New Computer System At Work

About three weeks ago, the cab company began training us to use a new computer system.  They gave us a total of 2 1/2 hours training and expected us to come in on our time off to practice.  They were crazy if they thought I would come into that place on my time off and practice for free!  Fortunately, I have a background in computers and I can usually figure most things out.

However, figuring out how to maneuver through the system was the least of the problems.  Most of the call takers and dispatchers figured out the system itself.  The problems really started when they went live because the cab drivers don't easily understand the system and they kept hitting the wrong button and disabling their cabs.

The really unbelievable part of this is that the powers that be at the cab company decided to install this new system the week before the busiest time of the year - the week before Thanksgiving.  They should have installed it two months ago or waited until after the holidays when things are calmer.  Putting it in when they did was foolish and it may have cost them some of their best customers.

We were swamped with orders and people calling back yelling that there cabs weren't showing up.  It was bad enough the first week but it was really bad this past week when people began being late for their flights.  One of the hotels called screaming that they had customers who had been waiting for a cab for half an hour.  Usually we are there in five to ten minutes.

What amazes me is that people actually allowed themselves to miss their flights waiting for one of our cabs.  What idiots!  If I had to make a flight, I wouldn't sit there waiting for one cab.  I'd call every company in the area or find another way to get there but I wouldn't miss my flight because one cab didn't show up.  That's ridiculous!

I hope none of you would ever be foolish enough to sit around waiting for a cab from one company and miss your flight.  Unfortunately, some people are foolish enough to do so.

By the end of Wednesday when I arrived home, I was so exhausted from all of the tension at work that I went to bed at 8:20 until I was awaken by a friend's phone call.  I had already planned to call out sick for Thanksgiving because I don't believe in working on Thanksgiving and because I needed rest.

When I went in on Friday, things had calmed down considerably but I was told that Thursday had been very busy, which is unusual.  They were still getting a lot of people angry from cabs not showing up.  I'm hoping that by next week things are better.

I guess that's about all.  We'll see what happens next week.