SEPTA Customer Service Program Reportsepta.org/strategic-plan/reports/2015-07-CSP-report.pdf · businesses with whom they interact daily. Our customers increasingly rely on us as

SEPTA

Customer Service Program

Report

July 2015

SEPTA is committed to consistently deliver a positive customer experience!

We are driven by our customers and fueled by their expectations.

Table of Contents

Page #

Introduction from AGM Kim Scott Heinle 2

Internal Customer Service Initiatives & Progress

• Customer Service Contact Center Metrics 3 - 6

• @SEPTA_SOCIAL in the Media 7

• Service Quality Overview 8 - 9

• BASCSC Progress Report 10

• Language Ambassador Program 11

• Performance Permit Program 12

• Citizens Advisory Council Spotlight 13

• Youth Advisory Council Spotlight 14

Other Divisional Customer Service Initiatives 15

CS&A Looking Ahead to Fiscal Year 2016 16 – 19

• World Meeting of Families 16

• CS&A and SEPTA Key 17 - 19

Introduction

Kim Scott Heinle, AGM

2

For any business to remain relevant and to thrive requires a culture that encourages change.

SEPTA‟s Customer Service Program has evolved over the years to meet changing consumer

priorities as well as a changing business environment. As SEPTA‟s regional influence has grown

and our reputation become more favorable, how we interact with our customers is increasingly

defined not by our role as a transportation provider, but how we stack up against all other

businesses with whom they interact daily. Our customers increasingly rely on us as their chosen and

preferred choice for travel. This new relationship, increasingly defined by personal allegiance to

urban and sustainable lifestyles, has recalibrated the way customer service and the provision of

public transit are viewed and measured.

Our Customer Service program is heavily influenced by the way we interact with one another and

with the growing ranks of “transit elective” customers that expect “service” to be offered with a

healthy dose of technology and entertainment. Few riders under 30 recall the days of graffiti-riddled

subway trains, smoking on buses and crime and litter infested concourses and stations. The past is

history. Today‟s customers are less impressed with where we were and how far we have come than

they are with where we are and where we are going. And why haven‟t we gotten “there” already.

Technology is changing public transit as it is changing much of the world; from the way we socialize,

to the way we conduct commerce to the way we decide where to eat dinner. Now, hardly ever do

you hear complaints about SEPTA having the “highest fares in the country”. Instead, you hear

criticisms that in the 21st century we still use early 20th century fare tokens. And that riders

understand delays will happen, but expect us to let them know so that we do not waste their time.

We put their loyalty and trust at risk more when this occurs than we do with the implementation of a

modest fare increase. The world has changed.

Building a Customer Service Culture (BASCSC) is not an event; it‟s a never ending journey. It is

defined by an unequivocal passion for building a strong team and then going on to the playing field

each and every day to perform for our loyal fans. We all cheer when we win and we all get up and try

harder when we fail. We succeed by never standing still and by never, ever, resting on our laurels.

Most of all, we are learning to cultivate our talent for active “listening”….to one another and to riding

customers.

Greater Philadelphia is blessed to have a great public transportation system that, like a giant heart,

never stops beating and pumping life and energy into the region it serves. The Authority‟s 9,300 or

so employees are committed to consistently deliver a positive Customer Experience. We are driven

by our customers and fueled by their expectations! It‟s who we are. It‟s BASCSC.

Kim Scott Heinle

Assistant General Manager

Customer Service & Advocacy

The CS Call Center answered nearly 750,000 calls in the first six months of 2015. Monthly call volumes

were down slightly from comparable 2014 monthly totals. On a highly positive note, dropped call

percentages averaged 3.7% during the first half of 2015, down from 8.9% in 2014. This is a decline of

58% which represents a major success for staff.

