CASE HISTORY
THE UK’S RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
• THE GROUP BOARD
• THE OWNING GROUPS
• THE TRAIN OPERATORS
• THE CUSTOMER
• VARYING RAIL BRANDS
THE OBJECTIVE
There was a need for a customer strategy across the industry with the burden of a poor reputation from severe delays and cancellations caused by rail improvements and rocketing ticket prices. People seemed to feel more like just another passenger and inconvenience rather than a valued customer.
THE EXPERIENCE
We restructured the team by defining and implementing strategies to support the customer journey and develop the business and encouraged more customers to utilise the railways during off peak travel times to manage, yield and reduce congestion and overcrowding whilst offering an improved customer experience. We relaunched the National Rail Enquiries site to be much more customer friendly and launched the development of a digital railcard which in its
simplicity also enabled the capture of customer data to deliver effective targeted marketing and a customer loyalty progamme In terms of customer operations and communications, we simplified the CRM system for closer stakeholder engagement. We also launched and developed an industry brand to engage the public with the railways to build advocacy and trust and reposition the delivery of a complex negative message. The team also implemented a forum governed by the rail industry board to enable a voice of the customer and enhance the customer experience through effective channel management of third party retailers.
THE RESULTS
The industry was presented with a very thorough customer experience strategy to engage the customer with the railways, creating a better experience, perception of value, advocacy and trust. We delivered to the train operating companies the strategy they need to implement operationally in stations and on trains in order to engage with the customer and improve overall experience. Furthermore, we are now supporting several of the operating companies on how to commercialise these strategies through the value chain and the built environment.