511 New Deployers Workshop

511 New Deployers Workshop: 

511 New Deployers Workshop Kentucky Florida Nebraska Utah San Francisco Iowa

“Presented By”: 

“Presented By” Michael Berman, PBS&J Seattle Pete Costello, PBS&J Orlando Todd Kell, PBS&J Richmond

Agenda: 

Agenda Overview of 511 Background Elements Status Guidelines/Quick Tips Summary Guidelines FAQs Some Quick Tips Overviews

Agenda: 

Agenda Deployer Experience Effective Practices Issues Going Forward Preview of Meeting Sessions Exhibits

What is 511?: 

An “easy to remember” abbreviated three-digit dialing code and website URL Phone – a “speed dial” to a ten-digit telephone number Web – used to “co-brand” traveler information services What is 511?

What is 511?: 

What is 511? “511” Routing Telephone System Traveler Information System 511 is the “cherry on top” Business Environment 511 Services: Beyond Just the Number

What is 511?: 

511 Designated in July 2000 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) U.S. DOT Petitioned the FCC for an N11 Number in March 1999 Petition had Great Support 17 State DOTs 32 Transit Agencies 23 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) What is 511?

What is 511?: 

What is 511? Why we got 511? We demonstrated need and benefit Over 300 telephone traveler information systems in the U.S. Demonstrated value of traveler information services to the public 72% call volume increase N11 vs. easy 7-digit number 10-digit dialing makes numbers harder to remember Area code expansion making 7-digit numbers less plausible

Who is the511 Deployment Coalition?: 

AASHTO State Departments of Transportation APTA Public Transportation Agencies ITS America ITS Industry – including above agencies U.S. DOT Federal leadership Policy Committee Working Group Provide National Guidance with Local Implementation Who is the 511 Deployment Coalition?

Who is the511 Deployment Coalition?: 

Deliverables: Guidelines Versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0 7 Deployment Assistance Reports National Conferences Marketing & Outreach – national logo Website for Deployers – repository of 511-related material Who is the 511 Deployment Coalition?

2010 Goals: 

100% Population Coverage 90% Brand Awareness 100% Customer Satisfaction 511 systems will receive more than 40 million calls per year 18.4 million in 2005 Over 12 million through May 31, 2006 2010 Goals

SAFETEA-LU Goal for 511: 

SAFETEA-LU Goal for 511 SEC. 5306. (b) (3) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. (B) ensuring that a national, interoperable 5–1–1 system, along with a national traffic information system that includes a user-friendly, comprehensive website, is fully implemented for use by travelers throughout the United States by September 30, 2010.

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status = 511 Operational (“Live”) Alaska Hawaii Puerto Rico D.C. = Expect 2006 Launch = Expect 2007 Launch as of July 1, 2006 Accessible by 74% of Population in 2007

211 Deployment Status: 

211 Deployment Status 211 serves approximately 169 million Americans - over 56% of the US population; 189 active 2-1-1 systems covering all or part of 39 states (including 15 states with 100% coverage) plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status 50 Millionth Call in March! 1st Call 5 Year Anniversary June 21, 2006

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status National “Records” Through May 31, 2006 San Francisco Bay Area 11.2 Million Total Calls 266,000 Average Calls per Month December 2005: 466,500 Calls Kentucky December 23, 2005: 125,000 Calls Southeast Florida March 23, 2006 Thursday 5 – 6 PM: 27,500 Calls Iowa January 7, 2005: 574 Simultaneous Calls

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status National “Records” July 1, 2005 Through May 31, 2006 Total Unique Visitors – 3 Million Total Page Views – 90.5 Million March 2006 Arizona 187,000 Unique Visitors Minnesota 4 Million Page Views March 20, 2006 Nebraska 58,000 Unique Visitors Nebraska 608,000 Page Views

511 Deployment Status: 

511 Deployment Status 22 Co-branded Websites in 19 States

Performance Measures: 

Performance Measures Awareness ITS America / Gallup Fall 2001 ~10% Minnesota Summer 2002 25% Virginia Statewide 2003 19% Virginia Focus Groups March 2003 34% Maine August 2003 40.9% Utah June 2004 47% Montana August 2004 58% Orlando February 2005 26% Tampa Bay April 2005 24.3% San Francisco Bay Area Fall 2005 34%

Performance Measures: 

