North East Buses
Customer Service thread - Printable Version

+- North East Buses (https://northeastbuses.co.uk/forums)
+-- Forum: Local Bus Scene (https://northeastbuses.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Operations, Management & Infrastructure (https://northeastbuses.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Thread: Customer Service thread (/showthread.php?tid=958)

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13


RE: Customer Service thread - omnicity4659 - 26 Nov 2015

(26 Nov 2015, 4:09 pm)BusLoverMum Then that's definitely not an Arriva matter!

With all of these situations, if you're willing to hand over some change, you have to be willing to do so knowing that there is a likelihood that the person in question is a chancer. I'd not feel any guilt about saying sorry, but no, anyhow, since I can't think of anywhere in the region where £1.20 buys you a bus ticket that isn't walkable by anyone reasonably able bodied

£1.20 would get you from Ashington bus station to the other end of Rotary Parkway. Hardly Kilimanjaro. I made that complaint informing them of the situation, he was sat in Stand B (X21) when I arrived talking to a woman in there. God knows how many people he's conned, as it's falling on deaf ears. He also tried selling me a watch "that didn't fit", but it obviously did.


RE: Customer Service thread - Tom - 23 Dec 2016

GNE and Arriva should take a note of Stagecoach customer services - their customer service is absolutely great.

It's very rare I complain about bus drivers, however I did as last Friday the bus driver on the 22 refused to let me off the bus even though I had pressed the bell (I told him and got absoulutely no response which is also really bad as I know they might miss stops but to ignore me is the main reason I complaint) and continued up to Willington Square where he eventually stopped. So I sent an email to Stagecoach and got a reply back within 2 hours by their main customer service team, and then today I got a follow up email by the Walkergate duty manager letting me know what was happening. That's the way it should be in my opinion. I could put the response in here if anyone wanted to see it without names etc.


RE: Customer Service thread - Andreos1 - 23 Dec 2016

(23 Dec 2016, 5:49 pm)Tom GNE and Arriva should take a note of Stagecoach customer services - their customer service is absolutely great.

It's very rare I complain about bus drivers, however I did as last Friday the bus driver on the 22 refused to let me off the bus even though I had pressed the bell (I told him and got absoulutely no response which is also really bad as I know they might miss stops but to ignore me is the main reason I complaint) and continued up to Willington Square where he eventually stopped. So I sent an email to Stagecoach and got a reply back within 2 hours by their main customer service team, and then today I got a follow up email by the Walkergate duty manager letting me know what was happening. That's the way it should be in my opinion. I could put the response in here if anyone wanted to see it without names etc.

Aye, stick it on if you could and just redact the names or any reference numbers.


RE: Customer Service thread - Tom - 23 Dec 2016

(23 Dec 2016, 7:27 pm)Andreos1 Aye, stick it on if you could and just redact the names or any reference numbers.

Sorry it wouldn't let me copy and paste it on my phone

Quote:I write following receipt of your complaint regarding our service 22 driver who failed to allow you to alight on the evening of Friday 16th December 2016. First and foremost I am extremely sorry that you have had a negative experience with one of our services, and I am very concerned to hear of the incident you have described. 

At Stagecoach we invest a great deal of time and resources into providing comprehensive training for all of our employees. This training covers all aspects of the drivers’ role, but has a particular emphasis on driving standards and customer care. All of our drivers are aware that the fundamental role of a bus driver is to stop at designated bus stops and allow passengers to alight, so long as it is safe to do so. We regularly impress upon our drivers the crucial need to conduct a thorough final check before committing to departing or passing stops. Any report that a driver has failed to allow travel to allow a passenger to alight without good reason is fully investigated and treated very seriously. 

I have launched an investigation into this incident, which will involve viewing the CCTV from the bus in question, and I will also arranged an interview with the driver concerned. At this interview I will be discussing this incident, and I will be taking the appropriate action in line with our company procedures to ensure that it is not repeated in the future. 

Once again on behalf of Stagecoach in Newcastle I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for any distress or inconvenience that this incident has caused. I would also like to thank you for drawing this to my attention and enabling me to investigate and deal with this matter appropriately. I hope that this incident does not deter you from travelling with us again in the future. 

Regards

vs. the Go North East response of they will pass it onto the depot.


RE: Customer Service thread - Ambassador - 23 Dec 2016

Great response. They may not actually do anything but they create the appearance and attitude that they care about your business.

It's a really solid corporate response vs the GNE 'whatcha gonna do, aggressive response' . I actively avoid using any Go Ahead services where possible due to their woeful service.


RE: Customer Service thread - Michael - 23 Dec 2016

I got the kinda same reponse from Stagecoach regarding the 18 in Sunderland... They were helpful and were interested in sorting the problem.

Even said they were update me on the progress.


