NJ TRANSIT, the third largest public transportation agency in the country, launched the Scorecard program in 2011. This metric driven initiative uses statistics to set corporate-wide standards of accountability and create transparency. The Scorecard identifies the corporation’s strengths and weaknesses and provides clear insight into where to improve in order to provide a greater return to the taxpayer. Scorecard is a holistic and transparent approach to drive business decisions. The heart of this initiative is a quarterly system-wide online customer satisfaction survey. The quarterly surveys are conducted to gain customer feedback about how NJ TRANSIT is doing and to identify the most important features to customers. The Scorecard survey is intended to draw NJ TRANSIT’s attention to the areas that customers identify as being important and in need of improvement.

The program is implemented in-house using a cost-effective approach that fosters employee engagement. The questionnaire was prepared with input from a cross-functional team. Customers are asked to rate 42 attributes of NJ TRANSIT’s service on a scale of 0 to 10. Key drivers are identified every quarter for sixteen markets, including eight rail lines, three light rail lines, four bus markets, and Access Link service. Reports are generated and shared with the Operating Departments, Executive Management Team, Board of Directors and Customers. Survey results are posted on the website on a quarterly basis so that progress can be monitored. New programs and follow-up studies have been implemented by NJ TRANSIT in response to the survey results. This paper will present the Scorecard Customer Satisfaction Survey Model, detailed documentation necessary to understand the best practices associated with customer-focused strategies, and the programs implemented that had the greatest impact on customer satisfaction.