Performance Measures Customer Satisfaction Minnesota December 2002 93% Metropolitan Transportation Commission May / June 2003 90.5% August 2004 92.1% Southeast Florida December 2003 96.2% Virginia January 2004 99% would call again Montana August 2004 90.3% Arizona April 2005 71% 90% would use again and recommend Washington State May 2005 68% 87% would call again North Carolina December 2005 66%

Discussion / Questions: 

Discussion / Questions

Guidelines for 511 Implementation: 

Guidelines for 511 Implementation Michael Berman PBS&J

Guidelines Outline: 

Guidelines Outline Overview What are the Guidelines? Difference Between Version 3.0 and 2.0 Summary of Guidelines Discussion/Questions

Overview: 

Overview Purpose of Guidelines Increase consistency of 511 programs Provide examples of effective practices Help new and existing deployers History of Guidelines Version 1.1 (June 2002) Deployment Assistance Reports Version 2.0 (September 2003) Version 3.0 (July 2005)

Changes in Version 3.0: 

Changes in Version 3.0 Changes Primarily to Format Expanded FAQ Organized by Topic Cross-references to text “Enhanced” instead of “Optional”

Changes in Version 3.0, cont’d: 

Changes in Version 3.0, cont’d Guidelines are reorganized Some new and/or enhanced content Interoperability Phone System Navigation Preliminary Web Guidelines Removed DAR Summaries

Structure of Guidelines: 

Structure of Guidelines Introduction/Vision FAQ Guidelines Overarching Content Telephony User Interface Service Quality and Access Web

Structure of Guidelines, cont’d: 

Structure of Guidelines, cont’d Guidelines System Monitoring Marketing and Evaluation Cross-Cutting Issues and Lessons Learned Table of Attributes

Overarching Guidelines: 

Overarching Guidelines Business Environment Basic service charges Advertising and Sponsorship Premium Services Business Models Interoperability Call transfer Data transfer Application sharing Privacy National ITS Architecture Standards Safety

Content Guidelines(Quality and Consistency): 

Content Guidelines (Quality and Consistency) Accuracy, timeliness, and reliability Need for new data Emergency/AMBER alerts Timestamping

Content Guidelines(Basic Roadway): 

Content Guidelines (Basic Roadway) Principles Regional Overviews/Summaries Route/Corridor Based Limited Access Roadways and National Highway System More Detail in Urban Areas Automated Types of Information Construction Incidents and Delays Special Events Weather and Road Surface Conditions Details Needed Location/Travel Direction General Description Duration/Delay Alternate routes (only when authorized) Additional Considerations Segment Travel Time/Delay Route-Specific Weather Information

Content Guidelines(Transit): 

Content Guidelines (Transit) Principles Include all area transit agencies Work in conjunction with call centers Agencies responsible for own information Content Brief description Major service changes/disruptions Transfers to agency call center Other Considerations Information by corridor Arrival times

Content Guidelines (Weather): 

Content Guidelines (Weather) Principles Include weather when it affects travel Can include current conditions and forecasts Content Weather-related impacts (with same detail as for basic roadway content) Other information that affects travel

Content Guidelines (Enhanced): 

Content Guidelines (Enhanced) Options Go Deeper Go Broader Examples Tourist Info Parking Trip Planning Air Travel Info Personalized Services Motorist Aid

Telephony Guidelines: 

Telephony Guidelines 511 Description Call Acceptance User Interface Data Storage/Logic Output Call Routing Translation to a 10-digit number Coordination with PUC Coordination with Carriers

Telephony Guidelines (2): 

Telephony Guidelines (2) 511 Service Access Landline (ILECs and CLECs) Wireless Other (PBX, Payphones, VoIP) Call Transfers Neighboring 511 Systems Other Call Centers/Services Logistics

User Interface Guidelines: 

User Interface Guidelines Choosing an Interface Voice Text-to-speech Recorded Messages Concatenated Touchtone Backup Greetings and Menu Structure Greeting should be short Menu should include “Highways”, “Public Transportation”, “Weather”, and “Help” at a minimum Enhancements to User Experience Floodgates Short-cuts Barge-ins

Service Quality and Access Guidelines: 

Service Quality and Access Guidelines System Access/Sizing Sized to accept all calls for the 90th percentile hour load Uptime should exceed 99.8% (less than 18 hours downtime annually) Hours of Operation 24x7 phone availability Does not necessarily mean 24x7 staffing Social Equity ADA Multilingual Environmental Justice

Web Page Guidelines: 

Web Page Guidelines Included as a pragmatic response to developments Content General: Should mirror the phone system Traffic cameras Design Take advantage of flexibility ADA considerations Domains Usage Statistics

