transportation & the customer experiencethe customer experience. the same principle applies to...

To support development of the Regional Transportation Strategy, TransLink prepared the following set of working papers on Transportation and the Customer Experience: Part A: The purpose of the Global (A) paper is to outline why the experience of the customer is an increasingly important policy consideration for transportation service planners and providers. The report will describe how a range of industries and sectors have developed policy and strategy to improve the customer experience. This moves beyond a narrow understanding of customer service and instead focuses on the numerous ways in which decisions made by a regional transportation agency impact upon the customer experience.

Transportation & The Customer Experience April 2013

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To support development of the Regional Transportation Strategy, TransLink prepared the following working paper on Transportation and the Customer Experience: Summary: The purpose of this paper is to outline why the experience of the customer is an increasingly important policy consideration for transportation service planners and providers. The report will describe how a range of industries and sectors have developed policy and strategy to improve the customer experience. This moves beyond a narrow understanding of customer service and instead focuses on the numerous ways in which decisions made by a regional transportation agency impact upon the customer experience.

Transportation & The Customer Experience Context Report April 2013

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RTS Working Paper 1.500

Document Title The Customer Experience: Context Report

Document # 1.500

Date April 26, 2013

Author TransLink Planning

The views, opinions and/or conclusions expressed in this report are intended for discussion and do not necessarily represent those of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink).


CONTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 1

Performance ................................................................................................................................. 2

Information ................................................................................................................................... 2

Feedback and Input into Decision Making ................................................................................... 2

1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3

1.1. Regional Transportation System ................................................................................................... 3

1.2. Purpose & Scope of This Report ................................................................................................... 3

1.3. Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 3

2. THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ................................................................................................................ 4

3. DEFINING THE CUSTOMER .................................................................................................................... 7

4. CUSTOMER-FOCUSED POLICY – A STUDY OF BEST PRACTICE .............................................................. 9

4.1. THE RISE OF CUSTOMER-FOCUSED POLICY .................................................................................. 9

4.2. BEST PRACTICE – PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................... 10

4.2.1. New York DOT’s Focus on Success .............................................................................. 10

4.2.2. New York MTA’s Tracking of Performance ................................................................. 11

4.2.3. Chicago Transit Authority............................................................................................ 12

4.3. BEST PRACTICE – INFORMATION ................................................................................................ 14

4.3.1. Singapore’s LTA – Creating Integrated Public Transport Service Information ............ 14

4.3.2. Hopstop.com – The Rise of Private Independent Multi-City Transit Guides .............. 16

4.3.3. Wayfinding .................................................................................................................. 18

4.4. BEST PRACTICE – FEEDBACK AND INPUT INTO DECISION MAKING ............................................ 19

4.4.1. L.L. Bean – Customer Guarantees ............................................................................... 19

4.4.2. Vancity Credit Union – Stakeholder Involvement ....................................................... 19

5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 21

5.1. Key Findings ................................................................................................................................ 21

5.1.1. Performance ................................................................................................................ 21

5.1.2. Information ................................................................................................................. 21

5.1.3. Feedback and Input into Decision Making .................................................................. 22


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY It is increasingly common for industries and sectors to adopt customer-focused policy. Whereas previously the concept of customer service was based on reacting to a customer’s individual problem, it is now recognized that a proactive approach is more successful. This requires a broader understanding of all the points of interaction between the customer and the service provider. In the context of a multi-modal transportation agency, customer-focused policy must recognize what defines the quality of the customer experience. This experience has multiple dimensions and is no longer defined as just an individual trip, but includes the planning, undertaking and completion of a journey. Figure X outlines the six key elements which guide the customer experience.

To account for all these elements the customer themselves can be defined in three different ways:

• The immediate customer is someone who uses the infrastructure and services at the point of contact;

• The individual customer is a person, business or agency who uses the infrastructure and services, including different modes at different times; and

The quality of the Customer Experience is defined by...

Safety and security of the transportation

system

Performance of the

transportation system

Information provided by the transportation

agency

Opportunity - can the transportation system get me to where I need to in

a reasonable time?

Feedback and Input into

Decision-making

Value for Money

Accessibility of the


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• The broader customer is a person or entity who will be impacted or effected by the decisions

and actions of the multi-modal transportation agency. This is sometimes referred to as stakeholder.

