Interim Director of SSA Says Boat Line Will Work First to Fix
Reservations System

By JULIA WELLS

The improvements started yesterday.

This was the word from Steamship Authority acting general manager
Wayne Lamson, who said an array of changes are now under way aimed at
improving the telephone reservations system at the boat line. The
improvements include a change in operating hours at the central
reservations bureau in Mashpee, and a number of changes in the automated
telephone answering system.

The telephone operating hours at Mashpee will now be 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. instead of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mr. Lamson said the shorter hours are
expected to actually improve service because they will allow the boat
line to employ more telephone operators at one time. He said a recent
analysis of call volumes and wait times showed that the best service
occurred between 1 and 3 p.m., when there was an overlap in shifts and
twice the number of operators were on duty.

"This will allow us to have both shifts working the same
hours, so although the hours are shorter there are twice as many people
during the morning and later in the afternoon, and we think this will
overall provide better service," Mr. Lamson said.

Mr. Lamson will report in more detail on the changes at the monthly
boat line meeting on Nantucket this week. The meeting begins at 9:30
a.m. in the Nobadeer Room in the Nantucket Inn.

He said yesterday that the SSA automated answering system will also
be changed to include better information for callers on hold. Some of
the changes are already in place, while others will take another week or
more.

"This is an ongoing process - some things we are able to
implement quickly, while others are going to take upwards of four to six
weeks," Mr. Lamson said.

He said the change in hours was due to go into effect on Sept. 9, so
it made sense to change the hours early rather than hire more
reservation clerks so late in the season.

"We are trying to match the resources with the volume, and we
decided this was better than hiring new people because it would take two
to three weeks to get everyone up to speed. Had this been June or July,
we might have done things differently," Mr. Lamson said.

The hours at the airport reservations office on the Vineyard will
remain unchanged at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Same-day sailing reservations are made by calling a different
telephone number - 508-477-7447 - between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Mr. Lamson said improvements in the computer reservations system are
also under way, and are expected to be completed in the next several
weeks.

In other business Thursday, the boat line board will also vote on a
proposed bid package for a replacement for the venerable ferry Islander.
The capital planning schedule calls for building the replacement vessel
over the next two years.

Mr. Lamson will also give a detailed report on the recent mechanical
problems with the Eagle, the car and passenger ferry that operates
exclusively on the Nantucket route.

The Eagle went out of service last week after she lost a starboard
rudder. The cause is believed to be a welding failure.

Yesterday the rudder repairs to the Eagle were complete and the
ferry was en route from Fairhaven back to Nantucket, where she was
expected to resume regular service by midafternoon.

The spare freight ferry Sankaty was used as a replacement vessel on
the Nantucket run while the Eagle was out of service, and the Nantucket
also ran extra trips to help clear the backlog of cars and trucks.