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September 26, 2001 |
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Versión
en español One
of the simplest ways to get advice on bus and rail travel is to call the
Metro System's toll free customer service number, 1-800-COMMUTE. But in an
age of instant information, most callers have limited patience for
being placed "on hold." Fortunately, the average wait time for
customers seeking transit information from 99 fulltime and nine part-time
Customer Information Agents has dropped by 30% in the last year alone, so
MTA's customers are getting through to Metro Information agents faster
than ever. On
an average weekday, Metro Information handles as many as 7,000 telephone
calls from bus and rail riders. Highly trained and experienced Customer
Information Agents give them personalized, detailed instructions on how to
reach their destinations via Metro Bus and Metro Rail. The phone lines are
open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends. As
little as three years ago, customers seeking help in this manner often had
to wait an average of 12 minutes or more for an available agent. To remedy
the situation, Metro Information embarked on a program of improved
training and supervision for its information agents and improved
forecasting of call volumes. In addition, it replaced antiquated
computer equipment at 100 workstations, upgrading to state-of-the-art
networked computers capable of responding to customer requests at
lightning speed. As a
result, most calls now can be handled faster and more efficiently, and the
time customers must wait for an available agent has been dramatically
reduced. Today, the average wait time is often under three minutes, with
the majority of calls being answered in less time than that. The
improvements have been remarkable, but there's still more to come. Metro
Information is continuing to explore options such as automated voice
response and on-line maps that could enable its agents to assist customers
even faster in the future. MTA-130 |
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