The review of best practices in developing customer-focused policy has revaled the following key lessons with respect to the themes of performance, information, and providing feedback and information into decision making:

Performance

• When improvements are undertaken to the transportation system, even if this is routine maintenance or rebuilding, the positive message should be widely communicated to the general public;

• By their nature transportation systems generate a significant level of data and information. This represents an opportunity to provide customers with up to date and accurate performance levels in order to demonstrate continued successes and to potentially dispel myths relating to performance; and

• Very few transportations agencies or authorities have presented performance metrics that are helpful to customers. Though existing metrics do cover the core elements of the customer experience (safety, reliability etc), the tendency is to present statistics in a manner more appropriate to service planning or financial appraisal and not whether a customer experience is positive or not.

Information

• Customers increasingly expect transportation agencies to provide an integrated online information portal, that is user-friendly and appealing to the customer. This portal must also be mobile (i.e. available on smart phones) and offer real-time information for planning and undertaking the journey;

• Transport agencies must recognize their diverse audience and allow for a variety of different information sources and feedback inputs to reach a broader audience; and

• Private start-ups can potentially play a large role in better communicating to the ‘customer’ and general public about transportation options. Transport agencies should be aware of the trends towards personalization, individual indicators on usage and routing.

Feedback and Input into Decision Making

• Transport agencies should, where possible, allow the customer to input into how quality and performance is defined. This both aids improvement for the future and has a positive effect on the brand loyalty from a customer’s standpoint. It can also improve the quality of the decision making because it allows consideration of the transportation system from the customer’s perspective; and

• It is important to place a strong emphasis on openness and accountability. This allows customers to assess performance and for them to feel a greater connection to the organization.

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM In order to support the development of more evidence-based plans, policies, and strategies – including an update to the Regional Transportation Strategy in 2013 – TransLink has commissioned a series of working papers. The papers are designed to help illuminate and explore key issues from a global context (A-series papers) and from the local context of Metro Vancouver (B-series papers). This paper serves as the Global Context and Best Practices report for the customer experience work stream.

1.2. PURPOSE & SCOPE OF THIS REPORT Unlike the majority of transportation agencies, TransLink plans, funds and delivers a multi-modal transportation system. It therefore has a diverse customer base which must be considered at the political level, the planning level and the operational level. The purpose of this report is to outline why the experience of the customer is an increasingly important policy consideration for transportation service planners and providers. The report will describe how a range of industries and sectors have developed policy and strategy to improve the customer experience. This moves beyond a narrow understanding of customer service and instead focuses on the numerous ways in which decisions made by a regional transportation agency impact upon the customer experience. This report addresses the following questions:

1. What is the customer experience in a multi-modal transportation system? 2. Who is the customer in a multi-modal transportation system? 3. What is customer-focused policy and why is it increasingly important? 4. How has customer-focused policy been developed and applied in a transportation context? 5. What role does information, performance, and customer feedback play in the customer

experience?

1.3. METHODOLOGY This report draws on previous research undertaken by TransLink staff to support the development of the Customer Commitment and associated customer-focused policy initiatives, including ongoing development of wayfinding strategies.

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2. THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE The customer experience is determined by a number of elements which characterize the interaction between a customer and the complete transportation system. It is recognized that this is a broad definition, but it is intended to move beyond previous approaches to customer service which only focused on individual points of contact between a customer and the transportation agency. The customer experience is a holistic approach which captures the multiple ways in which the customer and the transportation system/agency interact1.

Figure 1 - Elements of the Customer Experience in the transportation system

1 Schiefelbusch, M. & Dienel, H. (eds), Public Transport and its Users (Surrey: Ashgate, 2009)

The quality of the Customer Experience is defined by...

Safety and security of the transportation

system

Performance of the


Information provided by the transportation

agency

Opportunity - can the transportation system get me to where I need to in

a reasonable time?

