LIRR worker named best in customer service

It's Gabrielle Rodriguez' job to deal with Long Island Rail Road riders at their angriest. And no one does it better.

So says the American Public Transportation Association, which selected the six-year LIRR employee as the best telephone customer information agent in the nation.

The Wantagh resident, who heads the LIRR's Travel Information Center in Hillside, Queens, beat out more than 30 other transit customer service representatives to claim the award. In the competition's final round, held in Miami last week, Rodriguez handled several simulated calls on stage in front of an audience of more than 100 people.

The calls ranged from routine requests for travel directions to an "irate" customer complaining about a train car being too hot. In each case, Rodriguez "exemplified extraordinary skill in handling customer service inquiries," APTA president and chief executive Michael Melaniphy said.

What's her secret?

"When you're dealing with a customer that is upset, you have to let them vent," Rodriguez said Tuesday. "You've got to listen to them. You've got to be honest with them. If you tell them that you're going to do something, you do it."

Employees of transportation agencies from cities including Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas took part in the challenge, judged by a panel of transit industry professionals.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

Rodriguez was "cool under pressure," said APTA marketing director Jack Gonzalez, who helped organize the competition.

"She was very calm and composed and also had some personality. That really helped," said Gonzalez, adding that judges look for someone who is friendly and also able to resolve problems and provide precise information.

LIRR president Helena Williams said Rodriguez "reflects the best tradition of customer service at the LIRR."

"I am delighted, but not surprised, that she has won this prestigious national award," Williams said.

Since joining the LIRR in 2006, Rodriguez has helped implement the railroad's voice recognition call system and put in place new quality control measures for the call center, said Yannis Takos, the LIRR's general manager for market development.

For Rodriguez, the victory capped an especially challenging 14 months at the LIRR, which has faced numerous weather-related service disruptions. During the Christmas weekend blizzard of 2010, Rodriguez said, the center logged more than 35,000 calls in a single day. Working 24 hours straight is not unusual during a major service problem, she said.

While Rodriguez' team of 17 customer service representatives usually takes the calls, she trains and coaches the reps on how best to keep customers informed and satisfied, LIRR officials said.

"So many times, people don't realize how hard we really try to work in the customer service here," said Rodriguez, who said she began her career in sales and later ran a Verizon call center. "I work really hard every day to make sure we are all on the same page."

Accomplishments

LIRR Travel Information Center Manager Gabrielle Rodriguez has been named the nation's top transit customer service representative by the American Public Transportation Association. Here are some of the Wantagh resident's accomplishments since joining the LIRR in 2006.

25 seconds: Average customer call wait time in 2011, down from 42 seconds in 2006.

4.9: Percentage of abandoned calls in 2011, down from 9.4 percent in 2006.

98.5: Percentage of total calls answered, up from 97.4 percent percent in 2006.

1.7 million: Number of calls the center handled in 2011.

5,000: Average number of calls handled each day in 2011.

Source: LIRR

Three tough calls

Lost & found. The center often gets calls from people who leave important items on a train. Recently, an "extremely upset" woman called to say she had left important medication on board. Rodriguez got word to the train crew, which found the medication and left it at a Jamaica ticket window for the woman's son to pick up. "I wanted to make sure we really did the best we could for her," she said.

Danger on the tracks. The LIRR's call center sometimes is first to learn about a dangerous situation on the tracks, Rodriguez said. Recently, someone called to report that a car had stalled at a crossing near Deer Park. Rodriguez and her team alerted police and the train crew. "Immediately, we have to notify operations to make sure no trains are coming," she said.

Stranded kids. When large groups travel on trains, sometimes not every member gets off at the right station, Rodriguez said. Recently, a mother and father who got off at Rosedale became separated from their teenage children and called the Travel Information Center. Rodriguez and her team notified the train crew, which found the children and had them meet up with police at another station until they could reunite with their parents. "They were obviously upset," she said of the parents.

-- ALFONSO A. CASTILLO