Case
Study Summary
From
the year 2009 it was facing deficits in revenue, budget cuts and was expecting
budget cuts in the upcoming year with deficit rising substantially which puts a
pressure on the staff strength, maintenance of the fleet of services and
customer satisfaction. TTC was gearing itself to overcome these issues and
serve the citizen with full satisfaction.
In 2009 TTC started expiring several
customer dissatisfaction crisis and revenue issues. The image below
demonstrates a timeline of the events. First in January 2009 the price of an
adult token would be raised from $2.25 to $2.50, and student and seniors fares
were going up by 15%. This issue alone raised 32,000 complaints between January
1 and November 30, 2009.
A year after TTC also faced a bad image
problem, as a customer published on social media a photograph of a sleeping
fare collector. The image went viral, and it was even covered by the local
news. After this incident, TTC decided to form a customer service advisory panel
that would present a report on how to better service its customers. In February
2010 customers posted online more pictures and videos of TTC employees being
completely unprofessional. In this case was a driver that took a seven-minute
break in the middle of the route while passengers were in the bus. This video
also went vireo and was picked up by the media.
In response to the issue Local 113
president, Kinnear, blamed management and members of the 113 created a FB page
to counterattack passengers. The page, “Toronto Transit Operators Against
Public Harassment”, encouraged TTC employees to document examples of rider
misbehavior. Some of the cases documented were grafting and littering.
In March 2010 another scandal happened,
a bus driver had to be suspended for driving under the influence of alcohol.
This same month Queens Park announced the end of the Ontario Bus Replacement
Program, which had historically paid for a third of the cost of purchasing new
buses.
By April 2010 TTC officially decided to
place 50 supervisors in customer-facing roles immediately. However, in July
their image was even more tarnished when some of the stations were qualified as
“unkempt and neglected”. In August CSAP released 78 recommendations that should
be followed for the improvement of TTC’s customer service. These included
hiring additional personnel, a customer service plan, improved technology and
having oversight by non-TTC stakeholders.
The last year covered in the case study
is 2011, when TTC faced more funding problems, as the infrastructure needed a
renewal. They did manage to get new and faster subway cars (the Rockets) in May
2011. But increases in fuel price, more demand for the service, and citywide
budget cuts led TTC to the elimination of 311
positions in total. Finally, in June 23, 2011 riders formed “TTC Riders”, an
advocacy group claiming to represent TTC transit riders, and their main goal
was to oppose to any new fare hikes as well as any cuts to the TTC services.
Customer vs. TTC - The expectation Gap
What
did TTC do and how are they doing now?
Since 2011 TTC has grown and become very
active in social media. As it right now they have Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube, which they use to communicate any issues, such as delays or changes in
their routes, to their customers. They even developed a different Twitter page
dedicated to customer service. TTC actions in social media can be understood as
open two-way communication since they actively response to customer comments on
their Facebook page. However, the use Twitter more as one-way communication
channel , since their post are just informing the customers of different issues.
TCC also implemented other initiatives to
be more open and communicative with its passengers. For example, they have a
quarterly panel in which customers have the opportunity to speak with TTC managers in different subway
stations. Some other information platforms and apps they are employing are:
· Information Websites
for stops or specific
routes)
Their goal throughout time
is to transform the culture inside to TTC into one that is more driven by
customer service. Its vision and objectives are the following: Vision: “A high quality,
accessible network that understands what our customers need and delivers what
matters most to them.” Objectives:
1. Safety
3. People (Teamwork / Pride in a Job)
4. Assets (effective Management of assets that deliver reliable service)
5. Growth (affordable expansion Program matches capacityof demand)
6. Financial Sustainability (transparent business)
7. Reputation (well regarded by stakeholders and peers, employees to be proud)
1. Safety
3. People (Teamwork / Pride in a Job)
4. Assets (effective Management of assets that deliver reliable service)
5. Growth (affordable expansion Program matches capacity
6. Financial Sustainability (transparent business)
7. Reputation (well regarded by stakeholders and peers, employees to be proud)
Customers will always have a high expectations concerning public organizations that are subsidized by the government and by their taxes. Hence, it is very difficult to meet high customers demands with regards to their limited resources. Social Media is a way to interact with the stakeholders in a better way in order to fill the expectation gap and communicate the effort and positive aspects of the service the TTC is providing. Rather than being very defensive about complaints the TTC has to communicate that they are trying to meet customer demands. Regarding their current initiatives and social media activities, the TTC has taken an important step towards a better relationship with their stakeholders. The TTC has been trying to be transparent, provide a better corporate culture and community and also to respond to their customers by various actions (e.g. Twitter and Facebook, placing 50 supervisor in customer-facing roles to gain better customer insight, Meet the Manager for more transparency). It is crucial to create a sense of community concerning all stakeholders resulting in every stakeholder engaging in measures for better travel operations.
Link to the presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XPhebL-himZhaHAE5fa3CL_BV6JiILeokancgeD8Qx8/edit?usp=sharing
Sources:
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