Millie Rosa, an employee of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (Rochester, NY), was crowned champion of the first American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Call Center Challenge on February 26 at APTA�s Marketing and Communications Workshop.

The Call Center Challenge was open to public transportation call center personnel in North America.

More than 70 public transit phone customer service representatives entered the competition. Eight finalists were chosen to compete in front of a live audience.

Finalists were presented with a trip planning inquiry and two additional customer service scenarios and were judged on their ability to handle each inquiry. The winner was the contestant with the highest score. Judging criteria included: professionalism, overall customer service attitude, and the ability to resolve the call.

The purpose of this new competition is to spotlight the importance of customer service in public transportation systems and to recognize those individuals who excel in providing top customer service.

�This competition shows that public transportation is a people business,� said APTA President William W. Millar. �I offer my congratulations to Ms. Rosa as the top winner of the first Call Center Challenge. Her professionalism is to be highly commended.