Metro wants to create a single automated customer service number to allow riders easier access to information without having to look up and dial dozens of phone numbers, officials said.
While accessing Metro information has become easier through the transit agency’s award-winning Web site, there is no single phone number to guide customers to specific departments, officials said.
The proposal, which is expected to get initial approval from Metro’s board of directors on Thursday, would cost $150,000 and use the agency’s existing Interactive Voice Recognition technology to create “a more logical grouping of service functions,” officials said.
After the new system is implemented, customers will still be able to dial various Metro phone numbers, but the numbers will no longer be published.
Metro has dozens of phone numbers listed for each department, but no single “call center” forcing customers to search through their Web site or be transferred from departmentto department, officials said.
Last week, Metro’s board gave initial approval to a plan to spend nearly $17 million to replace its aging phone system, which has changed little since it was installed nearly 25 years ago. Metro officials said maintenance crews are having a hard time finding replacement parts for the system.
Should the replacement be approved, Metro will likely seek contractor proposals to implement the plan. One of the things they will be asked to do is enhance the system to prevent a shutdown. Officials noted that, if something happened to the main switchboard in Metro headquarters at 600 Fifth St. NW, the phones would shut down across the entire system. Having a single point of failure for the phone system could put the agency’s daily operations in jeopardy should an attack or other event happen, said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel.
Improved service
» New number will route customers to information about elevator/escalator outages, SmarTrip benefits, rain delays, Lost and Found, Metro police and more.
» The move is the latest in a series of customer service improvements proposed by Interim General Manager Dan Tangherlini.
Source: Metro