The biggest factor decreasing call volume is that SEPTA‟s enhanced technological services offer riders

more options for getting travel information and they are taking advantage of them:

• 263,814 riders have downloaded the SEPTA App for their iPhone or Android to date, up 131% from

June 2014

• @SEPTA_SOCIAL, CS&A‟s Twitter & Instagram feeds, have 12,855 total followers, up 61% from

June 2014

• CS&A Social Media staff have had nearly 16,000 conversations with riders in the last six months, up

24% from 2014

• @SEPTA Alerts Twitter feed now has 79,398 followers, up 61% from June 2014

• SEPTA.org website traffic increased with 3% more unique users thus far in 2015 than from January to

June of 2014

CS&A will monitor these technology trends as SEPTA continues to offer innovative new services for

riders to enjoy.

Customer Service Contact

Center Metrics (1 of 4)

3

13

1,3

03

11

3,9

53

13

0,3

00

111

,99

5

11

9,6

29

12

1,7

77

5%

4% 5%

2% 3% 3%

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

CS: Calls Answered % Dropped

Straight line

represents 2014

average Straight line

represents 2014

average

Customer Service Contact Center Call Volume

CS/CCT Contact Center call volumes hovered around 5,000 per month from January to June 2015.

Call volumes were also very similar to 2014 average monthly call volumes, showing little if any

variance. While monthly CS/CCT calls were consistent in number, staff has been much more

efficient and effective in handling them in 2015.

CS/CCT Call Center staff were able to make great progress in reducing the number of dropped calls

experienced in the first six months of 2015. The key takeaway from the above chart is that every

month of 2015, with the exception of March, dropped call percentages were roughly half of the 2014

average. Considering the call volumes remained constant from 2014, this is a great success.



4

4,8

73

5,1

21

5,0

25

5,3

15

4,8

99

4,9

84

4%

5%

10%

4%

5% 5%


CS/CCT: Calls Answered % Dropped

Straight line

represents

5 year goal

Straight line

represents 2014

average



Many factors can adversely impact a transit agency‟s ability to deliver timely service and result in

complaints from riders. Weather played a role in the first three months of 2015, as a mild January led to

minimal service disruptions and low complaint volumes, while February and March saw more snow and

cold, resulting in an uptick in complaints. April, May and June complaint volumes were affected by a

general rise in complaints relating to the accuracy of real time tracking tools that riders are using in

greater numbers, service disruptions on Regional Rail related to short consists caused by PTC

implementation requirements and Market Frankford Line single tracking on June 10th, among other

factors.

CS&A staff have been very efficient at resolving complaints at first contact considering the increased

complaint volume. Call Center staff and specialists were able to resolve complaints at first contact more

effectively in every month of 2015 than they were in 2014 with the exception of March.

5

38

50

31

07

31

45

27

50

29

44

31

43

28

88

34

48

34

12

36

06

37

20

41

07


89%

86%

89%

82%

88% 88%

91% 92%

88% 87%

90% 89%


% Complaints Resolved 1st Contact

2014 2015

Number of Complaints Overall

2014 2015



Commendations were down slightly in each month as compared with 2014 with the exception of March.

A Key Performance Indicator for Customer Service within the 2015-2019 Strategic Business Plan is the

Commendation to Complaint Ratio, with a goal of improving to 6% by 2019. We were able to reach this

mark in two months of 2015 and will continue to strive to achieve this consistently in the future.

As previously mentioned, technology and social media tools, such as @SEPTA_SOCIAL Twitter and

Instagram feeds, are critically important for riders to utilize service, receive critical information and

interact with staff. We experienced steady, modest growth month to month with the strongest growth

coming during the winter where service disruption communications are vital. While monthly growth is

modest, when viewed over the course of a year, @SEPTA_SOCIAL followers grew a healthy 61%.

6

Commendations 2

08

20

0

22

7

20

2

19

2

20

6

7.2%

5.8% 6.7%

5.6% 5.2% 5.0%


Commendations Commend/Complain Ratio

Straight line

represents

5 year goal Straight line

represents 2014

average

3,5

95

3,7

02

3,9

28

3,2

63

3,1

25

3,7

00

4335

3603

3868

33

30

3290

3280


Mentions Sent Tweets

@SEPTA_SOCIAL Followers & Activity

10

,63

9

11

,15

4

11

,70

3

12

,03

8

12

,37

7

12

,85

5 5% 5% 5%

3% 3%

4%


@SEPTA_SOCIAL Followers* Growth Rate

*@SEPTA_SOCIAL Followers include Twitter and Instagram channels

@SEPTA_SOCIAL

in the Media

7

In addition to providing valuable customer service support for nearly 13,000 followers on social media,

