Rail Leaders

By Jennifer Perry

REX: What kinds of mechanisms and programs does your organisation have in place (or that you are working towards) that have directly benefitted your customers, improved your service offering, and helped to ensure that every effort has been made to maintain a high level of customer service?

Michel Masson, chief executive, Yarra Trams (KDR Victoria): One of the first initiatives was to promote better passenger information through the rollout of route maps inside the trams. A complete overhaul of the tram network map resulted in a more meaningful and intuitive presentation. Customer feedback trends and single issues that have the potential to escalate or affect a number of customers are forwarded to the responsible manager for their review and action. As a result of customer feedback, we provide extra services during special events. The evolution of our tramTRACKER product has taken into account customer comments that have been incorporated into the application. A new driver training program has recently been implemented to assist drivers to provide customer service in a manner that avoids conflict and how to manage conflict if it does arise. Results show that it has assisted in reducing complaints. Our Meet the Managers sessions have also generated ideas which help us to enhance the customer experience.

Peter Doggett, chief operating officer, Department Transport, Energy & Infrastructure, South Australia: We have completely reviewed the competencies of our customer service centre staff and aimed to regenerate with employees who focus on customer needs rather than just operational implications.  Our on board staff have been trained in customer service skills with once again the intention being to soften the operational focus and get people thinking about repercussions for our customers. We will launch a new, significantly improved website later this year. We see online tools as a ‘first choice’ information source for an increasing proportion of our customers. For the first time our customers will be able to customise and save their favourite timetables, maps and alerts – giving them on-demand access to clear, valuable information from their desktop or mobile phone.

Andrew Lezala, chief executive, Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM): From day-one of the Metro franchise in 2009, a significant increase in the number of station platform attendants was implemented. At the same time, a significant increase in the amount of information broadcasts was implemented which provided customers with considerably more knowledge regarding when services were departing and from where. A number of dispatch paddle operators were assigned to busy city stations in the evenings which, when combined with authoritative announcements, has contributed to improving customer behaviour when exiting and boarding trains as well as improving the on time running of trains.  The role of the Authorised Officer has been subtly changed from being enforcement-based to being one of customer assistance, safety ambassadorial and revenue protection.

Rob Mason, chief executive, RailCorp: Our customers tell us that our service is improving but it’s happening too slowly and we want to improve even more. We need to get it right for them, every time. For example, at a training level, RailCorp has invested in developing and rolling out the Everyday Customer Service Principles which recognises six key principles that will help our staff provide excellent customer service every day: first impressions count, friendly and ready to help, communicate clearly, find a solution, share your knowledge and work together. RailCorp is investing in station and access improvements, increasing customer carparking, and introducing new rolling stock. We anticipate that in 2014, our entire fleet will be air conditioned which will prove a significant and tangible improvement to customer experience. The TfNSW-led Opal smartcard will deliver an integrated model for ticketing and remedy key concerns around fast ticket sales and ticketing policy.

Jim Benstead, chief executive Queensland Rail: Our commitment to raising the customer service bar is evidenced by the successful introduction of customer-focused initiatives such as Quiet Carriages, the launch of our Customer Charter and rolling out free WiFi on all new Queensland Rail trains. In 2010 we introduced a dedicated carriage as a quiet zone following overwhelming customer support during a three month trial. Our customers wanted it and we delivered an area where customers are asked to be respectful to others and refrain from loud conversations, using mobile phones and using loud musical devices. In 2011 Queensland Rail began the rollout of free wireless internet technology on all of its newer trains. By the end of this year 64 trains or a third of Queensland Rail’s City network fleet will offer free WiFi to customers travelling onboard.

REX: Does your organisation have a Customer Charter or are you looking at implementing one? If so, please detail the nature and importance of this for both your customers and your organisation?

Masson: Trams has a Customer Service Charter. It outlines our commitment to our customers in terms of the services we provide and the manner in which we provide them, as well as what we expect from our customers. It demonstrates our belief that we are partners with our customers. In addition, we have a Passenger Compensation Code that sets out the circumstances in which we will provide a compensatory ticket.

Doggett: The customer is at the centre of all our decisions - both longer term and day-to-day. Our focus has been on including the customer impact in all that we do, rather than describing it as a separate, additional function in a Customer Charter. In this regard, it’s a lot like safety. We want both safe working and excellent customer service to be totally integrated into everyone’s role. Not to be seen as ‘added extras’.

