HONK was on the show

[Jeff Poquette]

HONK joined us on the latest show. Rochelle Thielend provided a lot of clear info on the recent changes at HONK and more importantly, how to maximize your volume and profits. This isn't about the rates, it's about the technology

 

Tow Business Podcast / Towing Technology with HONK

[Central Towing]

I found the podcast very informative, specifically on where technology and towing "could" and most likely is headed. I thought she was articulate albeit a little "salesy" but I recognize why she's there. For me, she oversold the value in proximity/quality to a motorist as opposed to price. I think in the beginning that was going to be their mission; to drive costs down for both MC and provider. They quickly realized when that when we set our own rates, the results were negligible for them. That brings price back to forefront. So, now we have new features built into the app to accept jobs when you're the closest provider for a 1/3 of your rates. Still, I'm a huge advocate for Honk. They are great to deal with for us. Profitable, friendly, and accurate info. But the idea of "proximity" based dispatching on their end is a little misleading. In our experiences at least. But it certainly sounds good for both motorists and providers.

 

I know the show wasn't about rates or the current "take it now" option, but for me, its the elephant in the room. I like to hold MC's feet to the fire so to speak, just as they do ours. It helps keep everyone honest and spur communication with transparency. With that being said, I still found the show informative and walked away with some Honk-specific knowledge. I believe Honk is setting themselves up for future domination so the more we can understand how they plan to do that, the better it is for us to adapt and remain profitable.

 

AIl in all, I certainly found value in the show and would recommend listening and will continue to do so. Kudos! I see you guys are in Atlanta. Cheer's from Macon and be safe!

[Jeff Poquette]

I really appreciate you listening as well as listening with an open mind. We wanted to do an episode regarding the technology in these new apps that are not going to go away. We wanted to provide some info in regard to how to get the most out of these apps if you choose to work with them. HONK contacted us while we were discussing this show idea and thought who better to speak with. We took great care to not let it turn into a free HONK commercial and this was the first time we set up guidelines with a guest so we all clearly understood the mission. We were so appreciative of them being willing to come to Atlanta to record in person since it really does help the quality of the show when the guests are on-site. Of course you're going to have them identify themselves and provide contact info, of course you're going to show them respect and let them speak. We had Rochelle on because of what she knows and she knows HONK so that's where the conversation is naturally going to gravitate. Most of the feedback has been very positive but you always get that "one guy" who posted he had a problem with the show. It was worded in a very unprofessional manner so we did remove it. We welcome all feedback good or bad but no matter which side you're on we all need to keep it respectful and professional. You did that, thank you.

[TowZone]

I am moving this from the Honk forum to Towing Technology for a week. We have many lurkers that have not taken the leap to join as a member for one reason or another. This is nothing new as the average member will watch the topics for 18 months before joining to reply to a topic. They have no idea what they are missing in the Member Only Forums. I will be taking time to listen to this podcast over the weekend, just no enough hours in my day.

[ESC]

I also took the time to listen.  I thought it was good and worth the time.  Its nice to see a club be active and get information out there.  I like the idea of Honk and where they are going with things.  I am just annoyed with them overall using "set your own rates" in the beginning to get us all working hard for them.  It gave them enough good results to land some better deals and now they pulled the prices that we had set and now give us a take it or leave it set rate that is much lower than we had set.   The way they went about it just bothered me, and now in my mind, they are just like the rest of the clubs.  We turned the app off after they pulled that one.