20180407-TIPPING-PICKING-UP-THE-RIDER-JUAN-01

♪ music playing ♪ >>Juan: When you arrive to pick up your rider, ideally there's a safe place for you to pull over right in front of their address, and they're waiting for you. But this is not the case every time. How do you communicate any pick up issues to the rider? What if it's a Friday night, and you're picking up your rider from a busy area. It might seem like a smart choice to wait in front of the location, but if you're blocking traffic and causing a commotion, it's both a safety issue and a bad first impression for the rider. However, if you just drive to the end of the block, and wait there, the rider might be confused about where you are. It does say on the app itself where you're going to be waiting for your rider. But especially in a busy area, it can be hard for riders to orient your location on a tiny map on a phone screen. This means that every pickup is actually a two-part problem you need to solve. Where do you pick up riders safely? And how do you let them know where the safe pick up is? This means, before you even arrive, you need to be scoping out the landscape, so you can already have a safe place in mind to pick them up if they aren't waiting for you. Once you're safely waiting for them, blinkers on and out of traffic, this is where communication is key. Consider again the rider. They'll be wondering where you might be and why you went there. So you need to answer those questions. And you need to answer those questions quickly. One example might be a text that goes something like this, Hi, this is Juan, your driver, I'm waiting at the intersection of First and Main, in front of the corner store. I'm ready whenever you are. All of that information fits into one text message. And now your rider knows exactly where to find you. Communication doesn't stop with the text message. Remember that "why you went there" part of the equation? Sometimes it can really help a situation as soon as the rider gets in your car. You can start by apologizing for the inconvenience, I'm so sorry I wasn't right in front, there was just too much traffic. Thank you for meeting me. And then we turn to greeting your rider, and change the subject. Now you and the rider can get going safe and sound. By the way, we do recommend actually trying out the rideshare service you work with as a rider. It'll give you the rider's perspective, and a new understanding of how to deliver above and beyond customer service. Choose to think ahead and communicate.   And choose a tip. ♪ music playing ♪