Passengers were put first… and so was LU
Transport Focus Chief Executive ANTHONY SMITH, the lead judge for RAIL’s National Rail Awards Putting Passengers First Award, reveals why London Underground claimed the prize for its Customer Service Training Programme
Passengers want to see staff, and to talk to them when they need a bit of help - it’s that simple! Transport Focus’s research backs this up. In addition, like many other industries, the railway is constantly being challenged to look at how it can be more efficient and make best use of its resources - one of its biggest resources being its staff.
In many of our research projects passengers have described the contribution that staff can have in making their journey experience a positive one. They are the human face of the railway. For those operators keen to improve passenger satisfaction, it is important to understand at which stages of the journey passengers value staff the most, and the contribution they want staff to make to their experience.
Transport Focus research into passenger aspirations and expectations has revealed a consistent message coming through about staff: passengers like and value having staff around. For example, in a series of focus groups carried out with Northern Rail passengers, frequent references were made to the varied assistance staff could provide, and to the enhancement of feelings about personal security when there was a visible staff presence - particularly at smaller rural stations.
Passengers were also quick to point out the benefit to the operator of having a presence at stations, as it deters fare evasion. It was felt that even having one member of staff present for part of the day would make a genuine and positive difference.
Looking at our research as a whole, we can identify the following core areas where the presence and assistance provided by customerfacing staff is seen to be an essential part of the service passengers expect to receive: Ticket retailing. Revenue protection. Accessibility. Information provision, especially during disruption. Assistance, especially during disruption. Personal security. We carried out a joint project with South West Trains (SWT) to understand why passengers were choosing to queue at ticket office windows, rather than use self-service ticket machines. The research revealed that the majority of those in ticket office queues could have bought their ticket from a ticket vending machine (TVM) and had actually done so in the past. Nine out of ten of those in ticket office queues were aware of TVMs at the station and 78% had used them in the past.
The results demonstrated that the conscious decision to purchase at ticket offices was often driven by:
The purchaser’s lack of confidence in using the machines.
The purchaser’s lack of confidence in their ability to select a ticket at the appropriate price with the necessary validity or relevant route (as specified on the ticket and reflected in the price).
A preference for face-to-face transactions for reassurance.
While for many customers there was little objection to using TVMs in theory, any doubts about the details of which tickets are available, or the functionality of the machines, meant people reverted to the ‘tried and tested’ ticket office.
Personal security is also a factor. In trying to define which types of anti-social behaviour particularly concerned passengers, Transport Focus carried out joint research with the British Transport Police in 2010. This revealed the top three types of behaviour that worried passengers: abusive or threatening behaviour; theft of belongings; and people under the influence of alcohol or drugs. When asked what could allay some of those concerns, passengers consistently identified staff presence as the key.
London Underground’s bold initiative to move staff onto the ticket concourse and make ticket machines more usable and accessible therefore clearly interested RAIL’s National Rail Awards judges.
Three things impressed them. Firstly, the amount of planning that went into the Customer Service Training Programme, starting in 2012 with new Area Managers being appointed to lead the changes. Given staff and passenger sensitivities, this project had to be handled well. There was ample evidence of consultation, involvement and listening to and acting on feedback. The most comprehensive training ever delivered by London Underground led to all operational and 4,500 station staff going on a five-day programme. As a result, 286 ticket offices were closed at 247 Tube stations - a huge change.
Secondly, the project could only succeed if the range of ticket types and payment methods had simplified sufficiently that more passengers would have the confidence to buy online or at the ticket machine. While the rapid growth of contactless payment has clearly helped this, LU did much work in advance to make the ticket range easy to understand and with a clear point of contact if things went wrong. Some 150 extra ticket machines were installed, software upgraded, eight Visitor Centres opened, new help points installed, and 4,500 iPads were given to staff - an impressive package.
Thirdly, listening to customer feedback. There was clear evidence that passenger satisfaction with both staff presence and the help they get from staff when they need it have both risen.
This is the sort of clear evidence of change that the NRA judges are looking for - scores for staff availability to help at ticket machines has risen from 36% to 65%, as have scores for staff helpfulness. At the same time satisfaction with ticket-buying facilities has also risen and continues to rise.
Overall, this is an ambitious and large-scale project that should make a visible and palpable improvement for millions of passengers every day. Our colleagues at London TravelWatch are now carrying out an independent review for the Mayor of London to understand the customer impact of the ticket office closures, and to identify any areas where further action is still required. This project put passengers first and is a worthy winner.