The taxi game is as competitive as it’s ever been. If you own a taxi company or private hire firm, you’ll know that managing taxi bookings quickly is key to running a successful business. Dealing with booking requests quickly isn’t always easy though, but you can make your establishment run smoothly with a few systems in place.

Managing Taxi Bookings Efficiently

There are lots of tools and equipment you will need to run a taxi company, including cars. Here are some recommendations for ensuring your business can answer requests quickly and deal with them effectively.

Utilise An App for Managing Taxi Bookings Instantly

While not the right fit for all private hire firms, a custom or even pre-built taxi app can help handle an influx of calls. Today, many people prefer to download an app and automate a booking rather than speak to someone on the phone. By using an app, you can cater to these people, plus it can make organising those bookings easier to handle. In addition, apps can be integrated with a phone system and existing taxi dispatch software to make the booking utterly seamless on both your and the client’s end. Plus, with other app-based taxi companies such as uber, you can ensure you are offering a competitive service with the features customers want.

Get Taxi Dispatch Software

If you don’t utilise it already, taxi dispatch software is probably the number one tool to create streamlined bookings. Most quality dispatch software allows taxi operators to;

  • automate dispatching, pricing, and most fleet management tasks, significantly reducing your office’s running costs.
  • Have automatic allocation of jobs which saves drivers’ time and increases the number of fares they can take.
  • Monitor and review the fleet’s performance and identify where improvements can be made.

Most importantly, all these features reduce passengers’ waiting times. When integrated with an app or phone system, it creates a more positive experience for customers. The more impressed a customer is with the handling and wait time, the more likely they will use you time and time again.

Integrate your systems with phones

While apps are a great way to engage certain passenger types, phone systems are unlikely to be replaced altogether. Whether office staff or drivers, you’ll always need a way to talk directly to passengers. From finding the right house to flagging them down outside a club, an app can’t replace a phone call. Managing taxi bookings quickly is easy with a phone system that’s integrated with a booking app, dispatch software, and/or has excellent features. A VoIP phone system has countless benefits and features for taxi operators. Here are some that will improve response time;

  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR). IVR allows for text-to-speech translation and speech recognition to automate bookings.
  • VIP Numbers. Build a list of your key account customers and prioritise calls from them. This ensures loyal customers are rewarded with quick call times and quick bookings.
  • Wallboards. A wallboard feature allows firms to keep track of call traffic on each of their numbers, calls made by each team member, missed calls and how many people are waiting in a queue. This data allows you to identify what’s working and where improvements are needed. Most importantly, it can highlight to staff if a caller has been waiting too long.
  • Softphone/mobile phone integrations. These features ensure drivers can be reached by office staff and passengers and visa versa. Pick up will be quicker if drivers can ensure they can contact passengers when they arrive at the destination.

Learn more about Yestech’s taxi VoIP phone system services.

Have Enough Staff

While software can help ease call queues and dispatch organisation, having enough staff is vital to making it work. Of course, you need drivers to take more fares if you want to grow, but you also need office staff to support those on the road. So if you’re looking to hire more staff to help with booking calls, here’s how a phone system can make that job more manageable.

If you have a VoIP phone system, you can employ home-based staff by utilising a PC softphone app. With this feature, home operators can take calls on their computers using a soft-phone app when a physical handset is not practical. With more flexibility working from home, your taxi firm can provide the tech remote staff needed to get the job done. Plus, with more people wanting to work from home, you are more likely to attract recruits.

Train Them Thoroughly

Of course, there’s no point in hiring office staff without adequate training. By providing comprehensive training on how your phone system, dispatch software and/or taxi app works, you will ensure they can handle the job effectively. When the process becomes second nature, bookings will be completed quickly and with complete customer satisfaction.

However, it’s also essential for owners to review their staff’s performance to ensure it doesn’t slip after becoming comfortable in the role. With a digital phone system, owners can monitor call stats, such as the number of calls taken by each team member, missed calls, and how many people are waiting in a queue. Plus, owners can check that staff keep a professional manner while on the phone with call recording. Reviewing your process is vital to maintaining good customer relations and quick booking times.

Taxi Phone Systems with Yestech Telecoms

If you are interested in a taxi phone system that helps with managing taxi bookings quickly, we can help. We’ve worked with the taxi trade since 2010, providing unique integrated phone systems for their firms. We now have almost 400 taxi operators using our technology. Plus, we’ve worked with the top dispatch software in the UK, including CAB9, Cordic, Autocab, Cab Despatch and many more. So get in touch with Yestech today; we love to talk.