Lezala: Yes, Metro provides customers with open access to a Customer Charter.  The document proves invaluable when explaining to customers the respective rights and responsibilities the operator and the customer have.  The Charter is reproduced in 15 languages and details all the franchise responsibilities and commitments made by Metro.  The Charter also clearly outlines the process through which customers can seek compensation in the event specific performance thresholds are not attained by Metro and provides all essential public transport contact information including the Public Transport Ombudsman’s Office should a dispute arise.

Mason: RailCorp is currently working with Transport for NSW to implement an integrated transport customer charter. We introduced our first Charter in 2009 and in 2010 we won the Customer Charter category of the Australian Service Excellence Awards. Our charter will only improve and develop with time, and we place a significant emphasis on listening to customers and incorporating their feedback into what improvements they are looking for. Our last round of customer feedback attracted over 2000 customer comments, so it is building into a framework our customers recognise and participate in.

Mark Burgess, acting managing director, Public Transport Authority (PTA) Western Australia: We have a Customer Charter which was developed in consultation with front-line staff, is regularly reviewed to ensure that it remains current and valid, and is displayed at stations and in offices.

Benstead: Queensland Rail set a new benchmark in customer service when it launched its Customer Charter in December 2010. The charter is a public promise of Queensland Rail’s commitment to its customers covering seven key areas. The charter addresses the areas our customers have told us are important to them, including their safety, time, information, comfort, surroundings, personal service and feedback. Our customers have the right to expect the very highest level of service, and we are dedicated to being open and accountable against these measurable commitments. If there are occasions when our customers feel we have not lived up to an element of the charter, we are constantly looking at ways we can improve our performance through comments and feedback. And our commitment was recognised when Queensland Rail won the National Customer Charter Award at the Customer Service Institute of Australia (CSIA) awards last year.

REX: How can operators “think more like the customer”?

Masson: Because one of our core values is Think Like a Passenger, Yarra Trams greatly values customer service and feedback and appreciates that our customers take the time to contact us and tell us when we could have done better and when they were happy with the service. We conduct Meet the Managers sessions several times a year at high profile tram stops around the network to provide our customers and senior management with the opportunity to talk face-to-face to discuss issues of importance and to learn from each other. Yarra Trams has established a Tram Advisory Group (made up of customer and staff representatives) who provide advice on [a range of] matters. Our customers are telling us that ‘their’ trams are an integral part of the way they experience Melbourne and get around every day; they have a sense of ownership and pride in their trams and the quality of the service we provide. Our customers are passionate about trams and hold us to high standards, as we do ourselves.

Doggett: Be a customer. Get the train to work. Use the service. Key decision makers in any organisation should be fully aware of their product. Our product is transportation and all the report reading and focus grouping in the world cannot replace hands on experience. And yes – I do get the train to work.

Lezala: It’s crucial for operators to spend more time talking with and listening to customers while implementing systems where issues regarding customer experience can be captured and reported promptly with clear lines of accountability established to resolve problems as they arise. Metro has implemented a visual management accountability system which was pioneered in the automotive industry and more recently adopted in the rail industry. On an almost hourly basis, in some cases, information about customer safety, ill passengers, pedestrian accidents and other matters affecting customer experience are gathered, shared and managed. With visualisation meetings occurring across the business from top to bottom, customer service trends and problems can be identified, escalated and resolved very quickly.

Mason: Placing the customer at the centre of everything we do is imperative to providing an enhanced customer experience on the rail network and is something that RailCorp is committed to continue improving. A key way to think like the customer is to listen to what our customers are saying and understand their individual needs. RailCorp has a range of channels in place to listen to our customers and respond to their needs and concerns. We hold regular customer feedback forums, engage with commuter groups, host regular ‘Meet the Manager’ events, consult focus groups and deliver on a customer charter.

Burgess: Our PSM methodology involves a face-to-face meeting, ensuring the passenger understands the context of all questions. Topics covered are very customer-focussed, targetting passenger perceptions of value-for-money, service frequency and reliability, parking, personal safety, ticketing (SmartRider), information services, and 10 key aspects of the most recent journey (punctuality of train, speed of trip, cleanliness of train/station, appearance/design of station, facilities at station, availability of seats, onboard information, and satisfaction with ticket assistants/transit officers). The brief also calls for a spread across all demographics – male/female, student/standard/senior, concession/standard fare, commuter/intermediate traveller, peak/off-peak, weekday/weekend, etc.

