"Please call a cab for me"
 

Here's something I've been wondering that you business road warriors can chime in on. Occasionally, I'll be at an appointment in a business building where I took a taxi to get there. When I'm done with the meeting, I need a taxi to get back to wherever I came from, which in most cases will be a hotel or airport. In downtown situations, I just go out to the street and hail one myself. But if I'm in a suburban or office park setting where cabs aren't just going by all the time, and if I'm in a building that has an always-staffed security station at the entrance, I'll ask the person on duty to please call a cab for me.

Sometimes, they respond nonchalantly with an "of course sir" and then go about it, calling a number for a preferred cab company they have readily at hand, often taped on a note by the phone. Other times, they react as if I just asked them to polish my shoes or order a pizza for me, as if I was completely out of line.

So, what does the collective wisdom of FT think? Is calling a taxi for a building visitor a legitimate and reasonable function for the front desk security/reception person, or am I totally out of line?

I call a cab myself - can't recall ever asking someone to call one.

It may be in the way you are asking the person to do this. This is something that may or may not be part of the door person's daily responsibilities. I think the reaction might be better if you instead asked "would you mind helping me get a taxi" or "do you know how I can get a taxi around here?"

Rather than asking the building security position to do this, how about asking your specific meeting contact if he/she or their staff could arrange this?

Building security?

Think of a "Rentacop" qual level slightly below that of a night watchman for a storage yard for prestressed concrete overpass beams. I wouldn't expect them to know what a taxi was, much less the telephone # for summoning one. Upstairs, the company receptionist would seem a far preferable alternative, especially if her top is low neck and the revelations thereof are not "crepey".

+1

I normally pre-arrange for a pickup if I'm taking a cab/limo to the client. If it's in a city where we have agreements with a car service, my admin can handle this easily. If not, I will ask the client contact if his admin or other staff can take care of that for me (first option over building security/reception, unless client refers me to the building concierge). It is also wise to ask a few hours prior to the expected end of your meeting or you may end up sitting around 30-40 minutes for a car to show up.

Agreed. I will ask the receptionist at the office or the person I'm meeting to handle that arrangement for me. Generally speaking the folks at the front desk of a building aren't really there to provide customer service of any particular level so it isn't much of a surprise that you get some gruff ones on occasion.

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Never asked security - do ask person I am meeting with to help me coordinate it, or receptionist/admin if I have been introduced/know them

The concierge is for cab calling, security is for security. If it is security, it is out of line for you to treat them like a valet or concierge. That's not what they are for.

+2. I always do this and it's never a problem. Ever.

I've only done this once, at the end of a job interview out in the burbs. I had been dropped off by a friend, had almost no idea where I was, and had another interview lined up shortly after. I asked the security what the best way to get a cab was, and they offered to call one for me. I think it's perfectly within reason, although they may be more apt to do it if you set the situation such that they offer to do it.

Interesting responses so far.

If I were to ask them where the restrooms were, or on which floor a particular tenant was one, would you expect them to say "Sorry, I'm here to provide security, not give directions." It seems to me that those sort of functions are obviously within the realm of what someone at a security podium in an office building is expected to do, even though they're not strictly speaking "security." I had assumed that calling a taxi for a tenant visitor would fall into a similar category.

I must be doing something wrong. I don't have a car service or an "admin." And, I think it would be presumptuous for me to expect a customer or prospect (or their "admin") to handle this for me. That's primarily why I ask downstairs in the lobby, as it doesn't involve the client or prospect at all.

That's not very useful at all. The security people in an office building are interacting with people all day long - hardly slightly below a concrete yard night watchman. And I'm sure they know what a taxi is.

If I'm in my own city, of course that's what I'd do. But if I'm in an unfamiliar city, I have no idea who the best company to call is. I could make a guess, call 411, and ask for Yellow Cab and that would probably work, but it may not be the best option. And, asking the cab you take from the airport isn't always the best option, for any of several reasons: In some cities, one company has an exclusive contract to pick up passengers at the airport, and either cannot or is just not set up to take people TO the airport. Sometimes, when coming from the airport, you may get a cab company that has just a few cars, or concentrates on the other side of the city. If you ask the cab driver, he's likely to give you his card or recommend a friend. In any of those cases, when you call them, you may very well get a "yes sir!" and then have to wait an extended amount of time because you called the "wrong" company. I would have thought that this would be a common occurrence and that the building people would know who best to call.

