This morning when I came through the turn-style in my subway station I was unexpectedly met by TTC chair Adam Giambrone, who was handing out pins and information sheets on Toronto’s new LRT/ROW plans.
I never expected to see Adam campaigning for the TTC, but then again, lots of things the TTC has been doing lately have been unconventional, and have touched the Toronto transit community (AKA, the other TTC) in new ways. No longer does the TTC interact with its city – its clients – solely in print, but they have taken their views online.
Rewind to February, when the TTC held TransitCamp, an event inspired by Toronto bloggers, inviting the community to comment on the TTC’s declining website, and share general ideas about the services. With transit aficionados, geeks, and TTC riders all in attendance, TransitCamp was a big success. The event was reported on many Toronto major blogs, and was also published in traditional news outlets like City News and The Star.
Adam Giambrone and the TTC have begun bridging the gap between service provider and customer, by communicating through many touch points to their community – making for a more pleasurable experience. The TTC is not only taking part in a conversation with its community, but acting on its constructive input. Just check out the renaming of the new TTC token as the Giambroney to get an idea of how the TTC is taking to the web.
By harnessing social media tools both on and offline, the TTC is poised to rebrand its image as a more community-oriented, and customer based service.
Arieh, it’s a small point (but important in the context I think). TransitCamp was held by the community and the TTC were invited, not vice versa.