For a short while in 2017 I became an Uber driver in Sydney to challenge myself on customer service, practise my small talk, and explore what it's like being the driver rather than the rider. 

Why did I start driving for Uber?

To put it simply - it was to do something different and experience something I was curious about. In the lead up to starting, whenever I caught an Uber, I often chatted to them about what it was like for them as drivers. This curiosity was enhanced during my post graduate management studies at MGSM as whenever the topic of disruption and innovation came up - Uber was the go-to example. It dawned on me one day, that as someone that works in customer service, that it would be a unique experience to jump behind the wheel and see how I went.

Being a '5 star Uber driver'.

Maintaining a perfect 5-star record is near impossible with Uber. A single review less than 5/5 means your rating drops instantly, and cannot be redeemed. One of the earliest bits of advice I heard was “let go of the idea of holding onto your 5-star rating” - as any rider can mark you down, and it can be for anything. This was good advice, and for the most part - I never aimed to keep a 5-star rating. 

Over time it just occurred to me at the end of each time driving that I had kept receiving 5/5 ratings. I chuckled a little bit and thought “I wonder how long I can make it last”, knowing full well that it’ll disappear at some point. It never did - some people actually commented on the fact that they’d never been in a 5 star Uber before. I have to be honest that whilst it’s a nice bragging right to say I’ve got a flawless 5 star rating, I did only drive for 3 nights (20 trips in total). 

I’ll break down my Customer Service insights into the following;

It never hurts to prepare - "Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”

If you suddenly leap into anything without giving it some thought or preparation you can’t expect great results. One of the first things I did before I started my very first shift was watch a handful of YouTube clips from very avid Uber / Lyft drivers. These were mostly people in the USA, who have been doing this for a very long time. This was incredibly valuable as it gave me some really good practical tips about what to do and what not to do that I applied whenever I drove.

Know you customers expectations

The key to success in most things relating to customer service is being able to put yourself in the shoes of the customer and work out their expectations. As most people have used an Uber before, it’s easy to quickly think about things that you’d expect. In marketing terms, this was broken down into “threshold attributes” (i.e., what items are must-have, or else you hated the experience), and what is an “experience attribute” (i.e., what is a bonus, a flair, a nice-touch that makes you feel special). When it comes to being an Uber in Sydney, in my mind you had to always be better than a taxi.

The things I expect from an Uber are: clean car, no smells, careful and considerate driving, and caring about your passengers instructions. The most critical ‘threshold’ item is ‘being clean’. Nothing is worse than climbing into an Uber / Taxi that isn’t clean. You already have people nervous about being in your private car - make sure it’s spotless. I would hand wash my car before I went out driving. One rider laughed and said “how did you manage to make a black car clean?” (meaning that he’s never managed to achieve this himself).

Consistently deliver and maintain service.

You’ve always got to meet that expectation of service. You should take pride in always giving the same experience to every person, regardless of what happened with the last person.

One of the challenges with driving for Uber is the unpredictability factor. I thankfully never experienced a rider throwing up in my car, but it’s a risk. After each ’trip’ I would wind down my windows, air the car, no matter who my last passenger was - and make sure there wasn’t any lingering smells. After every 2-3 trips, I would pull over and do a rush-clean of the back seat area and just make sure that people were always getting a good experience.

Little touches go a long way!

With customer service, sometimes it’s the little things that have the biggest impact. One of the single biggest tips that I loved, was that cleaning and wiping your car windows down with Windex gives a very subliminal message of ‘clean’ to people. You may actively note the smell of Windex, but if you aren’t thinking about it - your brain goes to ‘clean’ without you realising it. In customer service, little touches - like remembering someone’s name, going that little bit extra, can leave long-standing positive impressions on people. 

Keep your game face on - handle the unexpected with poise.

On my first night driving, my second trip ever, I pulled up to a house and two young ladies came out (ready to go into the city) and one was in a wheelchair. Pause for a moment and consider how panicked I was that on my second trip I was faced with a situation I hadn’t considered at all - and wasn’t sure how to handle. In a flash, my mind raced to ‘what do I do’, and then into ‘ok, think about what you would want to happen’. 

Without displaying the panic on my face at all, I popped the hazard lights on, got out, introduced myself, and asked in a caring way how I could help out. The woman in the wheelchair explained that she’ll help herself into the car, and that they’ll just fold up the mini-wheelchair and pop it into the boot. To my surprise, they were more nervous and worried about it than I was - they weren’t sure how I’d react. The calm way I chose to handle the situation meant that we ended up chatting quite a lot. I learnt that there are special slim-line / minimal wheelchairs that are ideal for people who go out partying or to dinner at night (they aren’t hugely noticeable).

Be friendly, personal, and genuine. 

One of the cornerstones of the customer service hinges on the first impression. I won’t go into how important the first interactions are for the overall impression for a customer, but suffice it to say if you nail the opening - you’ll usually leave people thinking you were great. The first thing I did whenever I picked up someone was; Say ‘Hi’ with a smile, check that they who the booking is under (using their first name), and then quickly introduce myself using my first name. I’d check that everyone was in, seat beats were on (not in a strict way, but more casual manner) and then double check where they were going. One little thing to share is that Uber drivers don’t know where you are heading until you start the trip - so I didn’t know if I was driving 5 minutes down the road, or crossing the tunnel/bridge, or heading to the Opera House. People would often ask / chat about Uber itself - and I would honestly tell them what I thought, and that I was very new to it. ‘Be genuine’ is a good lesson for almost anything to do with customer service, work, or life.

Read the customers mood and go with it.

It’s important to identify and mirror the level of interactions customers are wanting to have with you. Consider shopping in a retail store - the staff will politely ask “can I help you with anything?”, and if you say you are OK or ‘just browsing’, they’ll understand and leave you to it. When someone jumps into your car you can quickly assess how much small talk you are going to want to engage in. It sounds a bit clinical, but think of it this way - we’ve all had days where we are exhausted and the thought of mindless chitchat is actually the last thing we want to do. There is no need to force it. It’s cool if you want to jump into an Uber and read your emails, call a friend, play a game - we don’t need to talk about what plans you have. 

These are just a handful of thoughts I’ve had linking customer service and my experience driving for Uber.

Please feel free to comment, or ask me anything (via Twitter - @Benjamin_Lewis). 

Epilogue - Why did I stop driving for Uber?

There are a handful of reasons why I stopped. Mostly I was only wanting to do it for a short time - I wasn’t very invested / committed to the concept for more than an idle social experiment. The other major factor was financial. It really doesn’t add up when you look at it and your income can vary too much. Driving on a weekend night you can either earn $200 or $90 - and that is before tax (GST). The major defining factor is whether you get a Surge-pricing trip, and those are pretty random. The last night I drove I spent $55.00 on getting my car washed and cleaned, spent 4 hours driving, and made $50.00 in total (…again, before tax). Do the math, I spent $5.00 to drive for Uber, and then I had to pay GST on my earnings.

I also had some minor concerns about safety. You are picking up people and having them in your car - anything could happen. Lastly, right before I stopped the NSW Government and Uber decreed that all Uber drivers had to display the sticker on their back window when driving for Uber. I really don’t like the concept of being visibly singled out. I won’t profess to speak on behalf of other Uber drivers, or their company (Note: all these views are my opinion and honest experience - and I do not speak on behalf of Uber in any way shape or form) - there are people who love it, make a good living out of it, but I think I’ve joined the many people who start driving for Uber and stop shortly thereafter.