SEPTA Customer Service Program Report

SEPTA Customer Service Program Report SEPTA is committed to consistently deliver a positive customer experience! We are driven by our customers and fueled by their expectations. July 2015

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 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 2

131,303 113,953 130,300 111,995 119,629 121,777 Customer Service Contact Center Metrics (1 of 4) Customer Service Contact Center Call Volume 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. CS: Calls Answered % Dropped Straight line represents 2014 average Straight line represents 2014 average 5% 4% 5% 2% 3% 3% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 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. 3

4,873 5,121 5,025 5,315 4,899 4,984 Customer Service Contact Center Metrics (2 of 4) 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: Calls Answered % Dropped 10% Straight line represents 2014 average Straight line represents 5 year goal 4% 5% 4% 5% 5% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 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

2888 3107 3145 2750 3850 3448 3412 2944 3606 3143 3720 4107 Customer Service Contact Center Metrics (3 of 4) 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. Number of Complaints Overall 2014 2015 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 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. 91% 89% 92% 86% % Complaints Resolved 1 st Contact 2014 2015 88% 89% 87% 82% 90% 89% 88% 88% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 5

10,639 11,154 11,703 3,595 4335 3,702 3603 3,263 3330 3,125 3290 12,038 12,377 12,855 3,928 3868 3,700 3280 208 200 227 202 192 206 Customer Service Contact Center Metrics (4 of 4) Commendations 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. Commendations Commend/Complain Ratio 7.2% Straight line 6.7% 5.8% 5.6% represents 5.2% 5.0% 5 year goal Straight line represents 2014 average Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun @SEPTA_SOCIAL Followers & Activity 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%. @SEPTA_SOCIAL Followers* Growth Rate Mentions Sent Tweets 5% 5% 5% 3% 3% 4% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun *@SEPTA_SOCIAL Followers include Twitter and Instagram channels 6

@SEPTA_SOCIAL in the Media Positive Public Relations Through @SEPTA_SOCIAL 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. 7

Service Quality Overview (1 of 2) 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. Stop Announcement Evaluations 98% 96% 98% 99% 97% 95% 1,720 95% 94% 92% 1,487 1,123 874 739 603 220 77 61 # of Surface Evaluations # of Rail Evaluations # of Sub/El Evaulations Surface Compliance Rail Compliance Sub/El Compliance Jan - Jun 2014 Jul - Dec 2014 Jan - Jun 2015 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. Vehicle and Service 4 C Compliance Rates 2015 Surface Rail Subway/El 99% 99% 93% 98% 100% 99% 93% 98% 90% 96% 89% 96% Cleanliness Convenience Courtesy Communication 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. 8

Service Quality Overview (2 of 2) 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. 2% Station Evaluations (n=218) Cleanliness (Average= 3.75) 13% 81% 6% 94% Convenience (Average= 3.92) 4% 94% 1% 99% 98% Courtesy (Average= 3.98) 100% Communication (Average= 3.96) 2% 97% 1% Unacceptable 99% Poor Good 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. 9

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: Action Team 1: Employee Recognition and Recommendations Action Team 2: Facilities Improvement Teams (FIT) Action Team 3: Employee Camaraderie and Morale Action Team 4: Internal (Employee) Communications Action Team 5: Airport Line Visitor Experience Action Team 6: Business Services is Internal Service Action Team 7: Smoking & SEPTA 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. Developing a program recommendation that assesses SEPTA s current policies and procedures that will lead to enhancing both the customer and employee experience 10 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 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. 12

Citizens Advisory Council Spotlight Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) 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.) Lastly, the group which is comprised of a large number of first term members toured SEPTA facilities, including the Control Center and the 69 th Street Motor Shop, to increase their knowledge. 13

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. Lastly, the group received a $1,000 grant from the ABC Youth Service America, which they are using to help support their outreach program. 14

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 Business Services EM&C Finance & Planning Human Resources Operations Legal Public/Govt. Affairs System Safety Customer Issue Remediation Review Station Wi-Fi Real Time Information SEPTA mobile APPs SEPTA Key Rebuilding for the Future Program Stations & Vehicle cleanliness processes/standards (shared with Ops) Sustainability Program Transit First Initiatives Expand Recycling Program at all SEPTA Facilities and Stations Improvement of ADA Training for front line employees Customer Service Training for field and management employees. CCT Policy Enforcement Emergency Response Coordination to Operational Incidents On Time Improvement Committees Vehicle Reliability and Availability Improvements Centralized and coordinated lawsuit notification system Improved accuracy of records & timeliness of reporting claims Implemented automated claim and lawsuit management system Enhance outreach to elected officials to address constituent transportation issues Facilitate inter-agency cooperation 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) 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. 16

CS&A Looking Ahead to Fiscal Year 2016 (2 of 4) 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. 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. 17

CS&A Looking Ahead to Fiscal Year 2016 (3 of 4) 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: 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. 18

CS&A Looking Ahead to Fiscal Year 2016 (4 of 4) 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