@SEPTA_SOCIAL has also been featured in the media with some frequency of late with positive notices

highlighting our social media feeds as effective channels for getting customer service support and

helping to improve the image of SEPTA‟s brand online. Two national publications, Wired Magazine and

CityLab from the Atlantic, featured @SEPTA_SOCIAL‟s ability to create a more positive atmosphere for

transit communication in social media and favorably compared us to other agencies in the transit industry

that are not improving the dynamic. In addition, local publications such as Philebrity.com and technology

blogs like Futurity.com have published articles about the positive role @SEPTA_SOCIAL fills within the

social media landscape. @SEPTA_SOCIAL staff appreciate the praise and will continue to strive to be

the gold standard of the transit industry within social media.

Positive Public Relations Through @SEPTA_SOCIAL

Service Quality Overview (1 of 2)

8

One of the ways that Customer Service helps the disabled community is through our Service Quality

team performing audits of stop announcements on vehicles. The evaluation of stop announcements is

critical to SEPTA‟s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These stop

announcement appraisals are graded across modes on a pass-fail basis. SEPTA‟s performance in these

evaluations has consistently exceeded the important 90% compliance threshold. In the first six months of

2015, SEPTA achieved at least 95% compliance across all modes for the first time.

Service Quality also evaluates 4 C (Cleanliness, Convenience, Communication, Courtesy) performance

across all service modes. Elements comprising the 4 C‟s are also graded on a pass-fail basis for vehicles

and services. The below chart illustrates 4 C performance by Surface, Rail and Subway/El services from

January through June of 2015.

While scores were consistently near or above 90%, some areas lagged overall performance. Rail scores

for Communication were impacted by QuietRide announcement compliance issues, while Subway/

Elevated Convenience scores were adversely affected by TransPass issues at turnstiles.

1,487 1,720

1,123

739 874

603 77 61

220

94% 95% 95%

98% 96% 99%

97% 92%

98%

Jan - Jun 2014 Jul - Dec 2014 Jan - Jun 2015

# of Surface Evaluations

# of Rail Evaluations

# of Sub/El Evaulations

Surface Compliance

Rail Compliance

Sub/El Compliance

Stop Announcement Evaluations

Vehicle and Service 4 C Compliance Rates 2015

99% 98% 99% 96% 99% 100% 93% 89% 93% 90% 98% 96%

Cleanliness Convenience Courtesy Communication

Surface Rail Subway/El

Service Quality Overview (2 of 2)

9

Service Quality staff evaluate stations with a little more depth. While elements comprising the 4 C‟s are

graded on a pass-fail basis for vehicles and services, station quality scores are now rated across a 4

point scale- 1. Unacceptable, 2. Poor, 3. Good and 4. Excellent.

As in previous intervals, scores across all modes for vehicles, service and stations are well above

industry standards and are considered excellent in most areas. That said, some key areas (overall

station cleanliness and rest room cleanliness) can be improved.

Service Quality has shared their observations and findings with appropriate Operations staff with data

available at the Divisional level to benefit relevant resource allocation decisions.

As we move forward into FY 2016, Service Quality will continue their evaluations and monitor the impact

of their recommendations in the future.

2% 97%

Communication (Average= 3.96)

99% 1% Excellent Good Poor Unacceptable

1% 99%

Courtesy (Average= 3.98)

100%

2%

4% 94%

Convenience (Average= 3.92)

98%

13% 81%

Cleanliness (Average= 3.75)

94% 6%

Station Evaluations

(n=218)

BASCSC Progress Report

The Building a SEPTA Customer Service Culture Program (BASCSC) had a productive year in FY

2015. Each of the six BASCSC Action Teams have made tremendous progress on their way to the

next BASCSC Summit which will be held in October of 2015:

10

Action Team 1:

Employee Recognition

and Recommendations

Developed and is implementing a three pronged approach to employee recognition:

Formal Recognition such as Years of Service, Informal Recognition identifying small

successes and Peer Recognition through coworker input.