Feedback and Input into

Decision-making

Value for Money

Accessibility of the


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Safety and Security Though this is a core element of the customer experience, customers often do not actively consider safety (defined as unintentional harm) when assessing their experience2. For some services being provided to the public, customers automatically trust that necessary safety regulations have already been met. However, even though safety can be taken for granted, if this element is suddenly put into question (through an incident for example) it can have a significant and long-lasting negative impact on the customer experience. The same principle applies to security, defined as intentional harm. Security has been shown to be a major factor influencing people’s choice of travel mode and the customer experience must consider both perceived and real risks. Value for Money Customers will balance the money they have paid for a service against the other elements of the customer experience to determine if it is value for money. When making this assessment, customers will value individual elements of the experience differently and this must be recognized when setting market prices, prioritizing investments and assessing value for money. The customer pays in a variety of ways, including: taxes; tolls; and at the farebox. The perception of how a transportation agency uses the customers money also varies by what is being assessed, which can include: operating costs; administration costs; and sunk costs. Feedback and Input into Decision-making An important consideration for the customer is their understanding that the experience is formed from a two-way dialogue, and that their experience is flexible and adaptable. Through customer surveys – whether written, over the phone, online, or via social media – the customer is given the option to participate in creating a better transportation system. On the transportation provider side, this feedback is critical to having an adaptable and responsive system. For the customer and the transport provider, this feedback loop is a ongoing part of the optimization process and needs to be open, transparent and useful. Accessibility Rather than primarily looking at mobility factors, a transportation system should consider people’s abilities to reach goods, services, and activities – otherwise known as accessibility. The traditional outlook on transportation planning does not consider this ability as part of the customer experience. With respect to the customer experience, accessibility can consider the relationship of the service or mode to the built environment (and to origins and destinations), as well as the specific design of the service or mode. This could therefore include the ability to access key destinations on the network as well as more immediate access to a station platform via considers.

2 This is not the case for walking and cycling where, due to higher levels of vulnerability (in particular from motor vehicles), safety is a major customer consideration.

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Information Information can be provided to customers through a variety of built environment elements and print or electric media. Wayfinding is a key element of the transportation system and encompasses all of the ways in which people plan, orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place. Effective wayfinding systems provide people with a feeling of control and comfort; a positive wayfinding experience supports a ‘sense of place’, encouraging people to take the same travel mode again. The growth of real-time transportation service information will continue to be a key priority for transportation agencies, on the customer-focused front. For those utilizing the transportation system, real-time information on service timing, shortest routes, service availability, etc. are optimizing the usefulness of existing service. Real-time information allows for the potential of a seamless integration of trip planning among various modes and services for the customer or transporter to reach their destination. Further to real-time information is the added bonus of increasing public availability of planning and operational documents. This information is available to give the customer a better understanding of broad level decisions that go into the transportation system down to details of infrastructure plans route analysis, system performance, service timing, and station locations. In addition to the benefit of increased knowledge of the system, the customer has the potential to give his or her feedback into the decision making process (see above). Performance Related to information sharing and feedback considerations, it is important for the transportation system to be evaluated through Key Performance Indicators that are subsequently shared with the public. This serves the dual purpose of providing customers with easily digestible statistics on their service and their experience (a practice common to the airline industry) as well as allowing the service providers to take credit for successes and be held accountable for shortcomings. It is important to recognize that the above elements of the customer experience are not mutually exclusive and often they merge into one another. The character of the experience will also change dependent on the mode of transport and the type of customer. For example, an elderly customer may prioritize accessibility as part of their experience whereas a cyclist may place greater emphasis on the safety of the transportation system. The customer experience also has a temporal dimension which should also inform decision making. The experience includes both individual moments as well as longer trends over time which determine the customer experience. This highlights the importance of building a strong brand based on excellent long-term experiences that can withstand individual but infrequent negative experiences.

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3. DEFINING THE CUSTOMER In the context of a multi-modal transportation agency, there are three types of customer, each with different needs:

• The immediate customer is a person or organization who uses the infrastructure and services at the point of contact;

• The individual customer is a person or organization who uses the infrastructure and services, including different modes at different times; and

• The broader customer is a person or entity who will be impacted or affected by the decisions and actions of the multi-modal transportation agency. This is sometimes referred to as stakeholder.

Decision making requires consideration of all three types of customer, often at the same time. For example, when planning and designing a new station a number of customer perspectives should be considered, as outlined in Table 1.

Table 1 – Customer considerations when planning and designing a new rail station Customer Experience element The type of customer being

considered As a project, does it represent value for money with respect to the transportation agency’s capital reserves (contributed to by taxpayers and Government sources)?

Broader

Is the design safe to use and accessible for all customers? Immediate Is the station located close to other transport modes, i.e. connected to a nearby cycle path?

Individual

Within a transportation agency, staff will have varying degrees of contact and engagement with the different types of customer. A bus operator will primarily be concerned with the experience of the immediate customer, whereas a transport planner will be required to consider all types of customer and to balance the needs of the three types of customer in particular the broader customer. Figure 2 outlines how the degree of contact with various types of customer differs across a multi-modal transportation agency. This is important to consider when developing internal policy at TransLink in order for customer-focused policy and the concept of the customer experience to become relevant to all members of the agency.

