My friend Mike Schaffer was an hour late to work this morning. Sadly, that’s not unusual (and not because Schaffer is lazy, passive aggressive, or hates his alarm clock).
The problem is the city’s train system. Washington’s Metro system was poorly build, and it is managed even worse. So the line employees get all the grief, and many of the “white collar” staff seem little more than snarky and incompetent.
This exchange is typical:
@mikeschaffer this is a two-track rail system. It’s sensible in theory, but with the system built, what are the options?
— @wmata (@wmata) June 20, 2012
Really, that’s the best response? What happened to “I feel your pain?”
There’s a bigger problem: While the crankiness is universal, the impact is not always the same.
An hour late for some people is an inconvenience. But for others, it’s lost income.
@mikeschaffer It’s bad enough you are late to work, but what abt everyone on hourly wages? That’s rent money for lots of people. @wmata
— Daria Steigman (@dariasteigman) June 20, 2012
I don’t have advice for WMATA’s management team because, frankly, I don’t think they’d listen. But my takeways here are (1) snarkiness does nothing to diffuse a situation; instead it makes it harder for your front-line employees to do their jobs; and (2) the crankiness may be universal, but every customer’s pain point is not the same. Washington’s transit authority may have a relatively captive audience, but your customers have other options.
Photo by mRio (Flickr).
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
i didnt read the response as “snarky” i read it as frustration on their end too.
personally i love the metro system..its not perfect (obviously) but neither are the other options..sometimes your car breaks down too…or there is congestion on 66.
none of us can afford to be late… but we also need to learn to relax a little about this stuff…it happens..its part of the cycle..
just my opinion..
xoxo
I’m with you: I love the Metro. And I try very hard to thank the train operators and station staff who do a tough job every day.
But the lack of senior-level accountability just makes their jobs harder.
Hmm… maybe some frustration (which we all share; it is a very poorly designed system). But it’s how you respond that often makes the difference between diffusing customer crankiness and exacerbating it.
For example, when you car breaks down, you don’t really want the tow truck driver to say, “Chill.” You want someone to at least acknowledge that you’re having a rough day.
Which then, of course, makes it easier to chill.
Daria–
Thanks for writing this story up – it needs to be told.
The truth is I was just one of thousands of people inconvenienced this morning. And my 90-minute journey to the office (normally just 25) is probably not even among the worst.
But, as you pointed out, the issue here is customer service. I felt no empathy from them. I am a PR guy, not an engineer – don’t ask me to solve your problems.
I rely on Metro to get to work. I appreciate the positive environmental impact and the reduction of my time behind a wheel every day.
However, as fares continue to rise, their inability to even apologize for the inconvenience may factor into my continued patronage moving forward.
Mike Schaffer recently posted..5 Bold Social Media Predictions
Hi Mike,
I agree with you: the tone-deaf reaction to customers pain points is absurd.
I understand that the system was poorly built, that the region’s unique jurisdictional issues make governance and funding more challenging, and that stuff has to be paid for. But it seems passengers are the only ones paying a price. And an escalating one (well, other than functioning escalators per se) at that.
I love the idea of a “rush refund” for excessive delays. That would give customers some measure of relief (and responsiveness) while holding the transit authority accountable.
Hi Daria,
The response is funny. Are they saying that nothing can be done? Ride in it or get lost? I am amazed by the response. Is it a government agency?
If yes, in India we say that things happen here “in spite and not because of government”. Government is often part of the problem and not the solution.
I hope they listen to Mike and make amends.
Ashvini recently posted..20 ways to become a remarkable person in life
Hi Ashvini,
I love that expression, “in spite and not because…” Yes, they are local govt agency. Part of the accountability problem is that D.C. region spans the city + 2 states + Congress (which always gets involved with anything dealing with the city, aka my home). So you can see how it starts out bad and just gets worse.
WMATA really needs to think about the impact from the perspective of its customers AND its employees. And stop tweeting “I’m throwing my hands up in the air, what do you expect” tweets and start thinking about options.