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Quality Assurance: Bringing Impartiality & Consistency to Transit Operations

Welcome & Introductions

Alaina Maciá

President & CEO

MTM

Brian Balogh

Chief Operating Officer, Transit

MTM

What is the Quality Assurance (QA) Model?

• From paratransit provision to call center, transit agencies are outsourcing more services to achieve cost savings

• A third-party QA partner is the transit agency’s eyes & ears:• Tracks performance metrics

• Analyzes data

• Leads the agency & its contractors through continual quality improvement

Our Background

Expertise that Blends Transit & QA

• Managing transportation since 1995

• 100 contracts in 31 states & DC• QA activities performed in each

• 7.5 million calls per year

• 20 million trips annually

• 1,400+ service providers

• Dedicated transit QA programs in Baltimore & Washington, DC

The QA Model

QA ensures fair, accurate & objective monitoring of services

Key Components

Dedicated personnel

Independent review & monitoring

Six Sigma/Lean methodologies

Results

Customized reporting & data analysis

Increased customer satisfaction

Better partnerships with service providers

Why Third-Party QA?

Verifiable compliance & accountability

Extra layer of neutrality & impartiality—no bias

Improved customer satisfaction & trust

Better productivity from other contractors

In-depth analysis of data & performance

Data integrity

Six Sigma & Lean methodologies

Executive-level thought leadership

Dedicated personnel

Decrease of agency staff workload burden

FTA monitoring & oversight compliance

QA Information Sources

• RSD software

• Camera footage

• Maintenance management software

• Data dashboard software

• AVL/GPS information

• Customer complaint database

• Operational, inspection &observation logs

Three-Pronged Approach

Administrative QA

Operational QA

Shared QA

• Monitor call center performance

• Review late cancels/ no-shows

• Investigate & resolve complaints

• Report accidents & incidents• Oversee fare collection &

reconciliation• Ridership analysis• Billing audit

• Driver qualifications oversight

• Inspect vehicles• Perform on-street

monitoring • Inspect facilities & garages• Perform maintenance audits• Asset management• Analyze vehicle defects &

service interruptions• Review operator reports• Conduct vehicle audits• Monitor maintenance

• Ensure data integrity & accuracy

• Develop ad hoc reports• Conduct customer

satisfaction surveys• Drug & alcohol policy

adherence

Example: Call Center Performance

• AI monitors 100% of calls

• Live & recorded calls are monitored for adherence to:• Protocols

• Timeliness

• Accuracy of information

• Soft skills

Example: Limiting No-Shows

• MTM limits no-shows by tracking, documenting & communicating no-show instances to avoid recurrence

• When a no-show or late cancellation occurs, a No-Show Specialist determines if the occurrence was:

• Occurrences reported to agency for policy enforcement

Correctly performed &

upheld

Correctly performed;

violation excused

Incorrectly performed & invalidated

Example: Reporting & Analysis

• Comprehensive weekly reporting packet compiles raw data & provides opportunities for improvement & training• Call center performance & productivity

• Incident/accident frequency rate system-wide & by service provider

• Safety & street observation analysis by infraction type & by service provider

• On-time performance/late trips

• Out-of-service events

• Customer complaint & feedback trending

The End Results

Send questions to Ashley Wright using the chat function in WebEx

www.mtmtransit.com