Toronto, Canada, January 25, 2016 – 3C Contact Services (www.3CContactServices.com), North America’s premier cost-effective provider of contact center solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses, is commenting on the Toronto Taxi Alliance’s new pledge for customer service.
With the taxi industry struggling with the increasing popularity of rival service Uber, the Toronto Taxi Alliance has released a series of New Year’s resolutions aimed at improving customer service. According to an alliance spokesperson, the taxi industry wants to address some of the biggest customer complaints. (Source: “Toronto cabbies promise to improve customer service in 2016,” Metro News, December 30, 2015; http://www.metronews.ca/news/toronto/2015/12/30/toronto-cabbies-promise-to-improve-customer-service-in-2016.html.)
“This is a step in the right direction for Toronto taxis, as customer service can be the deciding factor between success and failure,” says Dmitri Kuleshoff, operations manager at 3C Contact Services. “If you look at Uber, it’s become popular mostly by providing good customer service and convenience.”
The new resolutions focus on six key points, including keeping car interiors clean, accepting all forms of payment, and staying out of bike lanes. The alliance wants the resolutions to be a “clean start” for the industry.
“The question is whether this is too little too late for the taxi industry in Toronto,” says Kuleshoff. “Most of their new customer service pledges are the types of things that any business should already be doing. It may not be enough to only improve their customer service to this level.”
Uber has upended the taxi industry in several North American cities, including Toronto. The smartphone service app allows people to book drivers on their phones and to have fares automatically billed to their credit cards.
“Uber is really a customer service success story,” notes Kuleshoff. “They’ve focused on making their service more accessible and convenient for customers. Now, more than ever, businesses have to reach customers through digital platforms, especially if they want to attract Millennials.”
Uber has also focused on more traditional customer support services. Customers can rate their drivers, as well as easily contact Uber and register complaints or notify it of items left in the car. It is these features—rather than their actual cars or drivers—that have awarded Uber the most praise.
“It doesn’t matter how good an actual service is if customers are neglected,” says Kuleshoff. “Customers need to be able to contact the business and receive effective support, whether for help or complaints. In this case, focusing just on improving the actual car may not be enough for the taxi industry.”
While the alliance’s resolutions solely focus on improvements for the actual taxis and drivers, Kuleshoff believes it could be a good starting point.
“One of their resolutions is to provide more courteous, professional service, and that can actually make a big difference,” says Kuleshoff. “That’s long been the cornerstone of call centers and customer support services. For taxi drivers, customer service training could really be the first step towards greater success.”
3C Contact Services provides its partners’ agents with the necessary customer service skills needed to resolve a number of situations.