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Figure 2 – Examples of how TransLink staff engage with different customers

X

X

X

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4. CUSTOMER-FOCUSED POLICY – A STUDY OF BEST PRACTICE

4.1. THE RISE OF CUSTOMER-FOCUSED POLICY As industries and sectors look to become more competitive, greater emphasis is being placed on customer-focused policy. This is happening for a number of reasons:

• The rise of what Richard Florida has termed the ‘creative class’3 is partly defined by a greater appreciation of the ‘experiential economy’. This is where individuals and groups define themselves by the experiential activities they undertake, whether this be attending concerts or going rock climbing. Various industries therefore now market the experience rather than a physical product. The result is that customers are becoming more discerning regarding the experience they have;

• Neuroscience has demonstrated that approximately 95% of brain activity is below the level of consciousness and that emotions are triggered before the rational part of the brain becomes active. This emphasizes the importance of understanding the emotions that customers experience when they are interacting, directly and indirectly, with a service provider;

• Advances in technology have altered the relationship between the customer and the service provider. In many ways this relationship has become more immediate through the growth of the internet, social networking and smart phone technology. The customer is now able to relay their experience (positive or negative) to the service provider and other customers through a variety of accessible media;

• One business strategy is to increase performance through targeted cost reductions. However, this traditional approach to achieving profitibaility can reach a point where there are few remaining areas for cost savings and customer satisfaction is negatively impacted. At this point businesses and agencies have realized that quality is a key differentiator and greater emphasis is placed on high quality service and customer satisfaction. This is evident in the airline industry where certain airlines have realized it is not effective for them to compete with low cost airlines on the basis of price alone4. Instead these businesses market the superior qualities and experiences that their service provides;

• Businesses and government agencies increasingly understand the benefits of having a supportive and loyal customer base. Information can be collected from these customers to better inform new products and policies. In addition, loyal customers can act as social champions when required. This is increasingly important in the political sphere where public policies and issues are, by definition, debated. For a transportation agency that receives public subsidies it is vital to have a loyal customer base to support the case for funding options which may at times be politically unpopular.

The following examples demonstrate best practice in developing and implementing successful customer-focused policy. The case studies are structured around the following elements of the customer experience:

3 Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class (New York: Basic Books, 2002). 4 IBM Center for Applied Insights, Capturing value from customer-centric sales and services (2011).

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• Performance; • Information; and • Feedback and Input into Decision Making.

Case studies of best practice in safety and security, and accessibility are outside the scope of this research but are presented in accompanying Regional Transportation Strategy research.

4.2. BEST PRACTICE – PERFORMANCE 4.2.1. New York DOT’s Focus on Success

In New York City, the Department of Transportation has created unprecedented change on the roadways over the past 5 years. Part of the reason New York City has garnered so much global attention for their efforts is due to their ability to showcase their successes to the public. Much of this public awareness and information has been communicated through the City’s Transportation website, highlighting new public spaces, fixed potholes, parking pilot projects, and safety improvements, to name but a few. This sends a positive first impression to those seeking to learn more about the transportation department. While the DOT is different than the transit agency, which must often primarily relay service information to the public, the example of the DOT does offer important lessons on communication and taking credit for successful projects.

Figure 3 – New York DOT’s online focus on success

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Key Lessons from the case study include:

• When improvements are undertaken to the transportation system, even if this is routine maintenance or rebuilding, the positive message should be widely communicated to the general public; and

• Positive messages about new investment should be the first thing that customers are aware of when connecting with the transportation agency.

4.2.2. New York MTA’s Tracking of Performance

New York’s transit agency, the MTA, as the regional provider of transit services, has adopted a transit performance dashboard to share system performance with the customer. As a carrier of over 11 million passengers on an average weekday, the NYC MTA has by far the largest customer base in North America, and as such, is quite concerned about monitoring ridership, system timing, customer safety, and other performance measures. The online dashboard shows these statistics over month and year time horizons, and tracks changes from performance targets. While the MTA dashboard allows users to sift through many different statistics, it lacks the customer-friendly interface that would allow it to be a) held more accountable and b) promote achievements to a broader public and c) make the statistics relevant to customers and not just service operators. This is a bigger symptom of how transportation agencies often fail in public opinion surveys. Financial constraints may force certain services not to be optimal, however, those services that do achieve desired results can nevertheless be shared with the public. Annually, a straphangers campaign in New York ranks the level of service on the individual subway lines, and often the press release falls on the “Worst Performing Lines”. Agencies like the MTA can improve their customer’s perception by doing a better job highlighting key performance successes or as NYC DOT has, new innovative projects.