Action Team 2:

Facilities Improvement

Teams (FIT)

FIT construction progress continues. Woodland Shop, Allegheny District and

Roberts Crew Quarters were recently completed. Since the beginning of the

program, 24 locations have been remodeled. Current construction includes the 69th

Street Motor shop, Market-Frankford Crew Lounges, Frazer Shop and West Trenton

Tower and Yard.

Action Team 3:

Employee Camaraderie

and Morale

AT3 has achieved success in enhancing SEPTA employees‟ experiences through

such initiatives as GM Shadow Day, Show Jeff Your Work Day, and the Holiday

Vehicle Decoration Competition. In 2015, several new initiatives were introduced

such as “BACK to BASCSC BBQ” and BASCSC BEST Shadow Program to

advance this excellent program.

Action Team 4:

Internal (Employee)

Communications

Supports all action teams with up-to-date information via Internet, SEPTANow,

graphics and print material that informs the SEPTA employees about upcoming

opportunities and events.

Action Team 5:

Airport Line Visitor

Experience

Conducted both an online and an onboard origination/destination survey of

Regional Rail‟s Airport Line riders to better understand travel patterns. From survey

findings, several recommendations were made including offering dedicated cars.

AT5 also has been developing plans to improve awareness and usage of Airport

Line through Marketing & Communications

Action Team 6:

Business Services is

Internal Service

Implemented enhancements to intranet content to allow sign up for Procurement

classes: Navigating ASI & Web-based, Control D Application. Work in progress to

publish Request for Proposal (RFP) process flow charts & FAQs.

Action Team 7:

Smoking & SEPTA

Developing a program recommendation that assesses SEPTA‟s current policies and

procedures that will lead to enhancing both the customer and employee experience

related to smoking on SEPTA property.

Language Ambassador

Program

CS&A‟s Language Ambassador program is intended to help those communities that don‟t speak

English or speak English as a second language. We designed the program as a way to provide care

to linguistically diverse populations; to create a better experience for our customers; to welcome new

customers; and to promote social justice.

The Language Ambassadors will provide assistance with multilingual events and initiatives.

Their role will be fundamental in helping to create an environment in which our Limited English

Proficiency (LEP) customers feel comfortable using our system. The Language Ambassadors are

SEPTA‟s eyes in their communities and they have first-hand knowledge of their needs. As a result,

their ideas are essential as we continue building multilingual programs.

To serve our diverse customers, the Language Ambassadors can collaborate in the following

general ways:

• Translating brochures or signage

• Representing SEPTA at an outreach event in their neighborhood or in communities that share

their language

• Attending events that are transit-related

• Sharing ideas to help our riders

• Identifying opportunities for new outreach activities

The major initiatives on the horizon are the World Family Conference (September 21st through

September 25th) and the World Meeting of Families (September 26th and September 27th). During

these dates, the Language Ambassadors will support the call center and the social media team, and

they will be strategically located in Center City to provide a friendly, native-speaking face to our

service. Additionally, they will help translate brochures and information that will be shared via social

media in advance of these events.

As a result of the explosion of multilingualism, SEPTA is committed to ensuring access to programs

and activities to customers with Limited English Proficiency.

11

Performance Permit Program

12

SEPTA‟s performance permit program is aimed at improving the customer experience and providing

a cultural diversity to travelers in SEPTA‟s two center city Regional Rail stations, Suburban &

Jefferson Stations, as well as at 69th Street Transportation Center. This program started in 2004 and

has been continually in effect since then. It provides a no charge permit to musicians to perform at

SEPTA designated performance areas within the aforementioned stations. These permits are

approved on a monthly basis and allow musicians to reserve specific performance locations for

designated three hour timeslots throughout the month. The program has minimal restrictions on

participants‟ eligibility, as the only requirement to be accepted into the program is completion of the

application document and provision of a state issued photo ID. Current and past musicians have

been from all walks of life and backgrounds and have helped SEPTA showcase Philadelphia‟s

culturally diverse demographics and musical offerings.

