Customer Service:It’s Not a Department, It’s Our

Business

APTAMarketing and Communications Conference

February 25, 2013

Stella Lin - Department ManagerMarketing and Customer Engagement

Orange County Transportation Authority

OCTA OverviewOrange County’s primary transportation agency

Multi-modal focus on freeways, streets, and transit

Bus Transit 80 routes 6,500 bus stops 175,000 daily boardings

Back to Basics: 2003-2005

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Putting Customers First

Retained Transit Advocates

Implemented 80 Initiatives to improve bus service and customer information

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Results

In 2005, OCTA was selected as America’s

Best Public Transportation System by the

American Public

Transportation Association.

Recession

Loss of State Fundingand Decline in Sales Tax

Service Reduction 400,000 hours lost

Layoffs 43 employees

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Increased

Innovation

Decreased Budget

A Climate for Innovation

Doing More With Less

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Manage Resources: Cut Costs

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Reorganized Customer Relations Reduced 12 FTE’s

Renegotiated Customer Information Center (CIC) Contract Firm Fixed Cost per Call Shift Customer Engagement

Calls to the CIC Comments Pass Sales

Reduced Fare IDs

CIC COST COMPARISON OF PRICING:COST PER CALL vs. FIRM FIXED

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CIC COMPARISON OF COST PER CALL vs. FIRM FIXED PRICING

Fiscal Year

Total Call Volume

Average Calls per Month

Total Cost Cost Per Call

FY 2007-08 769,127 64,094 $1,786,359 $2.32

FY 2008-09 791,356 65,946 $1,834,260 $2.32

FY 2009-10 838,537 69,878 $1,648,365 $1.97

FY 2010-11 836,848 69,737$1,330,60

1 $1.59

FY 2011-12 818,913 68,243 $1,334,828 $1.63

Customer Comment Analytics

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3 Month ComparisonNovember 2012 – January 2013

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Complaints – Top Routes

Customer Comment Analytics

Digital Communication: JustClick

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Digital Communication: Text4Next

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Digital Communication: Social Media

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Digital Communication: eBusBook

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Customer Loyalty: iRide Campaign

Customer Loyalty: Jingle Pass

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Sponsorships Offset Discounted Cost

Good for 45 Days 45% Discount

55 percent of Jingle Pass customers used to pay cash

Customer Loyalty: Jingle Pass

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TOTAL BUS RIDERSHIPRidership increased 5.7 percent over last year during the Jingle Pass period

Customer Loyalty: Improve Service

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Customer Loyalty: Expand Options

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Customer Service Culture

Sustain the people on the frontline through a culture of support, recognition, and mentoring.

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Customer Satisfaction

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