Putting it all ‘on the line’

T’s customer service representatives handle high call volume

 Riders call the MBTA to ask about fares or confirm bus routes, but they also call when the country’s oldest subway system malfunctions. When buses break down, delays wreak havoc and someone needs to be accountable, they’re the ones on the other end of the line.

Though they say the majority of callers ask about trip planning, the T’s 26 full-time customer support representatives are often also the first to hear it when something goes wrong for riders. Their desks are chock full of maps and schedules, and they speak seven languages as a group. Each representative handles between 120 and 160 calls a day, and as a group, they take between 60,000 and 80,000 calls a month.

According to Crystal Reid, the T’s deputy director for customer support services, the T’s recent rise in ridership is also bringing in new callers with questions about riding the system. Then there are the regular callers, some of which the representatives recognize because they ask about the same schedule at the same time every day.

In addition, Reid said calls are now being logged and tracked under a new department-wide system put in place last year. T officials admit the customer service department’s old way of handling comments — which had different phone numbers for different types of questions — was “disjointed,” all calls are now handled through one number — 617-222-3200.

“Every call is different,” said representative Noemi Pineda. “We just try to focus on getting the customer whatever they need.”

General Manager Dan Grabauskas has praised the representatives, who go through more than a month of training and are expected to be well informed on virtually every part of the agency.

“They’re the voice of the MBTA,” he said.