b'CASCO BAY LINES Focuses onCUSTOMERSFOGHORN FOCUSDURING PANDEMICBY HANK BERG // CASCO BAY LINESC asco Bay Island Transit District (Casco Bay Lines) is a quasi- awareness of, and compliance with, necessary safety and operational requirements municipal entity based in Portland, ME, that provides year- provides a better experience for all customers. round ferry service for passengers, vehicles, freight, and mail delivery to six unbridged islands in Casco Bay. We transport moreRecognizing this has been a challenging time for many, we have also made efforts, than one million passengers, 35,000 vehicles and over 500,000 pieceswheneverpossible,tolessentheimpactsofthiscrisisforourcustomers,our of freight annually. As a public passengercrew, and our community. For example, we delayed ferrysystemoperatingfivevessels,weimplementationofpeak-seasonrateswhilethose are somewhat unique in that we provideClear and effectivetravelingwereprimarilythoseessentialworkers passenger,vehicleandfreightservicetocustomer communication,supporting our community, and we have continued those who live on the islands and commuteto compensate all of our active staff at 100% of their regularly, as well as to those who may bea component of customernormal pay, regardless of whether they are currently visiting just once and wish to experienceservice that is alwaysworking on-site or isolating at home.theislands.Acommitmenttoexcellent customer service is paramount to our day- important, became evenWhile the safety and health of our customers and crew to-day operations as we seek to welcomewill remain our top priority throughout COVID-19, all.more critical to ensurewealsorecognizetheimportanceofcontinuingto a positive customeruphold our commitment to excellent customer service. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck inWe are fortunate that our collective community here on the spring, Casco Bay Lines was deemed anexperience during COVID.Casco Bay is strong, and the island residents have shown essential service and we immediately tooktremendous support for the crew, sending messages ofaction to ensure that we could continue to provide essential transitthanks and dropping off food.service and serve as a lifeline to the islands while protecting the health and safety of our crew and customers. We recognized the importance of our mission and took careful measures and actions to ensure we can achieve it. This did include a reduction in service, separating our crew to avoid potential disruptions in service should there be an coronavirus outbreak, and implementing a number of new safety protocols designed to serve riders who needed to travel to and from the mainland to perform essential services during Maines stay-at-home order. Clearandeffectivecustomercommunication,acomponentof customer service that is always important, became even more critical to ensure a positive customer experience during COVID. Throughout the pandemic, we have been communicating regularly with both our employees and our customers, sharing information widely via email, and posting it on our website, in the terminal and on the vessels. We(left to right) Hank Berg (General Manager), Caity Gildart (Sales and Marketing have also been soliciting feedback from our riders and respondingDirector) and Nick Mavodones (Operations Manager).individually to ensure open lines of communication.ABOUT THE AUTHOR: AsridershipexpandedunderMainesre-openingduringtheHANK BERGsummertypically our busiest seasonwe added an Ambassador onCASCO BAY LINESselect runs to welcome customers, assist in explaining new operationalBerg is the General Manager of the Casco Bay Island requirements, and to educate our customers about the need to wearTransit District and has been with the ferry line for a face covering and maintain at least six feet of physical distance at allmore than 10 years. He has degrees from the University times. We have also invested in new equipment to allow for recordedof New Hampshire, Northeastern University, and a announcementsintheterminalandonthevessel.AnincreasedMBA from Boston University.FOGHORN FOCUS 8 FOGHORN'