Toronto's Transit Commission Vows to Improve Customer Service

InsideToronto.com reports that the city's transit commission, Toronto Transit Commission, has pledged to do better at serving their customers. According to the report, the TTC has been under fire for poor customer service in addition to a 25 cent increase in fares and a prevalent service interruptions. TTC Chair Adam Giambrone apologized for their low standards of customer service and said, "We all know that it went viral on the Internet, and we found that the TTC was at the root of a lot of ridicule across the system," Giambrone said. "These issues really highlight a need for us to focus on where we go in the future. We need to modernize our fare technology, we need to work with employees to enrich their jobs and we need to use our resources better."

Learn more: TTC unveils plan to help improve customer service

As TTC works to improve its customer service, what initiatives can they implement to ensure customer service sustainability? Could these initiatives be shared with other major metropolitan transit organizations?

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Delta Airlines plans $1 billion revamp of customer service, entertainment options over next 3 years

The New York Daily News reports that Delta airlines is planning a $1 billion revamp of customer service, entertainment options over next 3 years. The airline is making the changes to lure corporate travelers who pay the highest fares. It is adding leather seats and upgraded lighting to all 269 aircraft it acquired through the 2008 purchase of Northwest. All wide-body planes will have in-seat video and audio on demand when the upgrades are complete, Delta said.

It's the "most significant" customer-service investment Delta has made in more than a decade, CEO Richard Anderson said.

Learn more: Delta Airlines plans $1 billion revamp of customer service, entertainment options over next 3 years

Is this enough for Delta to keep and serve their customers?

GM focuses on customer service

According to the Oakland Press, GM is now focusing on building quality customer service into their operations. Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, is focusing on creating a new type of company for GM, and taking a step by listening to exactly what customers have to say about their service. They're trying to create an environment where all employees can help the customers directly.

Reuss stated:

“This is the kind of service I’m talking about — person by person, customer by customer. This is the kind of customer focus we’re building throughout GM these days and the kind of service I expect all our employees to embrace whenever and wherever they can.”

Read the full article here.

Google's Nexus One Customer Service Problems

Infoworld.com reports that Google's Nexus One is causing some unforeseen customer service problems. As Google is selling the phone directly to customers, they no longer have the cellular phone middleman to handle customer service requests. Google appears to be only accepting e-mail customer queries, to which it pledges to reply in one to two days -- far too long, say most people who are complaining online.

Many people are also turning to T-Mobile and HTC, but getting little help there. T-Mobile is often referring people back to either Google or HTC for answers to questions. HTC is often referring people back to T-Mobile, according to complaints online.

Learn more: Google hit with Nexus One sales model complaints

How could this have been avoided?

Airlines continue to cut customer service

According to the Daily Herald of Chicago, United Airlines will cut more customer service representatives, 50 of whom work at the Chicago O'Hare Airport. Other customer service representatives are receiving a reduction in hours. They're encouraging customers to rebook their flights online. This occurs just as a snow storm is expected to roll into the area this weekend. Read the full article here.

Companies looking to social customer service post-holiday

According to Marketing Vox, many companies are relying on social media tools to accommodate the questions of the individuals using the tool for such questions as return policies. Companies such as Comcast, Dell, Southwest, and AT&T are fully using it as a customers service tool.

What do you think of companies using Twitter as a customer service tool? Have you had a pleasant experience as a customer using these tools? One interesting fact in the article was that customers who do use these social media tools for assistance expect a higher level of service. Read the article here.