(The following story by Larry Higgs appeared on the Asbury Park Press website on May 15.)
NEWARK, N.J. — The best ideas can come from the minds of riders, and NJ Transit’s board of directors unveiled a host of customer-service improvements Wednesday designed to capitalize on that flash of brilliance thought of while gazing out the window of a train or bus.
The programs range from a one-month trial of an online suggestion box to expanding “My Transit” e-mail and cell phone alerts to cover local buses and use of software to more efficiently handle customer complaints.
One such suggestion was used by NJ Transit officials as the basis for a plan to re-route commuter buses when there is a significant backup on the express bus lanes or in the Lincoln Tunnel and put riders on trains at Newark or the Secaucus Transfer station, said Richard Sarles, NJ Transit executive director.
The virtual suggestion box, to be known as the “Rider’s Platform,” will launch on June 1 as a one-month experiment on the NJ Transit Web site, which will let riders make their own suggestions and allow them to review suggestions made by other passengers and vote on them.
Bus rider Gary Johnson of Newark, who came to the NJ Transit board meeting to make a suggestion about the agency’s new “Go Bus” service in Newark, said he might consider using the online suggestion box next time.
“If I come here, I can talk to the people directly,” Johnson said. “If I become more familiar with the (online) option, I’d consider doing it in the future.”
At the end of the 30-day trial period, NJ Transit officials will evaluate the online suggestion box and the collected ideas.
The suggestion box is part of a larger customer service initiative using a $300,000 software and database system developed by Salesforce.com, which lets NJ Transit track and act on customer complaints and ideas faster and without adding more employees, said James P. Redeker, assistant executive director of policy, technology and customer service.
Calls, letters or in-person complaints are recorded in a central database, which various NJ Transit departments have access to, he said.
“If an issue occurs, we get information to them immediately, craft a solution and get an answer,” Redeker said. “Response time is down 50 percent to less than three days.”
The system was used to improve station announcement equipment on the Raritan Valley Line after a rider asked what could be done.
“An improved communication system was the response,” Redeker said.
The software also allows NJ Transit officials to look at trends every week.
“We identify what customers think is the most important,” he said.
It was that approach, which led to how NJ Transit handled the massive project by Amtrak to replace defective concrete railroad ties on the busy Northeast Corridor line that began Sunday. A week ago Wednesday, NJ Transit held its first online chat where riders could ask senior rail officials about the project and how it affects their commute. About 500 people participated.