What type of support should you expect from your NEMT software provider?

Across America, NEMT providers are dealing with rising costs and complexity of operations for a variety of reasons. This means that picking the right NEMT software has never been more crucial.

With so many software companies competing for your transit agency’s business, one good place to figure out which company is right for your agency is to simply get a baseline understanding of what capabilities and support are now standard across the NEMT software industry.

NEMT Software Capabilities: The Basics  

At its core, NEMT software is built around the dispatch process, but from there, features can vary quite widely from one software company to another. At the very least, your next NEMT software should provide “smart” route planning with flexible pickup and dropoff locations inside your area of service.

Well-designed NEMT software can also simultaneously track passenger and ride data, something that can pay for itself in the amount of time freed up by getting rid of having to track information manually from a patchwork of spreadsheets or paper manifests. Ideally, this data should be easy to export.

Beyond these standard features, some NEMT software takes functionality a step further with various modules to increase functionality, like the dedicated mobile app that provides automated vehicle tracking, as well as a browser-based portal for riders provided by TripMaster.

If you find a NEMT software provider that offers this level of functionality, it’s important to understand that the program will become an integral part of your agency’s operations; this means that ongoing monthly software updates and bug fixes should come standard with the software package.

Because NEMT software is a SaaS (Software as a Service) provider, there are certain exterior metrics that can be used to assess the software’s quality. A Net Promoter Score (NPS) tracks how likely customers are to recommend the program to others within their professional field. Reputable SasS companies will use this score to improve their services and keep customers happy. Getting a number above 60 is fairly difficult to achieve. TripMaster is one such company that uses NPS, and its current score is 79.

The Importance of NEMT Software Customer Support

At its most basic level of customer support, a reputable NEMT software company should feature after-hours assistance for emergencies. Most NEMT software providers will also often provide some level of ongoing training, like monthly webinars.   

Low-quality software or customer service can even become a waste of time and money if crucial functionalities like reporting aren’t working correctly. In an industry that already has tight margins, choosing the right software (including customer support) and being trained on how to correctly use it could be the difference between staying profitable or not.

Finally, it’s important to acknowledge that NEMT and Paratransit are providing important services for the communities they serve. Software problems that aren’t addressed quickly are literally impacting the quality of life for riders who rely on these services to stay healthy and stay mobile.

So, What Should Good NEMT Software Support Look Like?

The foundation of good customer service is twofold: first, access to live support; second, actionable solutions that are carried out quickly.

In terms of live help, a quality NEMT software provider should have real human representatives available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Although many providers have some form of “all-hours support,” this support doesn’t always offer practical solutions. Therefore, it’s important to look for a software company that also guarantees solutions in a 24-hour timeframe.

A reputable software provider should offer dedicated on-site onboarding and training by a real person. Quality SaaS products will also offer ongoing training to help clients properly use all of the software’s features.

Finally, good customer support means that the software company is built to be agile and responsive to a constantly-evolving industry. This means they offer regular updates, bug fixes, and new features.

Good Support is the Bedrock of Good Software

Among NEMT software providers, TripMaster is one of the only NEMT software companies to provide a concierge-level amount of account support. This includes

• A dedicated all-hours support team, as well as contact information for the account executive and technical trainer who helped the company implement the software.
• Additional support and accountability are represented by providing direct contact information for TripMaster’s CEO and CTO.  

Ultimately, the way that customer and technical support are handled is a great overall metric to choose the right provider for your transit agency, whether you’re upgrading, switching providers, or simply modernizing your dispatch system.