Brokerage Call CenterA brokerage call center is a form of management contract in which a central authority receives service requests from eligible customers, and organizes the service for delivery by multiple private contractors, in the most efficient and effective way possible. There is probably no greater calling in our business than the service we provide to persons with disabilities unable to utilize our traditional public transit services. Demand-based services literally provide a lifeline for millions of elderly or disabled customers whose mobility options are limited. Providing demand-based services is a complicated business. The Americans with Disabilities Act as well as state Medicaid programs define complex rules with regard to customer eligibility, service delivery performance, trip planning and reimbursement requirements. From the perspective of our riding customers, however, the need is simple—they need to get from home to work, doctor’s appointments or the grocery store. To agencies the need is simple as well: meet the needs of the public as efficiently as possible and, of course, meet the legal requirements of the ADA or other regulatory agencies. Veolia Transportation meets this challenge in many different ways. One such approach is through the brokering of service among multiple competing providers. Veolia Transportation’s job is to make the complex simple, and we do it day after day in brokerage systems from San Francisco to Boston. The brokerage model is designed to utilize the existing transportation resources of a community and organize them most efficiently to reduce costs and maximize services. We accomplish this through technology, building a trust with our customers and developing a partnership with our service providers. Veolia Transportation’s brokerage operations use the latest software systems offered by Trapeze, Stratagen, Route Match and Ecolane to collect customer information, record trip requests, broker service to local private operators, monitor trip performance, analyze productivity, and prepare reimbursement requests. Using state-of-the-art methods allows us to manage the logistics of the service so as to make the customer trip experience positive while capturing the information necessary to effectively communicate trip information and maximize the reimbursement of its cost through multiple funding agencies. The technology and methods of a good brokerage system is only part of the story. A good brokerage must be customer-centered, and that means the point of contact between the customer and the broker must be positive and effective. This is why Veolia Transportation developed Virtually Green, an innovative call center training program designed to improve communication between customer and call-taker by improving our responsiveness. A good brokerage is dependent on a good base of service providers. The selection of providers is key and as a provider of service ourselves, we know what to look for. The problems of our providers become our problems—just as their successes become our successes. We work diligently to select the right provider, verify that their operations meet our standards, communicate effectively, and work towards delivering a cost effective service. A brokerage call center is one way in which Veolia Transportation coordinates the needs of riders by effectively using the resources of the community. |
