Providing consistent, high‐quality customer service has been a longstanding strategic priority for Amtrak (the company).1 To that end, the company uses customer satisfaction surveys and other tools to collect data to help identify issues, inform business decisions, and ultimately improve the customer experience.Our objective was to assess how the company uses the data it collects to improve the customer experience. To address our objective and assess the company’s use of these data, we collected and analyzed its outbound communications to customers; 2 late train reports; call center data,3 including hold times; and reports documenting inbound communications from customers. We also interviewed company executives about customer service goals and initiatives, as well as key officials responsible for providing customer service, including those in charge of call centers and those responsible for analyzing customer feedback from surveys. We reviewed commonly accepted management standards for organizations, including standard practices in the call center industry. Additionally, we interviewed management officials who oversee employees providing front‐facing customer service, such as onboard and station staff.
Open Recommendations
| Recommendation Number | Significant Recommendation | Recommended Questioned Costs | Recommended Funds for Better Use | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Work with the Digital Technology department to complete the customer communications dashboard to ensure that stakeholders can more easily access and filter data about communications sent to customers during en route delays. | |||||
| 2 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Establish thresholds for when to communicate electronically with passengers during en route delays and the frequency of updates about those delays. To track and assess performance, establish goals for how well the Customer Communications Team meets those thresholds. | |||||
| 3 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Work with the Digital Technology department to establish a process to regularly report to Marketing and Operations department officials and senior leadership on the Customer Communications Team’s performance meeting the new goals for sending communications to customers about en route delays. | |||||
| 4 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Measure and report performance to senior leadership on the call abandonment rate and the number of calls on hold for long periods. Assess the costs and benefits of improving in these two areas and use that assessment to establish goals to assess performance over time. | |||||
| 5 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Work with relevant stakeholders to determine whether to continue using the feedback loop and, if so, how to increase its effectiveness, including a) determining which categories of cases to prioritize or remove, b) better ensuring cases are sent to the correct staff, and c) minimizing redundancy with other sources to the extent practical. | |||||
