Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
APRIL 21, 2022
Subject
SUBJECT: RECEIVE AND FILE 2022 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PLAN
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the 2022 Customer Experience Plan.
Issue
ISSUE
Metro is working to create a customer-centric culture among employees throughout the organization and improve customer experiences for bus and rail riders. The goal of Metro’s Customer Experience Plans is to take an honest look at pain points customers tell us about and to implement solutions that address their concerns.
Metro’s second annual CX Plan, the 2022 Customer Experience Plan, is attached (Attachment A).
Background
BACKGROUND
An Annual Customer Experience (CX) Plan is required by Board Motion 38.1 (2018). In April 2020, Metro established the CX unit within the Office of the CEO, and staff developed the first CX Plan on a compressed schedule, with Board adoption in December 2020. The first CX Plan included nearly fifty Action Items. Additional Action Items were subsequently added to reflect customer experience improvements in the FY22 Budget and approval of the Better Bus Plan, which is folded into the 2022 CX Plan and will be folded into future Customer Experience Plans as well.
In October 2021, the CX team provided an oral report to the Executive Management Committee highlighting progress and an outline of the content being developed for the 2022 CX Plan.
Also in 2021, the CEO announced an organizational realignment establishing a Chief Customer Experience Officer position that will report directly to the CEO and oversee not only Customer Experience, but also Communications and Customer Care to bolster excellence in all these areas.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Staff fielded the first comprehensive Customer Experience Survey in October 2020 to identify top customer pain points. For more information on this survey and methodology, see receive and file #2021-0085.
In addition to conducting customer research, the CX team solicited input from the Regional Service Councils, and Metro advisory boards such as the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Citizen Advisory Committee, and the Bus Operations Subcommittee. In addition, over 150 Metro staff contributed to the Plan.
The Plan focuses on five areas for improvement which are listed below (not in priority order):
1. Cleanliness
2. Public safety
3. Bus stop shade and seating
4. Customer information
5. Time competitiveness and connectivity
Highlights include:
• Cleaning more buses and trains at terminus points during the day and adding weekend coverage.
• Expanded cleaning, floor scrubbing, and pressure washing at stations.
• Accelerating the completion of the shift from cloth to vinyl seats on all buses and trains by June 2023.
• Piloting a Transit Ambassador program and increasing the amount of homeless outreach to provide an overall expanded presence on the system.
• Launching a “Shade For All” campaign to encourage local jurisdictions to improve bus stop conditions.
• An expanded test of real time information e-paper signs at bus stops.
• Accelerating the development of bus lanes and testing camera enforcement to keep them clear.
• A new User Experience Testing process to ensure that the designs of new Metro vehicles, signs, websites, apps, etc. are refined based on customer testing before launch.
The Plan also dives into the varied needs of diverse riders in the chapter titled Diverse Riders, Diverse Needs. This year’s plan touches on the unique needs of riders with disabilities, and women, girls, and people who identify as transgender or nonbinary.
And the Plan describes ways Metro is Institutionalizing Customer Experience through cultural change, User Experience (UX) testing of products and services, and incorporating CX into organizational planning, budgeting, goal-setting, and decision-making processes.
The Plan commits to 55 Action Items that will be included in the proposed FY23 budget. A consolidated list of these is provided in Appendix A.
Appendix B provides a progress report on the 69 Action Items from the previous Plan and FY22 budget process.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
This receive and file has no immediate impact on safety. However, public safety is a top area of focus in the 2022 CX Plan, and Action Items that flow from this Plan are designed to improve safety for Metro riders.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no immediate financial impact related to this receive and file, however 2022 CX Plan Action Items will be included in the proposed FY23 budget.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The CX Plan recommends a range of initiatives that would benefit marginalized communities, low-income households, people with disabilities, and Equity Focus Communities (EFCs), such as:
• More shade and seating for bus riders at bus stops to help low-income marginalized communities living in areas of extreme heat and who are reliant on transit for many trips.
• Digital beacons and tactile guidance pathways to help riders who are blind or sight impaired.
• Bystander trainings for internal staff as well as customers to create a culture of safety on Metro and a people-powered movement to end harassment.
• User Experience testing to ensure that products that Metro provides meet the diverse needs of diverse riders.
In conjunction with the CX planning effort, Metro also works to remedy any potential negative consequences. For example:
• Marketing of the Transit Watch app also markets the 213.788.2777 text and phone number for people with phones that do not accommodate apps, who are often older adults or low-income individuals.
• Translation of the Transit Watch app into five languages for Limited English Proficient users.
• Lighting at bus stops allocated via criteria that award extra points for stops within EFCs, to address the disparity in such amenities.
• For e-paper signs that provide real time info at bus stops, staff are pursuing inclusion of text-to-speech buttons for customers who are blind or sight impaired.
The Plan dedicates an entire chapter to Diverse Riders, Diverse Needs. Also, detailed equity assessments are prepared for CX projects in conjunction with the Metro Budget Equity Assessment Tool (MBEAT).
CX staff engage with diverse stakeholders and communities throughout the year to solicit input on the annual CX Plan, and the Plan will be available in English and Spanish languages on the metro.net Customer Experience page.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
This status report supports strategic plan Goal 2, “Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system” and Goal 1.2, to “invest in a world class bus system that is reliable, convenient, and attractive to more users for more trips.”
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
A new CX survey is being fielded in Spring 2022 to inform the 2023 CX Plan, and staff will provide the Board with a Customer Experience update in mid-2022.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Metro’s 2022 Customer Experience Plan
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Aaron Weinstein, EO, Customer Experience (213) 922-3028
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Nicole Englund, Chief of Staff, (213) 922-7950
