community updates

Simplifying the “on-boarding” process ;)

How to use Clever Commute

How to use Clever Commute

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We continue to grow and grow…so here are some basics about using Clever Commute:

Almost all of our information comes from the commuters. Therefore…it’s key that you each understand how you can each SHARE information with your fellow commuters.

How you SHARE information*

  • Use your e-mail program to send a message
  • Put your entire message in the SUBJECT line (e.g., do NOT use the body of your e-mail)
  • Each train line / bus route / etc has its own “community”.Therefore, for THIS community, you should send it to [see e-mail]
    (please add that address to your “Contacts”)

How you can RECEIVE the information

* Two things to note before you share

  1. If you are new to Clever Commute, please sit back and get the feel of how things work here before you “post” anything.
    FYI – We actually won’t allow you to share for your first 30 days
  2. Over these past 5 years, we’ve learned a few things about how to best harness “the wisdom of the crowds”.
    Here is a blog post with “the top 6 reasons your messages was NOT sent out”
    https://clevercommute.com/blog/?p=1092

The Bar Car on Metro North

The Bar Car on Metro North

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We have a new service which distributes information about which evening trains have bar cars on Metro North’s New Haven line.

This is DIFFERENT from the regular “Clever Commute New Haven Line”alerting service.

Yes…it’s FREE!

Sign up at clevercommute.com (go to “Find your line”…and under “Trains (Alerts)”, you’ll see “Bar Car – New Haven Line”)

NOTE: THIS IS THE BEST PART :

If you use Twitter, then you have even more options:
You can “Follow” @cc_mnr_bar_nh (or @cc_mnr_bar_nh_r for the reverse commute)
That means that you can receive the “bar car” info the same way you receive any Twitter info:
(a) via the web (at twitter.com)
(b) via a Twitter app on your cell phone
(c) AS A TEXT MESSAGE

We have more info about how Clever Commuters can use Twitter here clevercommute.com/twitter

Some great press coverage:

 

 

 

Customer Service for Clever Commuters

Customer Service for Clever Commuters

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Summary: Clever Commute is in the process of rolling out a new way to manage customer support. it probably comes as no surprise that we are crowdsourcing it…with help from GetSatisfaction.com

As the size of our community approaches the 20,000 commuter mark, it’s time to think about new and innovative ways to thrill and retain the only true asset we have: the commuters.

Clever Commute technology is solid and the commuters are proactive and helpful. But…”stuff” comes up…and we need a scalable way to address it. For example:

  • Commuters may have question about their subscription (sign-up, change address, pausing “Clever Commute” while on vacation, etc)
  • Our business partners have questions about their data feeds
  • Sponsors may be looking for our media kit for advertisers
  • The media may want to reach us for a quote or interview

Enter: What is Get Satisfaction (2 minute YouTube video)

Didn’t watch that? Well here is what you need to know:

GetSatisfaction is a 3rd party website which tracks and manages the questions and answers from the community.Instead of writing to someone at Clever Commute…and waiting…the GetSatisfaction technology guides you to the answer.

We will update this page as move forward with the roll-out…but we did want to put this here as a placeholder.

 

 

New Haven Line – How are we doing?

New Haven Line – How are we doing?

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In February 2011, in the middle of an especially rough stretch for the commuters, I asked

(1) message volume – does this service generate “too much” mail for you?
(2) message content
is it helpful to know
– if trains are crowded?
– if the heat is on?

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. 40 people wrote back…and I plan to reply to each of you…even if it’s just to say “thanks”
The replies I got were thoughtful and the tone was constructive. I really appreciate it.

The stats are below..but I also want to address a few “themes” / good ideas I also received

  • At least for the next month or so, service on this line will be a challenge…so this is “the new normal”. You should not be surprised if a train is 5-10 minutes late. Certainly, context matters…but always ask yourself “am I sharing something that will help my fellow commuter plan their trip?”
  • More than one person commented that you should NOT send a mail to say things are OK…and I agree. if you’ve never seen our best practices (AKA “rules of the road”), please do…as  this one is a guiding principle for Clever Commute (see https://clevercommute.com/blog/?page_id=22)
  • You want new features (prioritization of messages…make messages more custom to your commute…time of day).
    Believe me, I want to give those to you. But I just do not have the resources to do that now…and I likely can not do that in a free service.
    Message volume systemwide is through the roof…and we pay for that. Yes, advertisers offset some of the expense…but we need more revenue.
    If you have been thinking about donating to Clever Commute…now is a good time.A really good time.
  • Finally, we hear people asking if Clever Commute can take a role in advocating on behalf of the commuters. My reply is to check out the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council (http://www.trainweb.org/ct).
    They are doing great things on your behalf.

The info below is not scientific…but it does imply that we are generally hitting the mark. This should not really be interpreted as a mandate to change anything…but it is a level of transparency…which I think we all appreciate.
It’s also a rather a reminder that we each have different tolerances when it comes to information…and we need to continue to be sensitive to that.

I would advise you to take matters into your own hands and use the tools that you do have.

  • Think about building e-mail filters on “your” side (e.g., mails containing “SRO” can be sent to the trash if you don’t want them).
  • Consider using our mobile app (http://m.clevercommute.com)
  • Check out our Twitter feeds (http://budurl.com/clevertwitter). The feeds need an upgrade…but they WILL be back soon. Sign up now so you are read.

So without further ado:

Volume / Amount of messages
21 said “it’s OK”…at least for now
14 clearly said “we are getting too much mail”
…but 5 did not address it in their replies to us

Crowds / SRO
16 said they like to know about crowds
11 said “do not send SRO mails”
…but 13 did not address it in their replies to us

Heat
15 said they do want to know about heat on the trains
13 said they do NOT want to hear about it
…but 12 did not address it in their replies to us

Clever Commute + Twitter