LOS ANGELES - Metrolink's Lauren Whetsel won the 2013 Call Center Challenge Finals held Tuesday at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel as part of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Marketing and Communications Workshop.
The finals, consisting of transit system call center personnel from across the country, challenged the customer service agents' skills and ability to resolve concerns and provide support.
"We are very proud of Lauren and all of our call center representatives for their diligent and exemplary work," Metrolink CEO Michael P. DePallo said. "Customer service is paramount at Metrolink and this honor presented by APTA showcases the quality of our staff and the level of expertise our riders receive."
Whetsel topped six other competitors from MTA Metro-North Railroad (New York), Fort Worth Transportation Authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (Boston), MetroLinx (Toronto), Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority and Charlotte Area Transit System.
Annually, APTA conducts an exhaustive search for the best call center representative in public transportation from across the United States and Canada. More than 50 agents took part in the competition this year.
The initial round consisted of a phone interview that included the role playing of two call scenarios for a panel of judges. Seven finalists were invited to the finals.
This is the fifth year a Metrolink representative has competed in the challenge, with that individual reaching the finals each of the past four years.
Whetsel is an employee of Alta Resources, which operates Metrolink's customer service center. As an agent assisting Metrolink callers for less than a year, she was selected to compete because of her exceptional call quality scores during her monitoring and coaching sessions.
The Metrolink customer service center receives an average of 1,300 calls daily, while handling more than 450,000 calls on an annual basis.
APTA is a leading force in advancing public transportation. The organization is composed of member agencies that serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical transit services. More than 90 percent of passengers using transit in the U.S. and Canada are carried by APTA members.
For personalized commute planning and Metrolink information, people can call (800) 371-5465 (LINK). Recorded Metrolink schedules are available 24 hours a day and operators are available Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For additional details on Metrolink, please visit www.metrolinktrains.com.
ABOUT METROLINK (www.metrolinktrains.com)
Metrolink is Southern California's regional commuter rail service in its 20th year of operation. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), a joint powers authority made up of an 11-member board representing the transportation commissions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, governs the service. Metrolink operates over seven routes through a six-county, 512 route-mile network. Metrolink is the third largest commuter rail agency in the United States based on directional route miles and the seventh largest based on annual ridership.
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