We have received a complaint, Complaint [redacted] , regarding service issues about [redacted] , our scheduling practices and procedures, as well as comments allegedly made by customer service representatives and drivers Client alleges *** could provide transportation services to an appointment, but not a return ride home: a Our customer service representatives frequently must make several attempts to find a suitable time for a requested ride that is accepted by the automated routing systemb If the system does not accept a ride as entered, we request all our clients to call back the day prior to the scheduled ride(s) to see if the system was able to schedule an appropriate time or our Schedulers were able to override the system to schedule the requested ride – this is our standard procedure if we are not able to provide information at the time of the reservationc Rides are not denied at the time of initial call by customer We show that our customer service representatives attempting to schedule a ride for this customer an average of times per trip request, each way, or times per request for service to and from an appointment (maximum of times for a single return ride home)d We have Denied Ride for this customer since January (on May 9), all other requests were scheduled of which the customer cancelled Client alleges [redacted] stated that client needed to find another doctor or schedule appointments at a different timea [redacted] operates under the Shared Ride service guidelines, which is based on the premise that customers will not ride alone, will not receive direct service (having to make other stops along the way), and have to depend on all customers following the same rules b The automated routing system ( [redacted] ) will schedule rides according to these standards, creating ride lengths that may be longer than desirable by customer and, depending on the requested pickup time for return ride home, place that customer’s request outside of our 5:30pm end of service hours This may result in a Denied Ridec When customer service representatives see a history of difficulty in scheduling rides at a particular time, they will suggest the possibility of a closer location that may provide similar service or, if that is not feasible or acceptable to client, they are instructed to suggest alternate appointment times – we have even offered to contact doctors on behalf of our shared clients to adjust appointment times to ensure we can provide the necessary transportationd [redacted] provides a far more flexible set of operating guidelines than that contained in the Shared Ride guidelines; we often make multiple attempts to provide service even if the automated routing system prompts our customer service representatives to deny the requested ride (for reference, see Items 1.cand 1.dof this response), and frequently agree to provide transportation even when the system cannot find an appropriate timeframe, instead counting an opening on our schedules from other customers that either cancel or do not show for their scheduled ride(s) Client alleges driver made an inappropriate comments or failed to provide service as mandated a Drivers are instructed to refrain from comments that may be interpreted negatively (such as “loving the doctor” or “difficulty coming to residence”) *** will redouble its customer service training to address this issueb Drivers not coming to door, instead honking vehicle horn: *** provides curb-to-curb service, at a minimum, and door-to-door service as an extended courtesy We will address this issue as part of our customer service training, as wellc As part of the Shared Ride service, clients are required to be prepared to board the vehicle minutes prior to the Negotiated Time for any given trip While our employees are also prohibited from entering buildings to attempt to located clients, they are encouraged to knock on the door if a client cannot be located [redacted] strives to meet and exceed the service requirements as outlined in the Shared Ride guidelines and has a history of doing so Our service is not perfect; but we pride ourselves on providing a greater level of service than that of our counterparts and continue to improve our service through training for our employees We will use the information provided in this complaint to further address and refine our customer service training for our employees Should you require additional information, please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience
We have received a complaint, Complaint [redacted] , regarding service issues about [redacted] , our scheduling practices and procedures, as well as comments allegedly made by customer service representatives and drivers Client alleges *** could provide transportation services to an appointment, but not a return ride home: a Our customer service representatives frequently must make several attempts to find a suitable time for a requested ride that is accepted by the automated routing systemb If the system does not accept a ride as entered, we request all our clients to call back the day prior to the scheduled ride(s) to see if the system was able to schedule an appropriate time or our Schedulers were able to override the system to schedule the requested ride – this is our standard procedure if we are not able to provide information at the time of the reservationc Rides are not denied at the time of initial call by customer We show that our customer service representatives attempting to schedule a ride for this customer an average of times per trip request, each way, or times per request for service to and from an appointment (maximum of times for a single return ride home)d We have Denied Ride for this customer since January (on May 9), all other requests were scheduled of which the customer cancelled Client alleges [redacted] stated that client needed to find another doctor or schedule appointments at a different timea [redacted] operates under the Shared Ride service guidelines, which is based on the premise that customers will not ride alone, will not receive direct service (having to make other stops along the way), and have to depend on all customers following the same rules b The automated routing system ( [redacted] ) will schedule rides according to these standards, creating ride lengths that may be longer than desirable by customer and, depending on the requested pickup time for return ride home, place that customer’s request outside of our 5:30pm end of service hours This may result in a Denied Ridec When customer service representatives see a history of difficulty in scheduling rides at a particular time, they will suggest the possibility of a closer location that may provide similar service or, if that is not feasible or acceptable to client, they are instructed to suggest alternate appointment times – we have even offered to contact doctors on behalf of our shared clients to adjust appointment times to ensure we can provide the necessary transportationd [redacted] provides a far more flexible set of operating guidelines than that contained in the Shared Ride guidelines; we often make multiple attempts to provide service even if the automated routing system prompts our customer service representatives to deny the requested ride (for reference, see Items 1.cand 1.dof this response), and frequently agree to provide transportation even when the system cannot find an appropriate timeframe, instead counting an opening on our schedules from other customers that either cancel or do not show for their scheduled ride(s) Client alleges driver made an inappropriate comments or failed to provide service as mandated a Drivers are instructed to refrain from comments that may be interpreted negatively (such as “loving the doctor” or “difficulty coming to residence”) *** will redouble its customer service training to address this issueb Drivers not coming to door, instead honking vehicle horn: *** provides curb-to-curb service, at a minimum, and door-to-door service as an extended courtesy We will address this issue as part of our customer service training, as wellc As part of the Shared Ride service, clients are required to be prepared to board the vehicle minutes prior to the Negotiated Time for any given trip While our employees are also prohibited from entering buildings to attempt to located clients, they are encouraged to knock on the door if a client cannot be located [redacted] strives to meet and exceed the service requirements as outlined in the Shared Ride guidelines and has a history of doing so Our service is not perfect; but we pride ourselves on providing a greater level of service than that of our counterparts and continue to improve our service through training for our employees We will use the information provided in this complaint to further address and refine our customer service training for our employees Should you require additional information, please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience