In Kentucky, 94 percent of travelers surveyed said they were satisfied with the information provided by 511 Tourism Service operators.
Date Posted
03/30/2007
Identifier
2007-B00306
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Evaluation of the Eastern Kentucky Rural Highway Information Project 511 Tourism Service

Summary Information

In December 2003, the Kentucky 511 service expanded its traffic, construction, and weather information system to include information on special events, local points of interest, restaurants, and lodging in the southern and eastern parts of the state. A public-private partnership was formed to expand the service. The Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association and its private sector partner collaborated to define the system requirements, implement upgrades, and measure impacts on customer satisfaction.

Prior to the deployment of the expanded service, callers were limited to the information provided by an automated voice recognition system that was sometimes slow to respond. The expanded 511 service provided callers with additional support. Callers could speak directly with system operators and receive detailed information related to travel planning. In order to provide this level of service, operators were equipped with an advanced database search tool that enabled them to quickly target information related to each caller's information request.

To evaluate customer satisfaction, all users who accessed the system were invited to participate in a follow-up telephone survey. Between June 2005 and March 2006, researchers from the University of Louisville Urban Studies Institute (USI) conducted interviews with 600 of the 824 callers who agreed to participate.

RESULTS

The average number of calls to the 511 Tourism Service increased from 1,145 calls per month in 2004 to 1,814 calls per month in 2005. The most dramatic increases occurred during the tourist season (June to October). Discounting seasonal demands, 511 roadside signs and billboards had the greatest impact on increased call volumes, followed by television and radio advertising. Referrals and repeat callers also contributed to the growing popularity of the 511 tourism service.

Respondents were mostly residents of Kentucky, and of these, 91 percent lived within the program's coverage area (42 counties). On average, respondents used the service twice. Nearly one-third of respondents used the service between 2 and 5 times.

The survey results indicated that user satisfaction with the 511 Tourism Service was high. Ninety-four (94) percent of all respondents indicated that they were very satisfied with the answers and information that operators provided. Overall, the findings indicated that the system was beneficial to those interested in exploring their own region. The highest percentage of callers requested information about special events, followed closely by those requesting information on directions and lodging.

Deployment Locations