Both City of Toronto and union called to raise standards
A recently-released customer service study sets out a number of recommendations for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and calls for a higher standard of service from both the employer and its employees.
The study was commissioned in response to growing frustration from passengers. Following a price hike early in the year, angry customers vented by snapping embarrassing cell phone pictures of TTC workers and posting them online.
Since then, an advisory panel has been looking for ways to improve the transit system’s customer experience. Chief among the 78 recommendations is hiring a Chief Customer Service Officer, a suggestion the TTC has already adopted, much to the frustration of the Amalgamated Transit Union’s 12,500 active and retired members.
“Aren’t the managers already in place trying to improve customer service?” said union president Bob Kinnear. “It’s a little frustrating.”
The TTC’s director of corporate communications, Brad Ross, said while “everyone has a responsibility for customer service,” the new position will be responsible for how that is achieved through everything from hiring and training to communication and front-line service.
“Right now, they’re all in isolation from one another,” he said. “This brings it together.”
Many of the report’s recommendations are aimed at improving communication between the TTC and its customers and employees, particularly when buses are full or lines are out of service. Kinnear said these improvements will go a long way to improving workers’ attitudes and morale.
“When people know what’s going on they’re more receptive to being told there’s a delay,” he said. “We can then advise them to take another line.”
The report also calls for better signage, improved maps and better microphones, among other improvements. Kinnear said the union has been calling for many of these changes for years.
“When I was a collector in 1989 this was a monthly complaint,” he said. “To some degree, they’ve alienated employees over the years.”
Ross said the TTC is focused on giving employees the support they need to do a better job, whether that involves the physical tools or training. He said training will be a priority.
“We need to revisit it,” he said. “That may involve bringing in a consultant to look at our training and curriculum, how we do follow up with our employees, whether the expectations are being met and whether they have the support of their supervisors.”
Attitude and morale will also be a focus. Ross is hopeful there will be a culture shift once some of the recommendations are put into action.
“That’s an extremely difficult thing to pinpoint,” he said. “You can have all of the processes and protocols in the world, but how do you get them to do that?”
Kinnear is disappointed the report didn’t address operational problems with the TTC that have contributed to poor customer service, such as over-crowding and lack of service.
“You can have the best customer service in the world,” he said. “You can be smiling and saying please and thank you, but if there’s no service the customer is not going to be satisfied.”
However, Kinnear said he is “optimistic” that the TTC and the union can mend their relationship as a result of the study. He said much of that will depend on the transit commission’s response.
“Our concern is that they’re trying to direct all of the problems to the front line,” he said. “They’ve got to be sensitive to employees and not make this a blame game.”
