Corkys Cars: TomTom WORK boosts efficiency
Cars: nine taxis
Will Rotchell owns Corky Cars, a taxi firm in Cannock, Staffordshire.
The firm has nine taxis on its books. This includes people carriers with disabled access; and a chauffeur-driven executive car.
But what made his firm really start motoring was adopting a telematics system. Suddenly, says Will, utilisation of his taxi fleet was significantly better; customer satisfaction rates started soaring; and high quality drivers were easier to employ.
“We installed TomTom WORK in three of our vehicles to see how it would work,” says Will. “It was an instant success. We soon decided that we would use the system across our fleet of taxis.
“Prior to putting in the system we operated in the conventional way. Customers telephoned with their booking, we recorded it in a log, allocated a vehicle to the job and gave the driver instructions verbally over the radio. It was time-consuming, inefficient and prone to misunderstandings and other human errors.
“With TomTom WORK our operators and drivers remain central to the system. But now they have a tool that gives them much more precise information on which to base decisions and keep customers informed.
“As soon as a booking is received the job is allocated to a driver and an order sent to the unit in the vehicle. This details pick-up and destination address details, the customer name and the number of passengers. Allocating the job is made easier.
“The TomTom WORK map means we know the precise location of every vehicle and can despatch the one that is nearest. That cuts waiting times for customers and increases the number of jobs – and fare-paying passengers – that we can carry. Which is good for our drivers because the increased traffic means higher earnings. It has been a real boost to our business.”
Will says the taxi fleet management system has also improved customer satisfaction: “We can give our customers accurate and reliable pick up times. We’re fast becoming their first choice when it comes to booking a taxi in Cannock.”
About Corkys Cars
Cannock-based Corkys Cars is a family run taxi company. The company’s website can be found at www.corkyscars.co.uk