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Figure 4 – New York MTA’s Online Performance Tracking

4.2.3. Chicago Transit Authority

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) publicly report monthly on a range of metrics to demonstrate their level of performance in six core areas of service, including:

• Ridership; • On-Time; • Efficient; • Safe; • Clean; and • Courteous.

This approach allows the customer to see what the established targets are for a number of key indicators and how the CTA is performing against them. The monthly reports indicate whether the target has been: met or exceeded; missed by 10%; or missed by over 10%. Overall, the CTA Performance Reporting is a good example of where an attempt has been made to make the metrics user-friendly.

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Figure 5 – Performance Reporting by the Chicago Transit Authority

Key Lessons from the MTA and CTA case studies include:



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4.3. BEST PRACTICE – INFORMATION

4.3.1. Singapore’s LTA – Creating Integrated Public Transport Service Information

Figure 6 – Singapore’s LTA integrated online information portal

In 2009, the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) launched a few initiatives as part of their Land Transport MasterPlan to make transport a choice mode. The LTA recognized that integrated customer information is key to providing seamless and efficient service across their bus and rail services. As a result, the LTA focus improvements in four key areas:

1. Public Transport @ SGMobile: The LTA created a comprehensive mobile application to serve as a “One Stop E-channel for Integrated Public Transportation Services and Information”. From Bus and MRT/LRT service times to Parking and Cycling services and locations, the application has been reviewed as a user-friendly information database for the key transportation information on the island. One downside to the application is that it does not currently provide the real-time information, only schedules (which have been found to be generally accurate). Currently, Singapore LTA is exploring ways of integrating the scheduling and real-time into one integrated customer-friendly application. The customer-friendly information source is found at www.mytransport.sg, or on mobile devices at www.m.mytransport.sg.

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http://www.mytransport.sg/

http://www.m.mytransport.sg/


2. Real-Time Travel Information System: Through the internet, SMS, and hotlines, the LTA

has expanded its real-time information availability and enhanced its user-friendliness. (This real-time information has extended to the built-environment through real-time bus service information panels at station). These real-time information services have been targeted toward both commuters and tourists.

Figure 7 – Singapore’s LTA mobile application

3. Diversity of Information Feedback Loops: In addition to advance online and smart-phone interfaces to view both static and real-time information, Singapore LTA actively has a few channels to receive customer inputs. As a general customer feedback online forum, ‘LTA Feedback Portal’5, the customer can participate in direct discussion forums, send in comments, or take a survey. Whether the 3-in-1 will be successful as a one-stop shop remains to be seen. Discussion forums on service still popularly are used ‘off-site’, on blogs and other social media.

4. Transportation Education Opportunities: The LTA provides other communication

portals targeted to different demographics. One targets kids, and provides an appealing games-like online interface that can get younger audiences interested in transportation. Another targets students, as an educational institution for higher learning. Called the LTA Academy, this communication portal sets-up both courses and conferences both providing and receiving information to ‘tap Singapore’s know-how and exchange best practices in land transport management and development’6


5 LTA Feedback Portal online. http://talk2lta.lta.gov.sg Accessed January 2012 6 LTA Academy online. http://www.ltaacademy.gov.sg Accessed January 2012.

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http://talk2lta.lta.gov.sg/

http://www.ltaacademy.gov.sg/


• Singapore LTA has successfully invested in and provided an integrated customer service

information site online, that is user-friendly and appealing to the customer; and • Singapore LTA has recognized their diverse audience and in response has allowed for a variety of

different information sources and feedback inputs (while still online) to reach a broader audience.

