11 Nov Interview with Shirjon Amiri – Customer Service Award Winner 2024
Each year, the Brisbane & Redcliffe Operators Committee sponsors a Driver Awards program that recognises and rewards the top-performing drivers in three categories: Wheelchair Driver, Sedan Driver, and Outstanding Customer Service.
Outstanding Customer Service Award Winner – 2024
Shirjon Amiri won the Outstanding Customer Service award this year and kindly took the time to answer some of our questions, in hopes of inspiring next year’s cohort of winners.
Our interview with Shirjon
What motivated you to get into Taxi driving?
The main motivation for being a Taxi Driver is centered around people. I love meeting new people from all different walks of life, at different stages in their journey, and all with unique experiences. No two days are the same whilst driving a Taxi! This makes driving a Taxi interesting and means you learn something new every day.
Tell us about one of your most memorable fares
There have been many memorable and colourful moments during my time as a Taxi Driver, one of the more recent occasions involved a young lady who had lost all her belongings during a night out. She was honest about her situation and was having difficulty getting a cab home, I offered to accept the fare and take payment after the weekend. I gave her my bank details and to my surprise, she had made a payment of 4 times the fare amount on Monday morning.
If you could give one piece of advice to a new Driver, what would it be?
The most important advice I would offer new Drivers is to always respect their passengers and to remain stress-free and relaxed on the job. If your current day isn’t going well there is always tomorrow. Remembering the bad days helps us to appreciate the good days. When counting your income group together the good and bad days by looking at it weekly instead of daily.
What is your customer service philosophy?
My customer service philosophy is about showing respect to others, and always being honest, well-mannered, and polite. It’s also important to remember our duty of care to passengers, especially ensuring women get home safe and helping the elderly where we can. If you enjoy dealing with people and helping others, then the customer service aspect comes naturally.