickly and effectively, and deliver a remarkable experience. Sounds simple, but is so often not done well. Even better if you offer them a mint and a bottle of water.