Caller : “I need to book a ticket for my girlfriend”
Me: “Ok, what’s her name please?”
Caller: pause “Just a minute and I’ll check”.
This was one of the funnier calls I have taken recently while working at Integrity Coach Lines. If you know this was you, please don’t take offence, I haven’t mentioned your name! I must say, you did give us all a bit a laugh that day.
Our calls vary a lot, we have regular travellers who we know by name and we have those excited at taking a trip. We have backpackers and nomads on Hop on Hop off passes looking to see the West Coast of Australia and sadly we also sometimes have people who urgently need to get to their families as something has happened.
My name is Judy and I’ve been working at Integrity for 7 years now and love the variety my role offers. I won’t bore you with details of office management. It would be tedious to you the reader to cover all of that, though for me it is variety and I like it. The only thing I’m missing in my job is a view, though don’t tell my co-workers as my view in the office is of them (open-plan office), so they probably think I have a great view! The drivers make me a bit jealous when I read their blogs on how wonderful their everchanging view is from the drivers seat of the coach as they head up the coast.
(This is not my office view, this was when I was "let out" of the office for a photo! )
We have a great team here which makes it a pleasant place to work. Everyone works hard however they also know how to have fun and take a joke. I’ll never forget the time a lady from Karratha called, the phones were flat out so the boss pitched in and a took the call, the lady said “I’m trying to find a way to go from Karratha to Perth before Christmas". The boss replied, “Well, I think there’s a fellow in a red suit on a sleigh due past soon”. He thought he was quick but she was just as quick replying “I know, but he makes too many stops, that's why I want ot travel with you!”. After they both had a laugh, she was booked onto our coach and we had her in Perth before Christmas. There was another time where a driver came in from one of his first trips with us saying he’d seen a crocodile on the road near Nanutarra and said that a passenger had laughed at him saying “No, that was just a bungarrow”. So our driver was educated that day and can still laugh about it.
Although we know when to have a laugh, we all also know there’s a time to be serious as well. We know the importance of ensuring the bookings are correct so your journey is uneventful. We know the importance of helping a backpacker who has never been to the country understand how far they may be able to go in the time they have. We know to inform passengers if the bus is going to be more than half an hour late as we do understand how worrying it can be especially if your departure is during the night. Thankfully we run on time most of the time, just occasionally, unexpected things can happen such as cyclone and flooding closing roads, when it happens, we keep you informed as we know the importance to the passenger of getting from point A to point B on time. Communication is important and the reservation team, including myself, make sure we give the info you need on the phone or in an email if you wish. Our drivers also know the areas they travel in and out of so can help during the journey, just don’t ask a new driver for the difference between a crocodile and a bungarrow!
While most of our business and therefore my job revolves around our “regular passenger transport” services ie: services between Perth and Broome, we do also run to a couple of events each year, there’s the Leeuwin Concert, the Dowerin Field Day and if a West Aussie AFL team gets into the AFL Grand Final, then we take a coach from Perth to Melbourne. (Ok, so far this has just been for the Eagles fans only. Come'on Dockers, get into the finals as we'd love to take your fans too!). It’s an exciting change for us all when an event is in progress.
So, if you want to travel Perth to Broome, vice-versa, to places in between or register for an event, then give us a call on 08 92747464 or check out our website www.integritycoachlines.com.au. You never know, it might even be me who answers your call, just please, don’t tell me “you’re in the toilet” when you call, it’s one thing I don’t need to know! Other than that, I’m more than happy to help you with your enquiry or booking.
Courtesy of Judy Purkiss