Value creating processes for taxi operators

THE MANILA TIMES
Business Times p.B1
Thursday, February 03, 2005
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/feb/03/yehey/business/20050203bus6.html

LEARNING & INNOVATION
By Moje Ramos- Aquino, FPM
Value creating processes for taxi operators

Last column we gave the example of Bayantel’s key processes—selling, delivering and collecting—as key processes for a telecommunication company. According to the Baldridge Criteria for Business Excellence these are products, services and business processes that aim to create value for your customers and other key stakeholders, and to improve a company’s marketplace and operational performance.

This whole week, I asked taxi drivers-operators about their key value creation processes. All of them said there is one important process that helps entrepreneurs like them not only stay on the road for long, but even grow their fleet. This is proper and regular maintenance of vehicles, including keeping them looking and smelling clean.

Still some added that good customer service is an equally important process for business success. Among regular taxi riders like me this came as a surprise that taxi drivers even care for their customers. You know what I mean—tampered meters, smelly taxis, dilapidated taxis, discourteous drivers, unkempt and sometimes smelly drivers, reckless drivers—the list could go on. Our drivers could learn a lot from their counterparts in London who are models of good customer service.

I had one rare happy experience, though. One time I got into a cab and the radio was on. I noticed the driver looking at me intently on the rearview mirror. I was starting to get scared and I dialed the number of my son ready to hit the call button at the first sign of danger. Then he smiled, turned off the radio and fed a tape to the player. Before long I forgot my fears and I was singing along with the tape and swaying to the music. The driver said he was glad I liked his music. I said I knew the songs from high school.

He smiled even wider and said that he never missed guessing the age of his passengers that help him pamper them with their favorite music. I was kind of offended by the age-guessing game, but I truly enjoyed the music in the midst of the nonmo­ving traffic. Now, that is a customer satisfaction process par excellence!

Interesting description of process management came from sari-sari store owner Nimfa and Teddy Abustan. Let’s discuss that next column as we continue our Journey on Entrepreneurship using the Balanced Scorecard.

Speaking of music and dance, please join Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Centro (RCSRC) in hosting the District 3820 fund-raising campaign, “Love for Infanta,” this Saturday, February 5, at Club Intra­muros inside the In­tramuros Golf Club. This dinner-dance intends to help rehabilitate a barangay in Infanta, Quezon, by assisting the displaced residents with livelihood projects. According to Ursula Lijauco, charter president of RCSRC, they have stopped giving relief goods, except to some Dumagat communities in the hinterland, and are now concentrating on life-building help.

This fund-raising event will feature John y Cash and the Jukebox Retro Band for all-night fun to raise funds. Also catch the Jukebox all Thursdays of February at Funnside near the Timog-Morato Rotunda, Quezon City.

American Society for Training & Development: The 2005 ASTD International Conference and Exposition will be held on June 5-9 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, USA. Please visit http://www.astd.org/ASTD/conferences/ice/ice05/ice05_home. To join our delegation and avail of discounts, please call Ms. Grace Victoriano for details.

(Send Moje, president of Paradigms & Paradoxes Corp., your feedback via moje@mydestiny.net)