System Monitoring Guidelines: 

System Monitoring Guidelines Usage Coalition reports Project-oriented tracking Reliability Total uptime Mean Time Between Failure Accuracy Important to users, but … Very hard to measure

Marketing and Evaluation Guidelines: 

Marketing and Evaluation Guidelines Marketing Goals Marketing Plan Logo and Branding Customer Evaluation Awareness Satisfaction

Cross-cutting Issues and Lessons Learned: 

Cross-cutting Issues and Lessons Learned Successful systems are Customer- and Market-Driven Marketing and Branding are Critical Usage is Event-Driven Exact Deployment costs Will Vary 511 is a Valuable Tool During Major Events (planned and unplanned) On-going Financial Support is Critical

Discussion / Questions: 

Discussion / Questions Questions about the Guidelines? What did we miss that should be included in Version 4? Other comments? Guidelines available at: www.deploy511.org/implementationguide.htm

511 “Quick Tips”: 

511 “Quick Tips” Pete Costello PBS&J

Deployment Assistance Reports: 

Deployment Assistance Reports 511 Business Models and Costs Considerations Transfer of 511 Calls to 911 511 and Homeland Security 511 Regional Interoperability Issues Public Transportation Content on 511 Weather and Environmental Content on 511 Services Roadway Content Quality on 511 Services

511 Interoperability: 

511 Interoperability 511 Working Group’s Interoperability Task Force has two goals: Make using 511 easy for those who use multiple systems Make access to neighboring travel information systems seamless

511 Interoperability: 

511 Interoperability Quick Tips A number of common elements were found, prompting the Quick Tips document Certain items were targeted, such as a recommendation for recognition of a wider variety of “grammars” within menu selections 511 Deployment Coalition to test systems for recognition later this year

511 Interoperability: 

511 Interoperability

Discussion/Questions: 

Discussion/Questions

511 Effective Practices: 

511 Effective Practices Todd Kell PBS&J

Background: 

Background Effective Practices document is a 511 Deployment Coalition project 511 is now available in 29 services in 25 states This year the 5 year anniversary of 511 Some systems are in their second or third generations It’s time to recognize exceptional elements of 511 IVR systems and websites

Purpose of Project: 

Purpose of Project Determine who provides “effective practices”; features or services across the country What this is Not: A competition to see who is “best” What this Is: A chance to recognize exceptional characteristics and elements of 511 services Document and introduce the best practices to a wider audience

Purpose of Project: 

Purpose of Project Recognize notable work or achievement in 511 systems, both IVR and web Innovative, Cost Effective, Well-designed Especially using limited funds and resources This is a “Living Document” intended to grow and change

Methodology : 

Methodology Web survey was widely distributed Survey asked for input from deployers and others in the ITS field to identify effective practices for IVR systems and co-branded websites

Template: 

Template Each Effective Practice is presented as a brief case study Selection of deployment(s) providing effective practices in selected category and justification why those deployments were chosen One or two page write-ups with graphics to illustrate where applicable

Effective Practice Categories: 

Effective Practice Categories IVR Shortcuts Floodgates Interoperability Secondary Language Options Construction Weather Content Travel Times Public Transit Information Ferry Information CVO Information Tourism Ride Sharing Innovative Content IVR Persona

Effective Practice Categories: 

Effective Practice Categories Web Alerts Traffic Camera Presentation Website Setup for Color-Blind Users Business Environment Television Advertisements Cost-Effective Marketing Innovative Marketing Performance Measures Quality Assurance and Feedback Monitoring Quality Checks

IVR Shortcuts: 

IVR Shortcuts What are voice shortcuts? Allow the user to bypass the menu of choices at the start of the call User can speak his/her desired choice and be taken right to that information Callers can interrupt the system Effective Practices Arizona North Carolina Virginia Washington State Minnesota Maine Idaho Central Florida

Floodgates: 

Floodgates Floodgates get particularly critical information out at the right levels Should be easy for operators to get information on to the system quickly Guidelines state they should be heard just before the main greeting, but many deployments have extended this concept

Floodgates: 

Floodgates Effective Practices: North Carolina Interface is highly configurable Floodgates can be inserted by County, Metro area, and 6 transportation modes Multiple floodgates can be added at each level

Interoperability: 

Interoperability 511 is planned to be interoperable nationwide by 2010 One seamless service to the user Consistent user interface is necessary so travelers to multiple systems will be able to navigate 511 Deployment Coalition published “Interoperability Quick Tips” Offers a set of guidelines regarding designing a system interoperable with neighboring systems