But from the reactions here so far, I guess it may very well be an uncommon request. Going forward, I'll remember to keep my options open rather than just assume that the building person will know.

Of course, it depends on your relationship with the person you're meeting with. If it's a first-time sales call or presentation, then of course you might not feel comfortable asking your prospect to do you this favor.

On the other hand, one of the great things about America is most people won't object to a polite, reasonable request. If the office that you're visiting has a front-desk receptionist, then I cannot imagine that he/she or the company would object to a friendly request as you're leaving (especially if you were courteous to the receptionist when you entered in the first place and built that bit of rapport).

I have been in this position many times, and find that people who work in these exurban office parks are very sympathetic to such transportation challenges -- virtually no one would think it unreasonable to help you a bit.

How about planning ahead a bit? It should be obvious if the taxi who took you from the airport is able to pick you up on the other side of town. Or get the phone number of the taxi driver who dropped you off at the start of the meeting. Or ask your hotel front desk for the phone number of a taxi company. Or check on the internet for local taxi companies before your trip. @:-) (Or rent a car, which can often be cheaper than round-trip taxis to the suburbs, and, in the days of Mapquest, is less risky than it used to be.)

Getting the business card of each taxi driver you patronize (or his friend) is a great idea. I have done that many times in many cities and generally had good service -- in such cases, they can often do the trip off-meter, which makes them more likely to want to do the job.

It's true that in a suburb you can wait a long time for the pick-up, so if the ending time of your meeting is variable, you might be stuck for awhile.

I am sorry but I would never feel it is out of line to ask the person I am meeting with or the reception at the clients office what is the best way to catch a cab from here to the airport/hotel. Of course I am usually a rent a car person though unless I am in a city that has a good train system.

That was my thought when I first read this thread a few hours ago. Ask in such a way that they offer to help, such as (what you said), "Do you know the best way I can get a cab?" or "Do you have any phone numbers for taxi companies?"

I'm not a business traveler, but I work in the service industry, and if someone came up to me (even if they weren't my customer) and phrased the request in that way, I'd be happy to provide that information or even call for them (even as jaded as I am after too many years dealing with the traveling public, whose collective IQ is infuriatingly minuscule).

I would think that a request phrased like that would be received just as well with your client's receptionist or even the client himself/herself--as long as it's phrased as a friendly request and not a demand to impose yourself on him/her.

"If I were to ask them where the restrooms were, or on which floor a particular tenant was one, would you expect them to say "Sorry, I'm here to provide security, not give directions." It seems to me that those sort of functions are obviously within the realm of what someone at a security podium in an office building is expected to do, even though they're not strictly speaking "security." I had assumed that calling a taxi for a tenant visitor would fall into a similar category."

That's a red-herring. Pointing you to the toilets is hardly a service, and checking you into a floor and directing you to it IS security related. But they are not doormen simply because they are by the door. The concierge provides taxi calls etc...not security. Unless you are drunk and they need to get you home.

I agree with the posters who suggest asking "what's the best way to get a taxi from here?". You can ask a client or a doorman or anyone else you meet. It's a civil question that, IME, is a common occurrence at the end of a meeting. But always phrased as a question, not as claiming a right.

The transaction then usually proceeds with:

Client/doorman: ah, I know a good company - reliable and fast - I'll give them a call. Where are you heading?

You: thank you, that's very kind. I'm going to the airport, please

Client/doorman: That's a pleasure; it'll be here in ten minutes. Do take a seat over there.

Both parties feel warm and happy at the thought of a good deed done for the day.

You can ask anybody almost anything. There are just two points to consider. Firstly, who is best equipped to provide the desired solution. This might not be security but indeed the front desk or the client or his secretary (admin - what a strange word, secretary implies much higher value, but I get distracted).
Secondly, how you word the question. If you just show up at the front desk and say "Please call a cab for me" they might get miffed because that is indeed not a very polite phrasing. Especially in the US where they are much more sensitive. Instead if you say: "Excuse me, I need a cab to the airport. Would you be so kind to call me one, please?", that should never get a strange look and should always be fulfilled. It's part of being a helpful human and part of being a professional.

