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.

Maiden Voyage

I welcome you to the first installment of Letters of Transit. This is a new chapter in my 15 year career at Community Transportation Association. When first approached with the concept of using these writings to document my whereabouts on my technical assistance journeys, I honestly was apprehensive. As someone who preaches change is good, I found myself trying to digest my own sermon. With positive reinforcement from Scott Bogren and Dale Marsico I have finally put pen to paper…errr ahh, fonts to files.

Through my employment with Community Transportation Association (CTAA) my colleague, Charlie Rutkowski and I, work with several areas of the Association. Those areas include Training and Technical Assistance and coordination of the National Community Transportation Roadeo. In these areas of the Association, I find myself traveling to parts of this country that few have heard of. I enjoy meeting new people and going to remote places and learning the history of these communities. Thus, you will never hear me complain about my job.

Most of my travel is to rural and tribal areas in need of transit planning assistance. Each community is different and I try to drive that point home when helping them develop a service plan, or start a new system or build a transit facility. So each visit is customized and presents unique challenges and rewards.

This blog will allow Charlie and I to share with you some of these challenges and rewards of providing technical assistance or training to communities across America. Reader be warned: I have a laid back writing style. So if it seems a bit stuffy, it’s because the editors got their hands on it before it went live. I hope you enjoy these writings as much as I enjoy helping communities address their transportation challenges.