4.3.2. Hopstop.com – The Rise of Private Independent Multi-City Transit Guides

The availability of online tools to map transit routes has continued to increase in recent years – as public and private organizations seek to improve the customer’s access to trip planning information. The HopStop.com ( http://www.hopstop.com ) model has set itself apart for a few different reasons. While Google Earth and Bing Maps can often provide the same function, HopStop 1) provides a transportation-specific site, growing to more and more metropolitan areas in North America; 2) can be personalized to track preferences and journeys; 3) displays transit-specific indicators, such as how much carbon emissions one saves with their journey; and 4) interacts with other experience specific sites, such as Yelp and GroupOn. The first point here helps HopStop cater to a specific transit-oriented audience and as such promote advertising accordingly. This allows for HopStop to provide a public service while being profitable as well. In 2011, HopStop was named one of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Software Companies, by Inc. Magazine.7 In the age of independent entrepreneurs, this is a significant achievement, and one that transportation agencies and service providers should look toward for possible synergies and/or collaborations. The second area listed, that of providing personalization, is another growing mobility trend online. Sites personalize exercise and health (MapMyRun.com), and now, with HopStop, mobility. For the individual, this personalization can provide a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment as goals are set or thresholds reaches, as well as a sense of loyalty to both the site and the activity. With HopStop, the personalized journey can almost become the activity ( or part of the activity) by itself. Building on the personalization, key indicators on achievement are often clearly displayed on these sites. Indicators such as how many calories burned or how many CO2 emissions have been saved on daily, yearly, etc. time scales serves as a powerful communication tool. (see 4.2 Best Practice-Performance for more information). Lastly, HopStop does not exist in a mobility-oriented silo, but rather builds on the popularity of other socially-driven start-up sites, such as GroupOn, Yelp, and Linkedin. This allows the individual, or customer, more than the transportation journey but also provides information on the destinations (restaurants, shows, events,) as well as inter-city travel information.

7 HopStop Press Release. http://www.hopstop.com/blog/hopstop-named-one-of-the-top-100-fastest-growing-software-companies-by-inc-magazine/

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http://www.hopstop.com/

http://www.hopstop.com/blog/hopstop-named-one-of-the-top-100-fastest-growing-software-companies-by-inc-magazine/

http://www.hopstop.com/blog/hopstop-named-one-of-the-top-100-fastest-growing-software-companies-by-inc-magazine/


Figure 8 – HopStop multi-dimensional interface


• Private start-ups can potentially play a large role in better communicating to the ‘customer’ and general public about transportation options;

• This role should factor in to a transportation agency’s planning and communications decisions, and should help enhance the cost-effectiveness of a customer experience program; and

• Personalization, individual indicators on usage and routing (perhaps through smart card data) appeal to users of the system, and also provide synergies with other socially-driven start-up sites.

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4.3.3. Wayfinding

TransLink undertook a best practice review on wayfinding in 2007 which explained the psychology of wayfinding and presented seven successful wayfinding strategies, including: London; Paris; Stockholm; Singapore; Birmingham; Chicago; and Washington D.C. This report is attached in Appendix 18.

Figure 9 – Wayfinding Best Practices

Key Lessons from the wayfinding best practice review include:

• Navigating a multi-modal network usually involves several stages, similar to problem solving tasks in general. Therefore: information must be structured to enable sub-goals to be identified; information should be in a format compatible with people’s search strategies; and, information should be configured to reveal the underlying structure of the network;

• People differ in knowledge and ability. Ability may be subdivided into sensory, cognitive, mobility, and language differences;

• Modern multi-modal networks can be built to cater for people with a wide range of mobility difficulties. However, most people with mobility difficulties are not wheelchair users, and this can lead to issues with signage and information provision. Where additional facilities are added piecemeal to older networks, difficulties with information provision can be considerable; and

8 Nelson Nygaard Consulting AssociatesInc and CHK America, Wayfinding Best Practices (2007).

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• The faster that people are likely to need to navigate a mode, the more important the need to

make key details salient via clear signage.

4.4. BEST PRACTICE – FEEDBACK AND INPUT INTO DECISION MAKING The retail sector has a long history of successfully engaging with its customers to understand their views and opinions in order to adjust their business approach. The following section therefore presents examples of businesses which have been recognized for adopting an innovative approach to both garnering feedback from customers as well as involving customers in the decision making framework.

4.4.1. L.L. Bean – Customer Guarantees

L.L. Bean are a clothing business that were ranked No.1 in the Bloomberg Business Week Customer Service Champs 2010 and No.1 in the National Retail Federation Customer’s Choice Awards for three of the last five years. A key element of L.L. Bean’s success is their 100% guarantee allowing customers to return anything purchased at any time if they deem the product not satisfactory. This lets the customer define what ‘satisfactory’ means to them and incentivises a high standard for the quality of the product and service in the first place. The 100% guarantee also allows the company to learn directly from the feedback they receive from customers on how they can improve products and services from a customer’s perspective. Further feedback is collected by L.L. Bean through weekly online surveys which help identify areas for improvement. This is supplemented by twice yearly mail surveys, online ratings and reviews and the monitoring of social media. Key lessons from this case study include:

• The company allows the customer to define what ‘satisfactory’ service means. This both aids product improvement for the future and has a positive effect on the brand loyalty from a customer’s standpoint;

• The company undertakes regular monitoring of customers’ perception of products, including surveys, social media and online ratings and reviews.