For the first 10 years of the program, SEPTA offered a steady opportunity for local musicians to

showcase their individual talents, in a public forum at no charge to them. Beginning in 2015 the

program will expand to include the showcasing of larger group musical ensembles. These groups

will be permitted on a Special Event per instance permit, as well as a once a month “SEPTA

Spotlight On” performance series permit.

Our initial pilot for group performances took place on Sunday, December 14, 2014, with the Got

Strings Youth Orchestra, from the Souderton area, performing holiday themed music at both

Suburban and Jefferson Stations. The pilot was well received and the group provided riders with

some fantastic orchestral renditions of classic holiday songs. Our next set of performances took

place at Jefferson Station during the week of The Philadelphia Flower Show in 2015. Two different

groups performed during this week. The Got Strings Youth Orchestra and the Polish-American String

Band co-headlined the opening and closing of the week and both provided inspired musical

performances to SEPTA Regional Rail travelers.

The “SEPTA Spotlight On” monthly performance series is currently still under

development. However, several musician groups and performance locations have been

vetted and will be utilized under the program‟s structure in the near future.

Citizens Advisory Council

Spotlight

The Citizens Advisory Council was established under the PA Urban Mass Transportation Law (1967) to act

as an “independent representative and advocate on behalf of users and potential users of public

transportation.” Membership is comprised of customers who live within SEPTA‟s five county service area.

One of their functions is to review SEPTA‟s Capital and Operating Budgets, Annual Service Plan, and any

other initiatives and offer feedback on behalf of customers. To help CAC better understand SEPTA‟s “inner

workings”, a number of employees attended their monthly plenary meeting, including Cathy Popp-

Mcdonough and John Dooner (Finance/Capital Budget), Rochelle Culbreath (Gov‟t Affairs), Chris Witz

(CS&A), Greg Koval (Finance/Operating) and Ron Hopkins (AGM/Operations). As a result of these

meetings the group was able to provide well thought out comments to SEPTA management.

The group participated in “Stand Up for Transit” and stands ready to assist in SEPTA‟s endeavor to urge

Congress to pass a transportation funding bill. They developed a form that looks at SEPTA from the eyes of

its customers and proceeded to ride various parts of the system evaluating service. And, they identified

ways to better engage the public to assist SEPTA in the following areas:

• The testing and roll-out of “The Key.” Recently, the group visited “The Key Testing Center” where Leslie

Hickman and Kevin O‟Brien (New Payment Technology) provided a update.

• Making the Airport Line more user-friendly.

• Reaching out to regional rail communities who may be interested in “adopting” a regional rail station and

keeping the history of the station alive. Ed Wallace (EM&C) met to talk about SEPTA‟s effort in

preserving history and offered to lend a hand when needed.

• The development of the Concourse and City Hall Station. (An update on the plans for the Concourse and

City Hall, and how transit will be impacted, will be scheduled later this year.)

13

Citizens Advisory Council (CAC)

Lastly, the group which is comprised of a large number of first term members toured SEPTA

facilities, including the Control Center and the 69th Street Motor Shop, to increase their

knowledge.

Youth Advisory Council

Spotlight

SEPTA‟s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) was formed in September 2009. The Council, composed of young

riders from Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester counties, functions as the primary

outreach group to riders ages 14 to 22. The YAC advocates student needs to SEPTA leadership, assists

SEPTA in creating promotions, provides outreach to the region's youth, and educates peers about services

and special events. The group established six key projects to guide their efforts:

• Revised Outreach Program – to help increase the effectiveness of their outreach

• Better Youth Travel Resources – to help make navigating SEPTA easier by using material geared toward

youth

• YAC Publicity – to increase awareness

• Student Discounts – to evaluate and develop an action plan that offers discounted SEPTA fare

instruments to college students as part of their tuition program

• Smooth and Expand – to evaluate SEPTA and offer suggestions to improve service

• YAC Rides SEPTA – to collectively become aware of the entire SEPTA system by riding every mode.

(Thus far the group has ridden every mile of the Regional Rail system, the Subway/Elevated, Trolleys,

and Sub/El Owl bus service; 65% of SEPTA‟s City Transit Division; and 30% of SEPTA‟s Suburban

Transit Division.)

