FEATURE | AUGUST 2017
Gavin Johnston, chief executive,
Aberdeen Taxis and Inverness Taxis
Gavin Johnston, chief executive of Aberdeen Taxis and Inverness Taxis, said he decided to encourage his 200 drivers in the two cities to undergo the training about a year ago. “We have invested a lot in technology and payment systems – we take credit cards in the car and customers can book online as well as obviously by phone, they can get a quote online and we felt all that doesn’t really work if the driver doesn’t do his or her bit to make sure the experience is a memorable one. “We were keen for our drivers to be on board with everything we wanted to do and decided to embark on WorldHost to raise our standard of customer service to ensure we have a good reputation and keep our customers happy to secure repeat business.” He said that all new drivers joining the company now must agree to undergo the training which has proved very popular and there had been some drivers who had applied to join the
The Maritime Museum and AECC are already WorldHost businesses
company because of its philosophy. “The first thing the drivers learn is to treat all the customers in the same way,” he said. “All drivers are in branded clothing so they are easily identifiable and they are armed with name boards to make sure they find their customers and they greet them, help with their luggage or bags and engage in conversation. “Their cars are cleaned and checked regularly and are always in first-class condition. “They are advised not to get into any conversations about politics or religion and are told how to engage with the customer by opening up a conversation about the weather or whether a person has travelled to the North-east for business or leisure. The drivers are briefed on where the distilleries, castles and other tourist attractions are. They can recommend a restaurant, bar or a live entertainment venue and they make themselves available for questions
- if the visitor wants to engage in conversation. Some don’t and the drivers know how to recognise that. “Some people are on business and want to work away in the back of the car so if the driver receives only a brief reply to the initial conversation they know that’s all they need to say. “We send texts out daily to our customers to ask how our service was and whether there is anything we can do to improve and the feedback about the drivers has been tremendous, really positive. We are ultimately aiming for 100% and for anyone joining the company one of the conditions is that they will eventually achieve WorldHost. “It’s something I would certainly recommend and I hope more and more organisations come on board to improve the visitor experience.”
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