LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Gabrielle Rodriguez upon the occasion of
being named the nation's top transit customer service representative by
the American Public Transportation Association

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those
extraordinary individuals who have made contributions to the success and
progress of society in the course of their life's work; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Gabrielle Rodriguez upon the occasion of being named the nation's top
transit customer service representative by the American Public Transpor-
tation Association; and
WHEREAS, A Wantagh, New York resident, Gabrielle Rodriguez heads the
Long Island Rail Road's Travel Information Center in Hillside, Queens;
she beat out more than 30 other transit customer service representatives
to claim the award; and
WHEREAS, In the competition's final round, recently held in Miami,
Florida, Gabrielle Rodriguez handled several simulated calls on stage in
front of an audience of more than 100 people; and
WHEREAS, The calls ranged from routine requests for travel directions
to an irate customer complaining about a train car being too hot; in
each case, Gabrielle Rodriguez exemplified extraordinary skill in handl-
ing customer service inquiries; and
WHEREAS, Employees of transportation agencies from cities throughout
the country, including Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas took part in the
challenge and Gabrielle Rodriguez was very calm, composed and also had
personality; the judges were looking for someone who was friendly with
the capability of resolving problems, and who had the ability to provide
specific information; and
WHEREAS, Since joining the Long Island Rail Road in 2006, Gabrielle
Rodriguez has helped implement the railroad's voice recognition call
system and put in place new quality control measures for the call
center; her national recognition capped an especially challenging 14
months at the Long Island Rail Road, which has faced numerous weather-
related service disruptions during the Christmas weekend blizzard of
2010; during that time, Gabrielle Rodriguez said that the center logged
more than 35,000 calls in a single day; and
WHEREAS, While Gabrielle Rodriguez' team of 17 customer service repre-
sentatives usually take the calls, she trains and coaches them on how
best to keep customers informed and satisfied; and
WHEREAS, Some of Gabrielle Rodriguez' major accomplishments are: 25
seconds for an average customer call wait time in 2011, down from 42
seconds in 2006; 4.9 percent of abandoned calls in 2011, down from 9.4
percent in 2006; and 98.5 percent of total calls answered, up from 97.4
percent; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the lives in their community and have shown a long and sustained
commitment to excellence certainly have earned recognition and applause;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Gabrielle Rodriguez upon the occasion of being named the nation's
top transit customer service representative by the American Public
Transportation Association; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Gabrielle Rodriguez.