Uber has developed two new features to its app that improve communication and information to the customer so that pickups will be more hassle-free. This might sound familiar if you ride Uber frequently because the company is constantly making new advancements to make pickups run more smoothly.
One of the two changes is a notification system that provides riders with frequent updates about the progress of the car as it is on its way to pick up the rider. These notifications reveal the amount of time remaining before the car arrives, the specific spot to meet the driver, and details directing the passenger to the pickup location. These specifics are especially helpful in large facilities such as airports and large sports and entertainment venues.
The second addition to the app is a language translator for communicating with your driver. Since Uber operates worldwide, there are many parts of the world where people speak different languages in the same geographical area, so language becomes a communication barrier in many situations. The company has created a solution to help people communicate directly with the driver when necessary.
Before the new translation feature, the driver’s message would appear in the language preferred by the driver. If the rider’s preferred language happened to be different, the message is often not understood by the customer. This can become even more problematic if the customer accepts the ride without understanding the message from the driver. The language translation should help prevent misunderstandings that cause rides to become canceled when customers are not able to meet up with the car. Uber reports that the number of canceled rides has been a prominent area of focus form many years, and this new functionality is one of many planned improvements to deal with the cancellation issue.
Other tweaks to the app that prevent cancellations or wasted time of both parties is a pin number that ensures the passenger enters the car that he or she ordered rather than another customer’s. Currently, drivers ask passengers to speak the pin number after they enter the vehicle. Uber will soon streamline this procedure so that the passenger’s phone will communicate the pin automatically when the rider enters the vehicle. Passengers are not currently required to use the pin system, and it is an optional feature that they can select to participate in.
Dil Bole Oberoi
