Genfare’s Customer Care program is designed to be a win-win proposition
Tara Farnsworth, Genfare’s Director of Marketing and Aftermarket, leads the evolution of Customer Service and Marketing efforts at Genfare. A key driver for Tara is the formalizing of the customer service process and procedures to create a more structured and procedural customer experience. Genfare’s client needs are a top priority, and now with Customer Care, there is a renewed and sustainable commitment to serve the client at the highest level.
How long have you been in the transit industry?
I’ve been in the transportation industry for just over eight years – the most recent six years have been with Genfare. My introduction to transportation industry was with DocuSystems a spin off from Rand McNally that produced tickets, tags, labels and transportation benefits programs to employees. Transportation is one of the most close-knit industries I’ve had the pleasure working in.
What drives you?
I believe it’s within, we all have a certain amount of personal drive. I guess I look at things as ‘never say die.’ There is not a fail option. You figure out what you’re going to do to and figure out a way to overcome it.
What inspires you?
I’m fortunate to belong to several organizations. One that stands out is ‘Empowering Women’s Network.’ I have been involved with this organization for more than 15 years. Actually, every person we’ve had within the marketing organization and in parallel groups have attended the network’s leadership program.
It’s valuable to be involved in organizations outside of work—one, because you have a chance to see how other businesses function. Plus, it’s a good synergy to be able to help one another.
What does marketing bring to Genfare?
To me, marketing is a game changer. I think marketing is different in every business I’ve been at. At Genfare, it really is about developing the thought leadership, the education and making sure that people are more aware of the things that we’re doing. Quite honestly, the user groups and the newest things that we have implemented within the marketing team have made the biggest personal connections with clients. We have been able to launch the user group, Fare Collection Geeks. Which came out of feedback we’ve received from clients—that’s also how the monthly e-News started.
Everything is about how you communicate, and the number one driver for marketing is clear communications with clients so they know what’s going on. It makes all the difference in the world. Being able to communicate what’s going on, telling them the changes that we have—what’s new, what’s coming up—being able to connect with everyone on a more personal level is important to our organization.
What is your philosophy on customer care?
It’s the singular most important component in everything we do. Every single person that touches the client is by far the most important thing— or we wouldn’t be here.
Genfare has made an absolute change in mindset that’s supported by leadership, and it’s really nice to see that evolution. Honestly, that fundamental change permeates through everyone—we are all here to support our clients and ensure they have a great experience. It’s critical.
How has Customer Care at Genfare changed over the past few years?
In the past several years, we have made considerable changes. It’s a very different experience, we now have all calls going into Customer Care. From that, it is routed based on the type of query. The experience is a highly defined level of service today. That’s why we’re changing our support model as a whole, because we want to continuously improve our level of service and support.
How does the client benefit from our training?
Training is a linchpin in being able to ensure our agency partners really get the full benefits of their solution. The more knowledge they have on how their system works, the better they can manage and leverage this knowledge to help improve their agencies and the rider experience.
Learn more about what the Genfare Customer Care program has to offer at: https://www.genfare.com/customer-care/