Brand News #12
My folks at home are big fans of Uber. They like the idea of getting a taxi with a few swipes and touches on the smartphone. They also say quite proudly that for their generation, riding to functions or destinations in a taxi was a big thing. So they consider Uber a natural extension of that experience. But the icing on the cake for them is mostly the luxury elements that go into the experience like clean air conditioned cars which arrive in about 5-7 minutes time.
However, having said all this, they never really take as many Uber rides as they wanted and still depended on autos and drivers for the family car from time to time. This was solely because they would have multiple errands to run and stops to make. I am trying to make a generalization here that elderly folks like to club multiple chores/ errands into a single ride because its convenient for them.
Uber's new multi-destination feature must have been long coming and my folks are super excited about it. I am sure riders who overlooked Uber because of the absence of this feature will also be welcoming this news with open arms.
So what is Uber's multi-destination feature all about? Well its very simple, it allows the riders to select multiple stops along the route. The app will prompt users to add multiple destinations while booking a ride. Stop-overs can also be added or removed while on a trip.
How it works,
1. Press "Where to"
2. Tap "+" next to "Where to" box
3. Add the additional addressed en route to the final stop
4. Riders can also add and remove stops during trip
5. Uber recommends to limit each stop to 3 minutes or less as a courtesy to the driver
The next feature is in the form of an in-app chat that allows riders and drivers to send text messages without having to share phone numbers. This also means that a third-party platform is done away with. The messages are supported with delivery notification and has multi-language support. This would supplement the pooled ride service, wherein the driver can easily identify the rider who sent the message.
Adding product features is the key to being relevant in the potential market and to expand into untapped niches. Hence the addition of such features could very well be Uber's strategy of moving from the core taxi service product level to augmented or even to a potential product level.
Both these features are being rolled out in a phased manner and it will be interesting to note what Uber will introduce next. Maybe a feature to re-book rides?
pic courtesy : telecomtalk
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