Interoperability: 

Interoperability Effective Practices: Florida, Meridian States Florida State has three regional systems and one overlying statewide system Callers can transfer back and forth between all systems Meridian Some Meridian states can pull information from adjacent states, even non-Meridian states

Secondary Language Option: 

Secondary Language Option Some regions have large non-English speaking populations; 511 in a secondary language provides use to that population Effective Practices Southeast Florida Web and IVR available in Spanish Sacramento Call transfer to Spanish-speaking operator Maine Companion web site in French

Construction: 

Construction How does 511 let the public know about a long term construction event without repeating it to regular callers? Effective Practices: Arizona Provides different levels of construction information at different places in the system Quick Reports – construction is read day before and day of Road Reports – construction event is read all during the time it’s active

Weather Content: 

Weather Content Weather is a basic category of information on 511 Almost every system has some form of it Effective Practices: Utah, Meridian States

Weather Content: 

Weather Content Utah System utilizes an innovative method to keep information as up to date as possible Field maintenance workers enter real time road weather conditions from the road, using password protected system Meridian States Focus of their system is weather Users choose road by number, then receive road weather condition report for the chosen segment

Travel Times: 

Travel Times Design of IVR offering travel times can be daunting Only a few deployments provide that information Effective Practices: San Francisco Bay Area Users enter origin/destination pairs, with many choices for both points Bay Area has travel times on phone and web for 22 roadways

Public Transit Information: 

Public Transit Information One of the basic categories of information suggested by the 511 Guidelines Effective Practices: SE Florida, San Francisco Bay Area SE Florida has a separate IVR system 511 callers can transfer to Cooperative effort between FDOT and SE Florida transit agencies San Francisco Bay Area Offers information to more than 60 transit and paratransit providers Website offers a comprehensive trip planner

Ferry Information: 

Ferry Information Enhanced content Only certain regions have a need for ferry information Effective Practices: Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington

CVO Information: 

CVO Information Enhanced Content Addresses a customer base sometimes not considered: commercial truckers and dispatchers Effective Practices: Oregon Oregon 511 provides CVO information on the top level of the menu Commercial vehicle restriction information by highway number

Tourism: 

Tourism Beneficial in states/regions where tourism is a significant part of the economy Effective Practices: Kentucky Selectable from main menu System transfers user to a live operator – effectively a free ‘concierge’ service Operates 7 days a week

Ride Sharing: 

Ride Sharing Enhanced content Generally most appropriate in dense urban areas Effective Practices: San Francisco Bay Area Service offered on both web and phone Callers can be transferred to a ride-sharing service based on their location Website users set schedules, addresses, transportation preferences

Innovative Content: 

Innovative Content Up to deployers to provide content that may not be common but will serve the needs of intended audience Effective Practices: Tampa Bay Event Information for participating venues in its coverage area

IVR Persona: 

IVR Persona Actors hired to record the grammars becomes the ‘voice of 511’ Many deployments only consider local accent & pronunciations Effective Practices: San Francisco Bay Area Character developed to aid the actor hired “Cal North” Former Eagle Scout, CHP officer, military service

Web Alerts: 

Web Alerts Email alerts are an example of “push” technology Users are able to personalize their service Receive alerts via device (s) chosen, on days and times specified Designing this service can be daunting; 511 systems collect more information than a single user needs

Web Alerts: 

Web Alerts Effective Practices: Tampa Bay Elegant design Easy to use interface

Traffic Camera Presentation: 

Traffic Camera Presentation One of the few categories of information that is solely web, no phone Camera map usually must be separate from traffic map Can be challenging to let users know traffic camera images are available

Traffic Camera Presentation: 

Traffic Camera Presentation Effective Practices: Arizona, Nebraska Arizona Camera location listed via text list, always visible while the right frame provides a camera view Nebraska Unique functionality Text list and map are interactive with each other

Website Setup for Color Blind Users: 

Website Setup for Color Blind Users Deployers of 511 websites often try to be ADA compliant wherever possible Color-blind users are one subset of population that can benefit from ADA requirements Effective Practices: Tampa Bay Color Blind options are on main map page

Business Environment: 

Business Environment No dedicated funding source for 511 Deployers have explored innovative ways to fund or offset costs for 511 Effective Practices: Nevada The state used revenue from Interstate Sign Program to fund the entire cost of implementation, and will use it to offset some maintenance and operations costs

Television Advertisements: 

Television Advertisements TV may be the highest profile way to advertise 511 Deployments who choose to spend marketing budget on TV spots can significantly raise awareness of the service

Television Advertisements: 

Television Advertisements Effective Practices: Florida Statewide Well known spokespersons used in three TV spots Spokespeople did the ads for free

Cost-Effective Marketing: 

Cost-Effective Marketing Marketing is critical to the success of 511, but sometimes an afterthought after design, build, implementation Deployments with money to burn have done great things to market the system, but what about areas with more limited budgets?