In addition to these six key projects, the group provided input on or participated in the following:

• Regional Rail Bi-Level Procurement – comments regarding the layout of the train‟s interior and other

customer amenities

• #DareToUnderstand – campaign created by the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia after a federal

court ruling requiring SEPTA to permit advertising that was offensive to a multicultural community

• SEPTA‟s FY 2016 Capital Budget, Operating Budget and Service Planning.

14

Lastly, the group received a $1,000 grant from the ABC Youth Service America, which

they are using to help support their outreach program.

Other Divisional Customer

Service Initiatives

The central goal of SEPTA‟s “Customer Service Program”, since its inception in 2008, has been to

excel at meeting and exceeding our customers‟ expectations. While internal CS&A initiatives and

programs are focused on achieving this, every other division within SEPTA has taken this objective

to heart and are making customer service a priority. The following are just a sampling of the efforts

outside of CS&A that are contributing to making customer service a core competency of SEPTA:

Audit & Investigative Customer Issue Remediation Review

Business Services Station Wi-Fi

Real Time Information

SEPTA mobile APPs

EM&C SEPTA Key

Rebuilding for the Future Program

Stations & Vehicle cleanliness processes/standards (shared with Ops)

Finance & Planning Sustainability Program

„Transit First‟ Initiatives

Expand Recycling Program at all SEPTA Facilities and Stations

Human Resources Improvement of ADA Training for front line employees

Customer Service Training for field and management employees.

Operations CCT Policy Enforcement

Emergency Response Coordination to Operational Incidents

On Time Improvement Committees

Vehicle Reliability and Availability Improvements

Legal Centralized and coordinated lawsuit notification system

Improved accuracy of records & timeliness of reporting claims

Implemented automated claim and lawsuit management system

Public/Govt. Affairs Enhance outreach to elected officials to address constituent

transportation issues

Facilitate inter-agency cooperation

System Safety “Make The Safe Choice” customer safety awareness initiative

“Never Too Busy For Safety” employee safety awareness initiative

Operation Lifesaver

Station Safety Blitzes

All of these programs combined with our commitment to providing the highest level of customer

service on a day to day basis for our ridership will help SEPTA continue to set the standard of

excellence for the transit industry.

15

CS&A Looking Ahead to

Fiscal Year 2016 (1 of 4)

16

Customer Service continues to prepare for this world event that will

attract an estimated 1.5 million visitors to the Philadelphia Region.

Philadelphia was chosen to host this event for many reasons; one

key element of the decision process is the SEPTA commuter system

and our ability to connect visitors within the city and our surrounding

regional areas to Philadelphia for this historic occasion.

As we move forward, SEPTA‟s Customer Service will be an important part of SEPTA‟s overall efforts

to assure we are aligned to respond to a variety of customer inquiries that support this significant

effort. Developing strategies that position our Customer Service team to respond to visitors that will

not only be from the United States but also from countries around the world. In addition to the

immediate impact of visitors to our region, Customer Service will also initiate tactics that assure our

daily commuters who rely on SEPTA are well informed and prepared for the many service changes.

Customer Service will utilize all the resources available within our Division and work closely with

many overlapping internal departments to coordinate our efforts in support of the wide array of

changes that will occur during this historic week. Currently, Customer Service is:

• Developing Contact Center staffing plans that are aligned with both SEPTA‟s operational plans

and the event calendar related to the World Meeting of Families. Evaluation of operational hours

and realignment of staff to meet the projected contact center intake volume.

• Assessing Customer Service field office locations and staffing to align staff at critical locations

where customer service support will be needed.

• Creating reference materials related to service changes as operational information is finalized for

all Contact Center staff to efficiently and effectively respond to customer inquiries both prior to and

during the event.

• Evaluating social media channels that can serve as an informational source to proactively engage

with visitors both nationally and internationally.

• Advancing recommendations for use of SEPTA Language Ambassador that will position bi-lingual

SEPTA employees at critical customer contact points to enhance communication with Limited

English Proficiency (LEP) visitors.