Till

I assume, then, that you're independent or work for a small company in which you have to support yourself in terms of travel, documents, etc (ie, no administrative assistant).

In my opinion, it is not inappropriate to ask the client or prospect ahead of time for advice with regard to transportation if you will be in an unfamiliar city. Often, the contact will direct his/her assistant to provide transportation options. Just another option for you in planning for your next trip. :)

If calling taxis is not part of the person's duties, then even this phrasing could appear demeaning. It suggests you think it is and that the person behind the desk is a gofor who is there to do your bidding. Projecting a sense of entitlement is probably not going to do you any favours.

On the other hand, if you ask for advice (how can I get a taxi?), then that is flattering. It implies that the person you are asking is knowledgeable and in a position of superiority in that situation. In that situation, they are much more likely to (a) want to demonstrate their knowledge and (b) offer assistance to someone in need.

You could ask the guard or receptionist for an outside phone line to call 1-800-TAXICAB (which will route your call to the local taxi service).

Agreed 100%--I thought the same thing when I read tfar's post.

As someone in the service industry but whose job it isn't to fetch people taxis, if someone asked me (even pleasantly as tfar suggested) to call them a cab, I wouldn't be inclined to help them. After all, I may need to look up the phone number to a taxi company--the same as they'd need to do, in which case my impression of them is that they're too lazy or too self-important to do the work themselves, in which case I'd be tempted to decline their request (they can do their own d*** work).

On the other hand, if someone asked me the best way to catch a cab or to get to the airport, I'd actually feel (as Mr H suggested) flattered that they think I might be knowledgeable enough to help them. I might offer to look up the number for them, call the taxi for them, suggest a better alternative, or--who knows?--I could even say that I was going to be heading that way in a few minutes and I'd be happy to take them with me (I've done that a time or two).

That doesn't route you to "the local taxi service." First of all, how would one even define what "the local taxi service" is? Rather, that number routes you to whatever taxi service that serves that general geographic area and has paid to receive calls through that phone number. That company may be far from the best option from that location, depending on the circumstances.

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One other option that hasn't been mentioned yet: Do you have a smartphone or web-enabled device? My Android-powered G1 has a program called "cab4me" that determines my location (based on GPS) and then displays a list of local taxi companies/car services. I assume that similar programs are available for the iPhone, BlackBerry, etc.



With that said, I agree that I suspect you will encounter almost uniformly positive responses by altering your query from "please call a cab for me" to, "I'm sorry, but do you know what the best way to get a taxi from here would be?" Those who would have reacted well will still be willing to help, but less over-achieving security staff will likely take less offense to a question phrased this way.

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I'm just waiting for this scenario:

OP to lobby attendant: "Call me a taxi."

Lobby attendant to OP: "OK: You're a taxi." :D

But seriously, if I were contemplating requesting that the building's lobby attendant call a cab for me, I would probably ask when I entered the building if the attendant will be able to secure one when I am ready to leave, or if I need to ask the business I am visiting to do so.

If you have an iPhone, (inevitably) there's an app for that.

If the person at the front desk is not normally engaged in customer service or guest service, and he does not have a rapport with a preferred cab company, then it probably behooves him not to call cabs for visitors.

For there is the chance that the visitor might have gone to the rest room or have changed his mind and is now a no-show for the taxi whose driver comes into the lobby asking who called the cab company.

In this day and age (the cell phone era) most people don't need to ask where a phone is let alone ask someone to make a call. Therefore asking the security guard to call a cab is even more out of line.

Maybe I'm just too nice (ha, ha) but when I have a guest I ask THEM "Can I have the receptionist call you a cab?"

It is a good technique, I may even use it. Nonetheless, I find it ever so slightly manipulative and there shouldn't be any need to use such a technique on a normally calibrated person. It's really funny how the cultural differences on this pan out. I would say people are generally more helpful in the US and generally more status conscious in Europe. But in the US they have very easily offended sensitivities and a high "not my job" attitude. My polite question would get the desired results without them even thinking the question is demeaning in Europe. The proposed technique might not lead to an offer for help but just to an answer telling you what is the best way to get a taxi without actually offering you any help. :) I can see the American visitor standing there thinking "Duh!". :D

As for who to ask. Of course, it is better to ask the business partner, then the lobby attendant and only ask the security as a last resort.