Benstead: We are all customers in our lives so at QR we draw on our own everyday experiences to help us work towards the delivery of better service to our customers.  We have also launched customer reference groups, to help us take the pulse of customers, to flag initiatives, to get guidance and feedback from the people who use our services.

REX: Passenger rail is experiencing incredible patronage growth and at the same time, is operating in an environment where customer expectations are continually increasing. How can the industry meet these challenges head-on?

Masson: The Victorian Government’s Public Transport Development Authority has been established to assist with meeting these challenges. Among the primary objectives of the PTDA are ensuring that public transport operates as part of an integrated transport system that supports a sustainable Victoria and contributes to social wellbeing. It also aims to promote economic prosperity through efficient and reliable movement of public transport users while improving the safety of public transport for passengers and staff. Yarra Trams welcomes the establishment of the PTDA and will work to maximise the value of investment in assets to ensure the easy integration of future technologies.

Doggett: One of the advantages of patronage growth is that it affords an opportunity to expand and renew our fleet.  In Adelaide we are nearing completion of the refurbishment of the majority of our current diesel railcars and this includes improved customer information systems that are designed to meet customer expectations to have clear and accurate information. We also have new electric railcars due to enter service next year.  These new cars have been designed with the passenger in mind and this extends beyond just information systems but includes improving the whole environment covering aspects such as general passenger amenity and safety and security measures. There is also an increasing community demand for public transport that is easily accessible for all customers, including those who are frail or use mobility aids. We have completed many new or significant upgrades to train stations which have incorporated ramps, surfaces, lighting and amenity upgrades to improve accessibility.

Lezala: A consistent level of professionalism is needed right across the industry. We have different structures from privately operated to full government owned and operated and even within organisations we have differing employee opinions and cultures.  Regardless of the type of organisation or a person’s place within an organisation, all must exhibit the degree of professionalism expected by customers.  We have found this sense of professionalism is best cultivated through acknowledging and recognising the existing experience and skill base within the organisation and, in some instances, allowing an individual the flexibility to responsibly express their flair and personality which can delight customers.  Continued investment by government is necessary for us to be able to create capacity to keep satisfaction levels up in a growing city.

Mason: RailCorp is currently introducing a range of service and rollingstock improvements to meet patronage growth. This includes introduction of the new Waratah fleet. Infrastructure change takes time however, so a key element for the rail industry in meeting growth challenges is to plan strategically and integrate available demographic and planning information to assess current and future needs. For example, this may include integrating new residential or commercial developments into future timetables, or by introducing further dedicated freight corridors to allow for increased passenger train paths. It is also about seeing where tactical changes can be made, such as changing signalling design to meet extra services introduced into the network.

Burgess: Urban passenger rail patronage across Australia’s major cities has been growing at a substantial rate for some years, and Perth is no exception.  Our rail patronage has increased by 81 per cent in the past 10 years; 44 per cent of public transport trips in Perth are now made using rail services, compared with 10 per cent in 1990.  The substantial challenge has been to manage the use and distribution of our resources to maximise the supply of carrying capacity. We know that there is still latent demand in Perth’s northern and southern suburbs, and we know that demand overall will continue to increase.  The scenario was central to a major multi-modal study recently released for public comment by the WA State Government.  Public Transport for Perth in 2031 envisages that public transport use in Perth will double over the next 20 years. In the shorter term, the task remains one of deploying resources to best meet demand growth. 

Benstead: Queensland Rail believes in being responsive and listening to our customers while at the same time considering issues such as service frequency and timetabling. Queensland Rail is currently embarking on our biggest customer service overhaul in our 146 year history. The overhaul includes operational considerations as well as customer-oriented initiatives such as rolling out free WiFi on all new Queensland Rail trains. When Queensland Rail introduced its Customer Charter in 2010, one of the seven key areas our customers listed as important to them was Feedback. We have embraced this key charter commitment by being responsive and listening to our customers but at the same time proactively identifying their needs and focussing on what we can do address them.

This Q&A was an extract from the CEO Q&A to run in the March print edition of Rail Express.

Urban Rail 2012
8th - 9th May 2012 | InterContinental Melbourne the Rialto
www.informa.com.au/urbanrail