UBER ADDS IN-APP CHAT FOR DRIVERS, RIDERS,
In-App texts could make big difference in Brazil, India, other emerging markets
Uber is making it easier to connect riders with drivers, yet another proactive consumer move in the wake of an enduring series of scandals.
The new feature, called simply In-App Chat, launched Thursday and allows communication within the confines of the Uber app, where previously contact required the use of a smartphone’s SMS plan.
U.S. drivers and riders may respond with a shrug, given that the feature doesn’t seem to fix a nagging problem.
But In-App Chat is poised to make a difference in some of Uber’s emerging-market territories, such as India and Brazil, where many drivers and riders don’t have voice and text plans and use services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to communicate.
“It hasn’t been the ideal experience, especially outside the U.S.,” says Jeremy Lermitte, product manager on the new feature, adding that in some countries communications between rider and driver were not anonymized.
Lermitte says in-house research revealed that driver and riders both complained about cost issues associated with communicating between each other. Also, drivers preferred a handsfree way of hearing a message, and riders wanted a quick way to see that their message had been received.
In the new app, a rider wishing to give a driver a location detail taps on “Contact Driver,” which then instead of taking you to your SMS app opens a page within Uber’s app. The driver’s name and car information is listed on top.
Once the message is sent, the driver receives it as a audio message. A button with a thumbs-up sign allows drivers to tap to acknowledge receipt of the message. There remains an option to launch a call.
Uber continues to reel from allegations of sexism that brought about the resignation of its cofounder, Travis Kalanick. The board remains on the hunt for a new CEO.
One of the other neglected areas of Uber’s business as it raced into more than 80 countries was its relationship with drivers, who often felt like second-class citizens in Uber’s world. Uber executives have now doubled down on drivers, launching a “180 Days of Change” campaign aimed at addressing key driver issues. The changes so far include adding tipping, something rival Lyft has always allowed, and more recently giving drivers a way to reach Uber representatives by phone.