Cost-Effective Marketing: 

Cost-Effective Marketing Effective Practices: Washington, Arizona Washington Word of Mouth marketing program Dedicated volunteers visits large gatherings to “talk up” 511 Arizona In-kind marketing Cities and Counties allowed to enter promotional information onto the system In exchange, they add 511 in their printed materials

Innovative Marketing: 

Innovative Marketing Many types of marketing campaigns have been used From expensive TV spots to volunteers spreading the word Effective Practice: San Francisco Bay Area “Friends of 511” Campaign Users register name and email address Entered into sweepstakes for prizes such as bicycles, gift certificates and Mp3 players

Performance Measures: 

Performance Measures Once the system is up and running, what is done to make sure it’s performing properly? Metrics have been developed to track usage and performance 511 Coalition collects call and website statistics from all deployers monthly Effective Practice: Kansas Kansas deployers developed the boilerplate for metrics currently used by most deployers

Quality Assurance and Feedback Monitoring: 

Quality Assurance and Feedback Monitoring Deployers who actively monitor comments and suggestions can take the feedback into account when designing upgrades Taking into account the user’s criticisms can help identify system problems

Quality Assurance and Feedback Monitoring: 

Quality Assurance and Feedback Monitoring Effective Practices: Virginia Virginia 511 deployers records and listens to or reads every IVR or website feedback message Conducted multiple user surveys and focus groups. VDOT often responds directly to feedback messages

Quality Checks: 

Quality Checks Data that enters the system must be disseminated correctly, and in a timely fashion Most systems employ subsystems that process enormous amounts of data The data must be checked for quality/accuracy

Quality Checks: 

Quality Checks Effective Practices Virginia Initial data entry is reviewed by entry personnel Subsequent automatic system checks of data Information finally disseminated via IVR or web is checked by live personnel 24/7

Summary: 

Summary Plenty of effective practices out there Get to know what your peers & neighbors are doing Call the systems; visit the websites Find out what works Think about providing the best & most applicable service you can for your customer – the traveling public

Discussion / Questions: 

Discussion / Questions

Issues Going Forward: 

Issues Going Forward Pete Costello PBS&J

Coverage: 

Coverage Achieving the SAFETEA-LU Goal 100% Coverage by September 30, 2010? July 25, 2006 – Tennessee Launches Who’s next? Nevada New Jersey Massachusetts San Diego New Mexico Your Service?

Interoperability: 

Interoperability Achieving the SAFETEA-LU Goal “Seamless” Through call transfers? Data exchange – will Section 1201 help? Interoperability Quick Tips phrases FHWA website www.511.gov

Voice over Internet Protocol: 

Voice over Internet Protocol N11 numbers are one of the larger problems for VoIP service providers. Since the N11 number does not live “attached” to a particular telephone circuit, when a user dials one of these numbers, the circuitry does not know where to route the call The VoIP provider is not able to use the regular “look-up” tables that are used to send the call to the nearest/proper terminating point Huge issue for 911 511 Deployment Coalition is working with VoIP providers on “back door” 511 service numbers by zip code Vonage announcement imminent

Petition for Reconsideration: 

Petition for Reconsideration In 2001, 6 wireless carriers and 2 industry associations filed Petitions for Reconsideration with the FCC against its assignment of the 511 dialing code for ATIS services In 2004, the FCC “refreshes the record” and 4 wireless carriers and 1 industry association reply. Also applies to 211 – FCC seems happy with our progress

Resources Available: 

Resources Available 511 Websites http://www.deploy511.org http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/511 Deployer Websites AZ511.com, 511.KY.gov, 511MN.org, 511tampabay.com, 511virginia.org, etc. Listserv at Yahoo! Groups 511_coalition-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Preview of Meeting: 

Preview of Meeting Sessions Exhibits

Questions / Discussion: 

Questions / Discussion What did we miss?

Contact Information: 

Contact Information Michael Berman michaelberman@pbsj.com 425.367.4403 Pete Costello petecostello@pbsj.com 407.806.4440 Todd Kell toddkell@pbsj.com 804.560.7600