4.4.2. Vancity Credit Union – Stakeholder Involvement

Vancity is Canada’s largest credit union with approximately 400,000 members and $15 billion in assets. As a co-operative Vancity places the customer at the centre of its identity in order to differentiate itself from other banking institutions and provides lessons on how customers can be involved in the decision making of an organization. The activities and investments of Vancity are guided by a ‘Statement of Values and Commitments’ which are not a top down decree but instead the result of wide-ranging consultation with various stakeholders. This includes a commitment to involve members in decision making:

We will provide meaningful opportunities for you to have input in setting the direction of the credit union. This means we will: • make it easy and straightforward to vote and provide you with information to make informed decisions • offer multiple channels for you to provide us with input and feedback

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• address your concerns in a timely manner

In addition to making this commitment, Vancity also produce a bi-annual Accountability Report to measure performance against the stated commitments, including the extent to which members/customers have inputted into the direction of the company. The 2008-09 Accountability Report outlines how Vancity have undertook stakeholder mapping to define the appropriate stakeholders and undertook engagement with the stakeholders to determine what are the material issues that must guide business. The nine groups of stakeholders are outlined in Figure 11.

Figure 10 – Stakeholders involved in Vancity’s goal setting

The ways in which Vancity engages with the stakeholders are as follows:

• Ongoing dialogue with members, employees, suppliers, and other partners such as business, community, and government agencies;

• Formal surveys and focus groups of members and employees; and • Project- or issues-based consultations, including consultations related to accountability

reporting. Key lessons from this case study include:

• A ‘Statement of Values and Commitments’ guides all activities, in particular how Vancity makes investments. This Statement is not a top down decree but instead the result of wide-ranging consultation with various stakeholders;

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• Vancity sets a very high bar for itself with regard to ethical investments. This is driven by the

brand it has developed for itself and the requirements of its customers; and • The organization places a strong emphasis on openness and accountability. This allows

customers to assess the performance of Vancity and for them to feel a greater connection to the organization.

5. CONCLUSION This report has established why a stronger consideration of the customer experience is increasingly important for service providers, in particular the transportation sector. A number of societal, economic and technological factors are combining to change the way that a transport agency interacts with its customers. The quality of the customer experience is therefore multi-dimensional and it is the responsibility of the transportation agency to consider all of these elements when making decisions on the planning, funding and delivery of new and existing transportation services and infrastructure.

5.1. KEY FINDINGS The case studies in this report have focused on best practices in communicating performance, information, and customer feedback. The other core elements of the customer experience are addressed in associated RTS reports, including:

• Safety and Security – Working Paper 1.400 • Access to Transit – Working Paper 3.313 • Costs and Benefits – Working Paper 4.010

5.1.1. Performance

• When improvements are undertaken to the transportation system, even if this is routine maintenance or rebuilding, the positive message should be widely communicated to the general public;



5.1.2. Information

• Customers increasingly expect transportation agencies to provide an integrated online information portal, that is user-friendly and appealing to the customer. This portal must also be mobile (i.e. available on smart phones) and offer real-time information for planning and undertaking the journey; ;

• Transport agencies must recognize their diverse audience and allow for a variety of different information sources and feedback inputs to reach a broader audience;

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• Private start-ups can potentially play a large role in better communicating to the ‘customer’ and

general public about transportation options. Transport agencies should be aware of the trends towards personalization, individual indicators on usage and routing;

5.1.3. Feedback and Input into Decision Making

• Transport agencies should, where possible, allow the customer to input into how quality and performance is defined. This both aids improvement for the future and has a positive effect on the brand loyalty from a customer’s standpoint. It can also improve the quality of the decision making because it allows consideration of the transportation system from the customer’s perspective; and

• It is important to place a strong emphasis on openness and accountability. This allows customers to assess performance and for them to feel a greater connection to the organization.

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transportation & the customer experiencethe customer experience. the same principle applies to...

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