The other day I took a cab from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas to my hotel on The Strip.
About 10 minutes into the drive, I struck up a conversation with the cab driver about the purpose of my trip—to speak to an insurance group about customer service.
He asked me a question or two about customer service and one of the comments I made was that exceptional customer service is not usually the result of one big thing. It’s often the result of many little things done exceptionally well.
To illustrate my point, I said to him, “For instance, while you settled into the driver’s seat, I slid the door open and then, once inside, had to reposition myself in order to reach back and pull the door closed. I managed but my point is that you missed an opportunity to provide exceptional customer service. Had you opened and closed the van door for me, I would have noticed.”
I went on to say that if he chose to take my advice and perform this one extra service (i.e., open and close the sliding van door for his passengers), then I believed his tips would increase by 20 percent.
He appeared interested.
I asked him if he kept a record of his tips and he said that he had only been driving a cab for about four weeks. He said that previously he was a commercial truck driver but was terminated after his third driving incident.
I buckled my seatbelt.
He estimated that he made about $40 a day in tips. I told him to apply my suggestion for a day and see whether or not his tip average increased.
I said, “Now, you still have to be competent. Customers won’t appreciate that you got their doors if you drive them around in circles. You must demonstrate knowledge of the area, drive safely, and be polite.”
He asked why I thought passengers would tip more for a little thing like opening and closing their doors.
I said, “People notice and appreciate it when others go out of their way to serve them. Most passengers wouldn’t expect for their cab drivers to get their doors for them. In fact, they’ve been conditioned to not expect it. This means that, when it does happen, it’s unexpected. It stands out. It makes an impression.”
I gave him my business card and asked him to email me with the results of the experiment. Stay tuned…
