For the agents who answer the phone when someone calls our Customer Information line, guiding them through the steps to use a Compass Vending Machine over the phone can be tricky when you can’t see what the customer sees.

Our Customer Information Agents now have a tool to help them “see” the customer’s screen — a Compass Vending Machine simulator!

When a customer calls about using the machine, agents can open the simulator through a web browser. This allows agents to provide step-by-step instructions for processes like reloading a Compass Card or upgrading a ticket.​

“As a Customer Information Agent, being able to walk through each step with the customer using the Compass Vending Machine simulator gives me confidence, and the customers can feel confident that the information they’re receiving is accurate,” says Chris Magar. “It also helps reduce miscommunication or confusion.”

Improving the customer experience is part of our DNA. Not only do we have a Customer Experience Action Plan and an email inbox to collect ideas from our customers, but we also want to hear from our employees for their creative ideas on how we can improve their experience through our Bright Ideas initiative. Often these successful ideas lead to an improved experience for our customers such as in this case.

During the testing phase of the Compass implementation project, the TransLink Compass Delivery Team had already created a Compass Vending Machine simulator using software to replicate the actual screens. It was a matter of redeploying it to help Customer Information Agents.

That’s exactly what was done based on Chris’s idea submission for a simulator.

“The simulator is exactly what I was hoping for.”