The Keen GroupBigger is better? - Talk to the Keen Group!In the London area, most people in the private hire trade would agree that the average fleet size is on the smallish side, as there are so many individual companies. However, one particular south west London firm wanted to offer more than the conventional ‘cab office’. It wanted to gather itself together and create an impact: that is exactly what the Keen Group has done, in style. They accomplished this between 2003 and 2005 by a merger of five local bases, the last of which was Elite Cars in 2005. Their growth rate is around 35 per cent since starting up, and they now have a fleet of 250 private hire vehicles of all types and sizes, attracting an average 13,000 bookings per week. The three directors of the business are Ian Ferguson, Keith Keen (aka ‘Fred’) and Sonny Rehal. Readers, especially those in London, will know Ian Ferguson well, as he owns Bumper to Bumper Publishing, the firm that publishes the trade publication Private Hire and Courier. No doubt many of you will have met Ian at our Taxi and Private Hire Exhibitions; he will be an exhibitor at the Coventry exhibition later this month. (As he has been known to say, any resemblance to George W Bush is purely coincidental!) The objective of the Keen Group from the outset was to be all things to all London travellers. So really, they offer everything: day to day private hire work, executive/chauffeur customers, account work (for around 350 different accounts), airport transfers, courier bikes and vans, the lot. In fact, a recent speciality has developed which is proving extremely worthwhile: they are providing vehicles - and indeed, also stewards/marshals - for ten different clubs both during the week and at weekends. Club owners and passengers alike appreciate the security aspect of this service. Straight answersSo how has the Keen Group accomplished what they have so far? Of course, a lot is down to I.T. - and for this they are giving full credit to Cordic, whose computerised booking and dispatch system is indeed ‘the business’. As Ian Ferguson points out, the Keen Group was already computerised but suffering a few setbacks with their previous system. Cordic’s “one size fits all” components were brought in and the system worked from day one; there was no teething period. More importantly, “if Cordic says something does this or that, it does it,” Ian says. “If it doesn’t, they say that as well - they mean what they say, and deliver. “In our opinion they are a very good company: very principled, and honest,” Ian continues. “It is like a breath of fresh air. As far as I can see, Cordic, being the ‘new boys on the block’, examined everything that was available on the market, adopted all the good components and disregarded the inferior ones. “I firmly believe that in London, GPRS - not PMR - is the way forward. The fact that our drivers can use these XDA based mobile units means that they’re not necessarily penned in their vehicle; if they have to go into an office, or any other location outside the car, they can still take a booking. “Also, the use of their SatNav is brilliant - it gets over most of the AtoZ problems of finding an address. Most importantly, the technology allowed us to successfully change from the ‘cab office’ concept to a call centre,” Ian stresses. “The system controls all the jobs, and creates virtual links between our Streatham and Battersea offices.” That’s how the Keen Group’s sizeable fleet can be overseen by 20 telephonists, four dispatchers, and 13 other office and admin staff. “I wanted to mention Vale Communications as well,” says Ian, “who are responsible for fitting and maintaining our phone system.” Not a problem! Big bad wolf? Hardley...Tentatively having raised the subject of the Keen Group’s relationship with the Public Carriage Office, Ian Ferguson comes back immediately with nothing but praise, and an appreciation of the difficulties the PCO are having to encounter with the sizeable task of licensing 40,000+ vehicles and drivers. “I really do empathise with the PCO officers,” Ian says, “in having to do a difficult job with a minimal budget. Sure, a lot of firms say they want more enforcement but aren’t willing to pay. Personally I would be happy to pay more if it would help them get over some of these initial hurdles. “To be honest, a lot of vehicle licensing issues have surfaced since SGS started having to license the PHVs,” Ian continues. “We are writing a profile on SGS in our next issue, to which they have been invited to respond. We’ve heard that some of their testing depots are better than others to deal with... it’s like any other type of business, where often it depends on the person you come across. “Either way, it’s a mammoth task, and the trade in London is not used to all this new legislation so it’s an adjustment all around.” One thing seems certain: the Keen Group, covering all facets of transport requirements in the capital, is just that - keen to get it right. It sounds as though they’re succeeding! Address: 75/77 Lydden Grove
London SW18 4LY
|
