If you follow me on Twitter or read this blog with any regularity you’ll know that I’m no fan of the current state of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). They have become my favourite whipping boy for what not to do in customer service.

But after reading this article I feel like there might be a glimmer of hope for the Red Rocket.

It’s no secret they’ve been reluctant to embrace technology or use it to its fullest potential (turnstiles, tokens, paper tickets). But with this new blue ribbon task force put together to evaluate customer service the TTC is in a position to draw on the valuable feedback that already exists.

By embracing the social media tools that they’ve really only toyed with to this point, they could be tapping into the online community for people’s thoughts and opinions – in real time!

Using their Twitter accounts for more than just status updates and service issues, they could be talking directly to passengers about their experiences and where they see gaps in service.

Facebook would be perfect for quick surveys or topical discussion groups. And doing a blog search would turn up all the TTC enthusiasts and detractors who already have the attention of the online community.

This doesn’t replace their efforts to track customer satisfaction, but it's a useful and inexpensive extension. It would be foolish to imagine that social media will answer all the TTC’s customer service issues, but with a vocal online community already offering up their opinions, suggestions and insights – why not tap into that? On top of that, you're showing a committment to your customers by meeting them on their turf - in their environment - online.

I posted last week about how Roger’s simple act of engaging me via Twitter (in my environment) was enough for me to take notice and save me as a customer. The TTC has no competition to speak of, but imagine the response if they just asked their customers how they felt about the current state of the TTC's customer service. For me it would be a giant step in the right direction.

I saw this retweet and comment from my (talented) friend Jess Muhlbier, about the TTC’s latest efforts in the Twittersphere. It took a little time but after some success with the @bradttc account, they finally started up the official TTC Twitter account (@ttcnotices).

The problem is there are already a slew of TTC-related accounts in existence, providing news and services updates.  And while all completely unofficial, some of these accounts have thousands of followers and have become the trusted voice for TTC news.

This reinforces the need for immediacy on the web. If you’re a company or service that people have a stake in and your online presence doesn’t exist – expect someone else to fill that void.

This means someone else will be speaking on behalf of your brand. Someone else will be the trusted voice of your company. And someone else may start controlling the message – and then where does that leave you?


The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has taken a lot of heat in the last few weeks and seen their fair share of bad publicity. But I can’t help but think they could have been more proactive in stemming the tide.

Not by having their PR and Communications staff running spin these past few weeks (because it seems they don’t have anyone), but in managing their reputation in the downtimes.

If the TTC had been more engaging with their riders, quicker to embrace technology and offered simple cornerstones like better service, perhaps people wouldn’t be so quick to vilify them.

Take last week when an independent contractor was responsible for a collapse in a tunnel and shut the service down for the night. The TTC was blamed and took almost all of the heat for a situation in which they were (relatively) innocent. But had they been pro-actively banking credibility and goodwill through other actions, perhaps riders would have cut them some slack.

Because the TTC has almost no interest in public opinion (the luxury of being publicly funded) there’s almost no take away for them. But the lesson that translates to your business is pretty simple.

When things are going well, don’t rest on your accomplishments – get out there and engage. This should theoretically be the easiest time to do so. Give your loyal customers something that will earn their trust while building your reputation. That way, when times aren’t quite so rosy, there’s a far better chance your customers will give you the benefit of the doubt.