CRM for taxi

Taxi services operate in a highly competitive environment, so it is important for them not only to acquire new customers, but also to retain existing ones. To do this, many companies introduce bonuses for trips, give discounts and develop many other interesting offers.

CRM-system will help to establish communication with customers at all levels – with the driver, operator or administrator, and will make this process understandable and controllable.

By definition, CRM is a relationship management system. It is used to maintain a customer base and improve communication. Also, this tool helps to establish processes within the company itself, distribute tasks and control their implementation.

If we talk about taxi services, then here CRMs play exactly the same role: they help keep records of customers and drivers, distribute orders, collect reviews, form an overall rating of performers, track the number of trips for each client and offer him loyalty program rewards.

All these processes are performed automatically, and therefore as quickly as possible. Accordingly, you will be able to speed up the delivery time of the car and increase customer loyalty, which will directly affect the profitability of the business.

In addition, CRMs allow taxi companies to better control their internal processes. Understanding what is really happening in the company will open up new opportunities for its development, regardless of competition and market conditions.

CRM-systems are of two types – boxed and individual. If in the first case, companies have to limit themselves to a fixed set of modules, then individual development allows you to implement almost any tool. To create such solutions, our specialists study the business processes and features of each particular company, collect analytics and select the optimal technology stack to bring any ideas to life.

Along with this, there is the main functionality, without which it is difficult to imagine the work of CRM for a taxi:

• maintenance of the client base;

• car fleet accounting;
• integration with telephony, for calls directly from CRM;
• modules for task distribution;
• formation of the LPN of personnel work;
• conducting marketing campaigns;
• work with the loyalty program;
• tools for collecting analytics and reporting.

To implement CRM systems, we use the SCRUM development methodology, according to which the entire scope of work is divided into small segments and implemented in short sprints of 10-14 days. This approach helps to build closer interaction with the client and makes it possible to introduce new ideas at any time during production.

There are also development phases that are collectively referred to as the CRM life cycle. Let us consider in more detail what work is performed on each of them.

Stage 1. Gathering information

The development of CRM systems, like any software, begins with research. At this stage, specialists need to study the business processes in your company, the customer journey, the existing IT infrastructure and the experience of interacting with similar solutions.

To find answers to these and other questions, we organize meetings with the client or his representatives.

Stage 2. Design, documentation and technology selection

When all the necessary information is collected, the specialists begin to design CRM and create a prototype – a schematic visualization of the project. It includes:

• mockups of unique interface pages;
• navigation system;
• functional description;
• list of integrations to be implemented;
• technology stack and implementation plan.

Next, we need to coordinate our plans with the client’s vision. As a rule, new ideas arise during the dialogue, and in order to reflect them in the project, the prototype is quickly finalized.

Stage 3. Design development

CRM is a multi-tasking tool. It stores data on hundreds of customers and the history of interaction with them, information about the fleet and drivers, and also provides tools for automating processes. At the same time, the system interface should remain simple and user-friendly. This will help staff learn new software faster and work more efficiently.

To achieve the best result, the design of CRM is most often developed individually – all its elements are drawn from scratch, taking into account the functionality, corporate identity of the company and the wishes of the client.

Stage 4. Programming

This stage is not only the most time-consuming, but also difficult in terms of understanding the client. It is often difficult for a customer who does not understand programming to evaluate the work done and coordinate the actions of specialists in a timely manner, if necessary.

Software development can be divided into two parts:

• Frontend. Creation of a user part of the project, which acts as a link between the client and the server. In the web version of CRM, the frontend can be implemented using static HTML/CSS/JavaScript technologies or Vue.js/React.js reactive frameworks. For mobile applications, native technologies are used – Swift for IOS and Kotlin for Android, or cross-platform – Flutter / Dart.
• Backend. This is the server part of the project, which is responsible for all internal CRM processes: the operation of functions, information processing, interaction with databases, integration with third-party services, and so on. The technologies for implementing the backend also depend on the platform. For example, web applications can use the Python/PHP programming languages and, respectively, their Django/Flask and Yii2/Laravel frameworks; desktop applications can also use C/C++/Java in addition to this stack.

Stage 5. Testing

Testing is another important stage during which QA engineers check the correctness of the created functionality. Thanks to their work, CRM is released with a minimum number of errors and bugs.

Stage 6. Technical support and development

Even with the most rigorous testing, users may encounter some technical issues during the first time after deploying CRM.

Their elimination takes place as soon as possible within the framework of the technical support of the project.

After the release, you can continue to develop CRM by releasing additional patches. Updates can include new modules, functionality enhancements or visual changes to the interface – without any restrictions. This way CRM will grow in parallel with your business.

An individual CRM system helps taxi services build transparent and trusting relationships with customers, as well as optimize processes within the company. With its help, you automate a significant part of the work of the staff, and therefore, you will be able to accept and process more orders while maintaining a high quality of service.

AVADA MEDIA specializes in creating CRM for various business areas. Using our wide experience, we always try to find the best solutions for the tasks of our clients, and also use innovative technologies to implement them.