Transit Part 5: Customer-Goal-Oriented Trip Planning Detailed

Trip Planning that is goal-oriented on customer goals is really an easy concept.  It is also easy for a person to jump to wrong conclusions as to where to start when asking a customer what their travel goals are for a given day.


If you were to ask the average customer what their goal is, they would most likely say something to the effect that they want to get to an appointment on time.  And for appointments, that’s a good well-stated goal.  However, when it comes to going shopping, or to dine out, then the customer may not understand how to state their real goal clearly.

For example, when a customer just wants to go to the store and buy some groceries, they might think that it is ok with them to be picked up at any old time, or at some general time during a morning or afternoon.  For times when the customer isn’t trying to get to a specific appointment on time, where no specific start time is a factor in relation to where transit is taking a passenger to, then the goal is based on whatever the latest time is that the passenger wants to be done with the reason for their travel goals and be back home for the evening.

For example: A passenger simply wants to be taken to the store to buy some groceries and other items needed around the house.  At first, she sounds like its ok to pick her up at most any time during the later part of the morning.  But in talking with the passenger further, Customer Service learns that the passenger needs to be back home by 3:00pm so she can take some medicine that is simply too difficult to carry with her.

Now we have a clear goal.  We want to get the passenger picked up, taken to the store with sufficient time to do her shopping without feeling rushed and get her back home by 3:00pm.  So, Customer Service gets her address and the address of the store she wants to shop at.

She calculates how much time it should normally take to transport this passenger from her point of origin to her desired destination by the most direct hub-to-hub route, allowing for a little extra margin of time in case of unforeseen traffic delays.  Then she asks that passenger how much time she feels she will need to do her shopping, and be able to get through the checkout line.  Again, a little extra time is added so as to allow for possible long checkout lines at the store.

Now, the customer service rep has the minimum amount of time needed to get the customer picked up, her shopping done, and back home by 3:00pm.  Through all this the Customer Service Rep is explaining what she is doing and why.  In this way, the customer understands why she will need to be ready to get on the Local Area Bus at the time customer service is suggesting.  The customer has not been dictated to, but has been treated with respect.

With current technology, much of this goal oriented trip planning can be done online with properly worded questions used in connection with an automated trip planning form.  This would leave customer service personal free to handle the trip planning needs of those who are not able to use the automated online system.



Thank you for taking time to read my program.  Obviously, if I didn't believe in my own program, I would not have published it for others to read and ponder on.

An Opinion Article by Dave Kemper
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It has been said that: "One definition of insanity is to do the same thing, the same way, over and over and over again, each time expecting to achieve a different result."
Therefore, we must either CHANGE the way we live, or we bind our future to our past as if with CHAINS.
"I do not consider myself to be better than anyone else.  But I do believe in exercising my right to not stay stupid."

David W. Kemper, Author
© Copyright 2014 by David William Kemper.  All right reserved
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