Customers: Not Units of Measure

On a recent trip to the great State of Oklahoma, I was able to witness an air carrier's view of customer service. After a maintenance delay and being assured that my connection in Memphis, was not in jeopardy, I boarded my flight from DC only to sit on the tarmac for a half hour. Upon landing in Memphis I ran the 800 meters to the next gate like I was Pheidippides running to Sparta to request more troops. Alas, the boarding door was closing and the gate attendant said she held it for as long as possible for the three of us. I looked around to see two other gentlemen flailing their arms with roller boards in tow.

I give the attendant credit; she held it for eight minutes. I was less impressed that she knew that myself and my fellow travelers had just landed two long concourses away. The reason: on-time performance.

I have always been an advocate for performance measures, policies and procedures and methods of becoming more efficient. On the other hand, I also realize - as many of us in the transit industry - that our passengers are our customers. If it weren't for them we wouldn't be in business. There must be balance. I am not trying to go Mr. Miyagi from the 1984 Karate Kid, but performance and customer service is a fine balancing act that we all need to monitor.

In keeping with the Karate Kid theme, a knee-jerk reaction to service delivery can have devastating impact on the customers who need the service most. Involving the public in any service changes, increase or decrease, should be considered. Customer communication is essential, even if the news is somber.

Transit systems all over the country are looking at ways to not only survive, but reinvent themselves to preserve their ridership. In some cases service evaluations are being conducted to see if modifications can be made to become more streamlined while also increasing access. That alone is a tricky balance - but possible. Some transit systems are developing relationships with non-profits, human service agencies and the private sector to coordinate portions of the service. No matter what creative approach is used, our riders - our customers - must always be involved in the impetus for change.