But the lobby attendant should really be able to do that and I see that as a classic job for a lobby attendant. I mean, ...? (excuse my language), what else is a lobby attendant there for than customer service? Especially if there is extra security anyway.

Till

Rther than presuming that any given person would do this for me, I would ask them (whoever they may be) if there was somebody who could do it for me.

In the case of a front desk type person (asssuming that they are answering calls, etc) it's not unreasonable to assume that they'll do it, but I would not expect a "security guy" to do it - though I would expect them to direct me to the appropriate person.

No it wouldn't. You may get your taxi but you would be confirming stereotypes by the way you asked.
If someone tells me how to get a taxi, that's good enough for me.
Again, living up to a stereotype.
I don't understand this. Would that mean that you have tried asking the business partner and the lobby attendant already and been refused?
That's the kind of attitude that might come between you and your European taxi. So often in these situations, it's the way you handle them that makes the difference.

Departing via a reliable cab company is a security issue, especially at night and especially in some foreign countries.

If the place you are visiting doesn't see it that way, then the attitude of such people might be the tip of the iceberg.

Thankfully, in my own workplace, taxi security is not an issue and we tend to have business meetings in business hours rather than at night.

Mr. H, I see where you are coming from but I am happy to report that my simple courtesy requests are never refused and never frowned upon. Maybe the way I ask and the tone of my voice help. In any case, my request is already much more polite than the OP's.

So to answer your question, the ranking of who to ask was just meant as a method. You should have the best chances and least problems starting with asking the business partner. If you don't want to do that, ask the front desk person.

My question: what else is a lobby attendant there for than to provide customer service? Why would they be too good to call you a cab? Why would they even feel the right to be miffed by such a request?

As far as stereotypes are concerned, there is often a lot of truth to them and they exist in the first place because there are real differences between cultures and social groups and there are salient, repetitive patterns in behavior and preference between these groups; as witnessed in this discussion itself. If you know the stereotypes (meaning the most likely behavior of a certain group) and act on them, your chances at achieving the desired goal are higher.

So, if you ask a straight-laced German dude what's the best way to get a taxi around here even if your actual goal is to get him to call you one, then the goal has not been met. He will tell you exactly what you wanted and think he did all that was required. You can instead tell him straight up you need a taxi and if he can help. That'll get you a taxi.

In the US, as experienced by the OP, the code is different. Calling a cab seems to be considered menial labor for anyone but a bell man. So you need to package the question differently and the above question about the best way to get a taxi will trigger his service response rather than an outright request for service.

None of the methods or cultures is superior. I happen to prefer the straight one but to each his own.

Till

That's really the crux of the issue, isn't it? Is it or is it not a reasonably-expected duty of an office building's lobby security station to call a cab for a tenant or visitor to the building?

Some have suggested phrasing the question indirectly, such as "What's the best way to get a taxi from here to the airport?" Let me clarify and restate what I said in the OP: I was polite but direct in my question, and if it is indeed part of the person's duties, I don't see any need to dress up or disguise the fact that I'm making a request. For example, when I go to the registration desk of a hotel, I don't ask them if they know of the best way for me to check into the hotel. When I go to the bell desk, I don't ask if they know of the best way for me to check a bag. In a restaurant, I don't ask the waitperson if they happen to know the best way to order my meal or otherwise beat around the bush.

I totally understand the issue of not talking down to servicepeople. My question was whether a polite but direct question about a taxi to an office building's security station is or is not within reason. And, opinion here seems to be equally divided.

I do in fact have a smartphone. A list of local taxi companies would be a start should I have no other option, but it is far from the ideal solution, especially if I'm in a suburban office park type of situation. One selection might result in a taxi in 3 minutes, and another might be 30 minutes. I, as a visitor to an unfamiliar city, have no way of knowing.

Well that's the thing, isn't it? I would suggest that anyone whose job is to staff something that would be considered a "front desk" would have customer service as part of their job function, if not it being the primary function.

