By Prince Osuagwu

Technology is changing every business including that of transportation and ride hailing app and Technology Company, Uber, has proven that when it berthed in the country three years ago.

Today, the company is investing more to make its driver partners more technology savvy. That has manifested in the establishment of GreenLight Hub, GLH, which is transforming the way drivers apply technology in plying their trade.

o’Yoma

Hi-Tech, caught up with the Operations Manager of the centres, O’Ýoma Ukueku who told us that Uber is investing ahead of time because in future there will be no place for any driver without technology knowledge

Excerpts:

Uber launched in Nigeria 3 years ago; let’s share milestones?

We’ve applied the philosophy of ride-sharing in cities across the world, providing an integrated transport solution. We have experienced the benefits that technology can bring to public transport. With GPS systems and constant communication, technology can make it safer for both the driver and the passenger. In 2016, Abuja became the 400th city in Uber’s growing global network allowing Abuja to join the list of smart transportation hubs in Africa. Since coming to Nigeria, there have been many developments which we are proud of. Firstly, we have facilitated over one million trips and partnered with over 7000 driver-partners.

We’ve also put in place a few partnerships which illustrates our commitment to driver-partners. We’ve partnered with companies like First Bank, and Germaine Autos – to ease the barriers of car ownership for driver-partners, and provide valuable car maintenance and servicing plans, to ensure that our driver-partners receive additional value. Another notable partnership is with AXA Mansard Insurance, a leading non-bank financial services institution in Nigeria. They provide driver-partners insurance cover against death, permanent, total or partial disabilities, medical and funeral expenses to riders during any trip with Uber in Nigeria. It also covers driver-partners and riders against damage to third party property that may occur while they carry out their Uber App initiated activities.

Support for driver-partners and riders has also been a priority for us and although there have been many developments, the most notable to mention and one we are particularly proud of is the launch of our Greenlight Hubs (GLH). This is a support centre for potential and existing driver-partners because in future, there is no place for any driver without technology knowledge.

Greenlight Hub?

Yes. The GLH is a support centre that provides driver-partners with established channels of communication to ask questions about the app, receive initial training and quality service retraining, activate their vehicles, do background checks and have focus group meetings relating to the Uber App.

We want drive-partners to have the best customer experience enhanced by solid processes, well-trained experts and cutting-edge technology. Potential driver-partners are also assisted here through the vetting and on-boarding process.

In Nigeria, we’ve opened two centres based in Abuja – Maitama and Lagos – Maryland. Areas which are both centrally located making it accessible to our driver-partners.

What technologies are found at the Greenlight Hub?

Uber is a technologically driven company, so technology is of course, at the heart of daily operations at the Greenlight Hubs. From start to finish – as the driver-partners arrive at the Concierge desk and receive tickets,  when they access the iPads for document uploads or self-help inquiries, technology ensures that the whole process is automated and more efficient. The large LED screens at the Greenlight Hub show which driver-partner is next in line to be attended to by the Greenlight Experts, and so quickens the process and eliminates a large amount of human and manual errors.

For a market like ours where such support is not the norm especially for driver-partners, we are thrilled to be leading the call.

So what difference does the technology make at these hubs?

Unequivocally, technology has greatly improved overall customer experience and has helped to ensure that the entire process – sign up, onboarding and support – from start to finish – is faster, more efficient.

However, we are never satisfied to just remain as we are. We are constantly auditing and upgrading our internal processes to ensure that we continue to deliver cutting-edge, innovative, customer experience to driver-partners.

Let’s focus on some of the analytics: what is the number of monthly interactions and stats on issues resolution?

We look at driver-partners who come to the Greenlight Hubs based on whether they are new or existing drivers and assist accordingly. On an average month, we have about 7000 feet through the door, and of this number 60% are first-time walk-ins, that is in Lagos alone. In Abuja, there is on average 2000 interactions, 58% of that number being first-time walk ins. Interactions for potential driver-partners are those who come in to find out about signing up, finding out requirements to become an Uber Driver-Partner, uploading documents and, performing the Uber Information (onboarding) sessions if they pass all the requirements. For existing drivers, it is mainly for issue resolutions or just asking general questions about the app.

Issue resolution is obviously one of the most important reasons the hub exists and we’re proud to say the percentage of driver-partner issues resolved within first visit are 89% and 91% respectively.