Passengers appreciate good communication. During times of delays and cancellations, it can be the difference between a passenger being just mildly disgruntled or indignant.
The winner of the Customer Service of the Year award at the 2016 RailStaff Awards was won by TransPennine Express’ Danny Roberts – a characterful fixture at Grimsby station. Front line rail staff often garner nominations for their ever friendly manner and helpful approach.
How companies deliver good customer service has changed significantly. Traditional communications methods are being augmented with more and more digital platforms and passengers now rely on service information delivered directly to their smartphone in a way that would have seemed unthinkable 15 years ago. But the role of knowledgable staff hasn’t been depleted by this. By arming them with this same information, the industry has actually been able to enhance the service it provides to passengers.
Everyone’s a customer
At the heart of telent’s rail business is the design, installation and maintenance of station security and information systems; the big-screen displays, public address systems, help points and cameras on the network that passengers rely on to keep informed and protected.
The company’s mission statement is ‘keeping the UK & Ireland connected & protected’. To do that, the company needs each of its 2,000 employees, and especially the more than a thousand technical and field staff, to play a vital role. Every single person is a customer, whether they are a passenger, colleague or client – a point which highlights the important status of this particular award.
The investment and commitment telent makes to its customers was demonstrated recently when the company announced it had been awarded five-star supplier status in its annual Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) audit.
Says Steve Dalton, managing director of telent’s rail division, ‘At telent we never forget that every connection we make is for someone and that’s why our innovative and passionate, respectful and resourceful people have always mattered most to our success and why we go the extra mile to deliver our clients’ promises to their customers.
‘I’m really excited that this year telent is supporting the Outstanding Customer Service Award, and I look forward to meeting the finalists, hearing their stories about how they have gone the extra mile to deliver truly outstanding customer service and to say thank you on behalf of the customers they have helped.’
Get nominating
Steve also wants to stir the industry into nominating inspiring colleagues. ‘I encourage everyone to recognise the talented individuals and teams in their businesses by nominating them for a RailStaff Award and on behalf of everyone at telent I wish every nominee every success in October and in their on-going careers in our most vital rail industry.’
More information about this year’s event can be found on the RailStaff Awards website: www.railstaffawards.com
Note: Nominations for this year’s ceremony are now closed
