Updated Grab interface to have faster help center access, new SOS button

MANILA, Philippines – At a press event held at I’M Hotel, Tuesday, May 8, Grab launched their 100-day campaign that looks to address the complaints they have received from passengers and drivers in the last few weeks.

On the tech side of things, they’re rolling out a new app interface for both iOS and Android. 

Visually, the revamped interface cleans all the clutter in the home screen and divides Grab’s services to two tabs, namely Transport and Delivery. What’s more is that pinning locations in the map is now said to be more intuitive, and has been designed to make it easier for passengers and drivers to locate each other.  

But for passengers who feel they have had a bad experience with the service, the key update is the new ability to report their concerns to Grab’s Help Center without leaving the app. The hope is it will expedite the filing of concerns, and encourage consumers to voice out their issues via the help center.

To support the improved intergration, the ride-hailing service also announced that they’re enlarging their customer service team by partnering with a BPO company, which they expect to be fully operational by July. With the expansion of the cusomter service team, Grab said that they’re ensuring reports are resolved within 48 hours.

After Uber’s exit, Grab has been in the spotlight for several issues including higher fares, misbehaving drivers, and long wait time for rides. 

The in-app Emergency button, added in July of last year, is getting some added features and a name change. Now called the SOS button, passengers can directly connect to 911 and send text messages to three registered phone numbers in-app in case of emergencies. This new button is going to be launched starting June 4 this year. 

“Our aim is to be passengers’ partner for better trips at all times. We have carefully studied new features that will further enhance our services while ensuring passenger safety on the road,” Cindy Toh, Country Marketing Head, said. 

Grab also said plans to expand destination masking beyond the 25% of drivers with low acceptance rates are under review. According to them, the introduction of destination masking late last month had a bigger negative impact on ride acceptance rather than ride cancellations. They believe this could make it harder for passengers to book a ride if they expand beyond the initial number. 

The revamped app interface has already started rolling out for iOS and is expected for Android by July 2018. – Rappler.com