• Reviewing methods to proactively engage our daily customers that rely on SEPTA services during

the week and weekends to create an enhanced understanding of alternative commuter options

that they will need to utilize.

As the SEPTA Key implementation progresses, CS&A continues to position our team to assure that

our resources are aligned with this dramatic shift in our fare payment process. As we all know, the

fare payment transition will radically reshape our future for both employees and customers.

17

As with any change, CS&A anticipates that our division will serve as a

valuable resource to respond to customer inquiries, including: educating

the customer on the SEPTA Key, responding to issues that may occur,

expanding knowledge of the SEPTA Key to resolve issues immediately,

directing customers to the proper channels in both an adaptive and

proactive manner. CS&A will also serve as an important information

source for SEPTA to assure that any evolving issues are communicated

to management for resolution.

As CS&A prepares for the future of the SEPTA Key, below is a summary

of past years accomplishments and action items that are being advanced

to align our division with the related implementation of the SEPTA Key:

SEPTA‟s Contact Center – SEPTA‟s Call Center has evolved into a modern day “Contact Center”

using multi channels of communication including phone, letters, emails, webforms, Social Media,

online chat, and fax. We have also implemented a Customer Relations Management (CRM) System

(VERITAS) that has centralized SEPTA‟s customer database that assures our customers receive a

response within a timely manner.



We have consistently positioned our division to serve as a key resource for our valued customers.

As we all know, communication years ago was primarily rooted in phone calls. Over the years we

have launched an expanded proactive social media presence, introduced web forms and email. As

we move forward, the Contact Center has taken the following steps in preparation for the SEPTA

Key launch:

18

• Projecting staffing needs, developing staff schedules to expand hours

for the initial launch.

• Developing training information dissemination strategies that will

incorporate a “Train the Trainer” concept combined with individual and

group tutorials so all CS&A staff can respond to a wide array of

inquiries, minimizing a “ping pong” affect from one source to another.

• Evaluating social media strategies to assure that CS&A is positioned to

be a proactive resource to suppress misinformation.

• Expanding monitoring capabilities that allow CS&A insight into

customer perceptions beyond typical communication channels.

• Enhancing VERITAS data collection processes and reporting

capabilities to assure response meet customers‟ expectations.

• Continuing discussions and review of critical XEROX documentation

that will impact both SEPTA‟s and Xerox‟s ability to meet the

contractual obligations related to the SEPTA Key with SEPTA‟s and

XEROX Customer Support Contact Center management teams.





Customer Service Field Offices – Customer service currently has seven field office locations that are

strategically located in SEPTA‟s Transportation Centers and additional high volume travel locations.

Our field office team members come in direct contact with our customers and provide services that

include: travel information, schedule fulfillment, receiving complaints and commendations, and

processing Senior and Reduced Fare Cards. As the SEPTA Key advances, we anticipate that our

CS field offices will serve as an important front line resource for SEPTA. Although the Senior and

Reduced Fare Card services are being realigned to another department, we anticipate our “in the

moment” interactions with our customers will serve as an important resource to assure successful

implementation of the SEPTA Key . The following strategies are being advanced in preparation for

the SEPTA Key:

• Evaluating all field office location physical capabilities to assure they are equipped to support the

SEPTA Key.

• Developing training strategies aligned with previously mentioned “Train the Trainer” concept to

assure field office staff can respond to all inquiries to meet customer expectations.

• Preparing field office staff to proactively serve as a resource to educate the customer and prepare

the customer for the SEPTA Key as each phase advances.

New Initiatives

The Customer Service Advocacy team is currently developing several strategies to support

responsive outreach efforts and assure that SEPTA is prepared to respond to the diverse

communities within our service region. Many of these communities include Limited English

Proficiency (LEP) members that will require that CS&A have the ability to communicate across

language barriers and to address their unique needs. The Advocacy team is currently identifying

Language Ambassadors consisting of SEPTA employees to align with the future needs of SEPTA‟s

Key communication efforts.

19

Documents

SEPTA Customer Service Program Reportsepta.org/strategic-plan/reports/2015-07-CSP-report.pdf · businesses with whom they interact daily. Our customers increasingly rely on us as