Saudization seems to be in full swing in Riyadh. Last month policy makers from the public sector came together to announce the formation of Tahamel Holding Company. The company is planned to become a state-of-the-art cab service, which and will be wholly operated by Saudi nationals. The projects goal is to run 500 cab, staffed by 600 cabbies, with a salary of SR5,000 ($1,333). This is a noteworthy strategic initiative, and its success will be in how well it manages obstacles related to staffing.

The residents of Riyadh enjoy a pleasant lifestyle, which can only be catered through exceptional customer service on all their touch points. In a state-of-the-art taxi-business (akin to Singapore & New York), the customer touch points require the skills including courtesy, and professionalism. Both of these are competencies that the cabbies need to have to satisfy the Riyadh residents on their service touch points.

Fortunately, the stakeholders can of Tahamal can address the challenges of staffing by using an evidence-based workforce development. This would require the stakeholders to test and assess the cabbies during the recruitment selection. When developing the assessments, the focus should be on customers’ touch points of Riyadh’s residents.

The project managers of Tahamal’s initiative would be able to deliver exceptional results to the stakeholders (ministires of interior, transport, labor, and HRDF) if customized assessments were created for the following competencies:

1. Driving sense
2. Customer service and interpersonal interactions
3. Knowledge of Riyadh map and locations
4. Familiarity with key visitor attractions and business centers in Riyadh
5. Computer literacy
6. Ability to operate taxi cab GPS and billing solutions designed for cabs
7. Time management
8. English language communication skills

An assessment center can act as the backbone of a successful operation. Fortunately initiatives like Saudi Assessments have made assessing a mechanized, turnkey solution. This service facilitates the recruitment and selection process using a Talent Assessment Report that contains a host of analytics and metrics such as the following:

Summary report

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Analysis on each skill

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Training needs analysis

The Riyadh cab project can serve as a milestone in Saudization, and can serve as an example for other projects to come.

Author:
Saleem Qureshi  |  CEO at Assessment Fund
Saleem@AssessmentFund.com