As I've explained before, the issue isn't the need for someone to place a phone call for me that I could easily place myself. I have a smartphone with Internet browser on me at all times. The issue isn't having someone else place a phone call that I could easily place myself - the issue is that I'm in an unfamiliar place and do not know who to call.

As an interesting coincidence, just a few days ago I had the occasion for the first time to take a taxi from my office building to somewhere else in town because my car was in the shop. In my city, I know that "Yellow Cab" is a reasonable enough answer to the taxicab question, and could have easily called them myself. But, mostly because of this thread, I decided to try out the security station in the lobby. I asked "Can you call a cab for me?" politely but directly. Their response was "Sure" and they picked up the phone, dialed the full number without looking it up, and made the request. I don't know if they happened to know the number off the top of their head or if the number was pasted behind the counter, but they certainly didn't look it up anywhere and didn't use speed dial.

After they got off the phone, I got into a conversation with them about this issue. I asked if he considered calling a taxi part of his job duties. He said "Well, I'm here, and the phone's right here, so why not?" I then explained my bad experience at another building, and that I had gotten into a discussion on the topic (without mentioning FT). His response was, "Well, some people find themselves in the wrong career field."

So, after all of this, I guess I still don't know. There seems to be no consensus either way. If I had to make a best guess, I'd say that it probably depends on how often the question comes up at any particular location. In my building, which is in a "midtown" locale (that is, not downtown, but not suburban), it must come up often enough that the security guy knew what number to dial without looking it up. Perhaps in suburban locations, it's rare enough that people use taxis that the question is rarely asked, and because of this it's not in the psyche of the security folks that it's part of their job.

I believe that this entire thread is much ado about nothing.. When I broke my shoulder, 10 years ago and was unable to drive, I was quite dependent on taxis. I found that a courteous "would you please call a taxi?" was sufficient. It did not matter if I was exiting an office building or a department store or a restaurant. A couple of years later, following knee surgery, I found myself in a similar situation; unable to drive. Again, no problem asking someone to "please call a cab for me." Asking someone who works in a building to call a taxi is no big deal. I would do this without any hesitation. It really is about asking for a favor in a courteous manner.

Yep, beating around the bush is definitely not my style, either.

However, there is one difference in mentality between you and those who you ask that has not been considered or mentioned yet here: Efficiency.

The pure practice of wanting to do everything as efficiently as possible is, how can I say that, "higher echelon" thinking. It is the practice of a person in a higher status with more important things to do, where it actually matters whether they wait 3 or 30 minutes for the taxi.

I see two kinds of possible issues with this mentality difference. Either the person you are asking isn't even aware that this efficiency is important for you because it is not part of their own thinking and their own practice, or it might get interpreted as making them feel inferior, as in "Who does he think he is that he is so important that we call him a taxi?".

On the other end, it might have never occurred to the asker that this question might be met with anything but approval because in the asker's mindset time is money, efficiency counts and the spendy cab thus becomes a worthwhile mode of transportation, the efficiency of which gets reduced if you have to wait half an hour (might as well have taken the bus almost).

What I said.

Till

There are a couple of issues in the simple question: 'Can you call a cab for me?'

First, as others have raised, for security personnel, even if sitting behind a desk may not be there to call taxis, but rather to observe what is happening around them and ensure that nothing untoward happens. They may also be there to help you contact your business partner upstairs, but that doesn't mean they should call you a taxi, arrange for a shoe shine, or any other services you require. They may not even have a telephone which has an outside line. I know that the security staff at my building's front desks are there for security. They might be able to give you advice, but it would not be expected to make calls for people, even to taxi companies. That said, my building is in the center of a large cities, and assuming the weather isn't a disaster, it wouldn't be hard to flag a taxi on the street. For calling a taxi, etc. you would be expected to ask the admin staff of the person you are visiting.


Second, if you really are in a suburban American location, the front desk receptionist may really not have any idea how to deal with this thing called a taxi. They drive to work. Everyone they know drives to work. The guy who broke his leg - his wife drives him to work. The consultants and salesmen, they rent cars. You would be surprised how foreign the concept of a taxi can be in some parts of the US. So, their shock may not have been that you asked them for something, but rather that you asked them for something so foreign to their experience.