Without a doubt, the success of Palm Tran hinges on providing superior customer service. Palm Tran customer service representatives are at the frontlines investing more than 170,000 hours annually on the phones to provide the best experience possible. Palm Tran prides itself on recognizing the customer service representatives who exceed expectations daily. This year, Palm Tran participated in Customer Service Week, an international event celebrated annually during the first full week of October. Throughout the week, Palm Tran honored its customer service representatives for their dedication and concluded the festivities with cake and a surprise visit from Palm Tran Executive Director Clinton B. Forbes.
“Courtesy and outstanding customer service are top priorities at Palm Tran. Each team member plays an important role in providing world-class service to our passengers,” Forbes said. “We want to empower our staff and let them know they are appreciated for their hard work and dedication.”
Working in customer service requires a tremendous amount of dedication and resilience. On average, Palm Tran’s fixed-route bus service representatives receive a combined 144,000 calls a year. Representatives for Palm Tran Connection, the region’s paratransit service, receive an average of 136 calls daily and 27,000 calls annually.
“That is the job we have, and I think the most important thing is to be treated by our employer in a good way,” said Customer Service Representative Grazyna Bowden. “It is always nice if something like that is going on. It shows they recognize you and think about you.”
Throughout Customer Service Week, Palm Tran implemented daily activities for the customer service team members All team members received a Palm Tran backpack containing: a Palm Tran poncho, pen, t-shirt, ruler, umbrella and Quik Pass holder. Each day, a raffle took place for winners to receive prizes, such as a USB flash drive, lunchbox and memory foam seat cushion.
“It was fun, especially for me to win a prize. I enjoyed it,” said Sandra Rodgers, a customer service representative who won a flash drive. “We had not been recognized in so long, so that made me feel good.”
In addition to daily raffles and giveaways, the public relations section at Palm Tran developed three social media videos in English, Spanish and Creole that highlighted the importance of customer service and outlined daily tasks.
“I appreciated the efforts that were presented in person and on social media,” Palm Tran Reservation Specialist, Maggie St. Fleur said. “The videos posted were a great way of showing how diverse our customer service team is and how we are able to help a range of people.”
Caleb Richelieu, assistant dispatcher, said the work he does at Palm Tran is very rewarding, and while he appreciated the acknowledgment, his passion comes from a genuine place of wanting to help others.
“I won a cushion. It was great. It’s just a good thing that you get to help people daily. I love doing customer service. I get to help someone every day. It makes me happy,” Richelieu said.
“Customer service is top priority here at Palm Tran,” he added. “We have to make sure customers are picked up on time, dropped off on time, and see that they get to their doctor or dialysis appointment. Those are our top priorities. Customer service is always number-one.”
The final celebration took place at the end of the week when Executive Director Forbes publicly thanked the team for their work and passed out cake with a smile. Forbes also announced the winner of a Palm Tran trivia contest
“It was just the anticipation,” said Service Coordinator Sherrie Brooks. “It boosted morale in the sense that it kind of got everyone to talk amongst each other to figure out the questions. It was fun competitiveness.”