RE: Customer Service thread - Andreos1 - 23 Dec 2016

(23 Dec 2016, 8:34 pm)Tom Sorry it wouldn't let me copy and paste it on my phone


vs. the Go North East response of they will pass it onto the depot.

Cheers Tom.

I like it when someone appears to take responsibility and shows ownership of an issue. As opposed to a lack of empathy, passing the buck or shrugging their shoulders.


RE: Customer Service thread - Adrian - 24 Dec 2016

(23 Dec 2016, 10:23 pm)Ambassador Great response. They may not actually do anything  but they create the appearance and attitude that they care about your business.

It's a really solid corporate response vs the GNE 'whatcha gonna do, aggressive response' . I actively avoid using any Go Ahead services where possible due to their woeful service.

I disagree. That is pretty standard as far as responses go, and I'd be confident in the next customer getting a similar response. I do not like templates, and would much rather that someone phone me to discuss it.

Go North East and Arriva will give you a similar reply, changing the section of their template.


RE: Customer Service thread - Dan - 09 Apr 2017

A discussion regarding Customer Services has been absorbed into a discussion on another part of the board. Adrian moved these posts here yesterday, for anyone who may have assumed they'd been deleted.

As I feel that that the two topics aren't related, I thought it best to reply in the thread we have set up to discuss dealings with Customer Services within this industry.


(08 Apr 2017, 9:01 am)Andreos1 I wonder if it gives an example or is symptomatic of the culture or attitudes shown by the organisation?
Staff using copyright images without consent, drivers breaking the law when driving a vehicle carrying passengers and staff failing to respond to correspondence about said driving...

Arrogance is a word that jumps to mind.

Andreos1 - may I ask how long it has been since you initially logged your complaint with Go North East?

Has the company failed to respond, or is there a possibility that the company is still investigating your complaint? The last time I submitted an e-mail of complaint to Go North East's Customer Services Department, I received an automated response, as follows:

Quote:Thank you for your e-mail to Go North East.
We aim to respond to enquiries by e-mail as soon as possible.
If you are reporting something that needs investigation, such as a specific complaint about a service or ticket, you will need to complete our online feedback form.

I noticed you made a post here regarding generic e-mail acknowledgements. Whenever I send an e-mail to someone with their 'out of office' enabled, I receive an e-mail back almost immediately (and indeed if it's someone within my organisation, I can read their out of office whilst I am composing my e-mail!) Did this not happen for you?

When submitting e-mails of complaint to organisations, I do like to receive an automated e-mail response to confirm that the organisation has received the e-mail. I also like it when a member of staff from the company responds afterwards, confirming that the incident is being investigated, with some feedback from a member of staff at a later date after the complaint has been investigated.

You say yourself that it was a 'serious complaint' - presumably one which would require investigation. CCTV would have to be downloaded, the bus' telematics system data would have to be analysed... Did you fill out the feedback form provided in the link on the automated e-mail response?


RE: Customer Service thread - Andreos1 - 09 Apr 2017

(09 Apr 2017, 7:09 am)Dan A discussion regarding Customer Services has been absorbed into a discussion on another part of the board. Adrian moved these posts here yesterday, for anyone who may have assumed they'd been deleted.

As I feel that that the two topics aren't related, I thought it best to reply in the thread we have set up to discuss dealings with Customer Services within this industry.



Andreos1 - may I ask how long it has been since you initially logged your complaint with Go North East?

Has the company failed to respond, or is there a possibility that the company is still investigating your complaint? The last time I submitted an e-mail of complaint to Go North East's Customer Services Department, I received an automated response, as follows:


I noticed you made a post here regarding generic e-mail acknowledgements. Whenever I send an e-mail to someone with their 'out of office' enabled, I receive an e-mail back almost immediately (and indeed if it's someone within my organisation, I can read their out of office whilst I am composing my e-mail!) Did this not happen for you?

When submitting e-mails of complaint to organisations, I do like to receive an automated e-mail response to confirm that the organisation has received the e-mail. I also like it when a member of staff from the company responds afterwards, confirming that the incident is being investigated, with some feedback from a member of staff at a later date after the complaint has been investigated.

You say yourself that it was a 'serious complaint' - presumably one which would require investigation. CCTV would have to be downloaded, the bus' telematics system data would have to be analysed... Did you fill out the feedback form provided in the link on the automated e-mail response?

You touched on a point yesterday about my line of work. Without going in to the nitty gritty, I work with a number of organisations (some at a pretty high level) and do a range of things within them.
As an example, I could work with a firm and develop their customer service strategy. Working on an existing process and improving it as we see fit. Obviously we would look at case studies, models, theory, statistical evidence  and anything else relevant, before completing the process.
One important factor with customer service is communication. There is also a need for transparency.

As an example, a personal  issue with an organisation has just been resolved. It took an awfully long time, but we got there once the organisation identified there had been a lack of ownership, lack of communication and lack of transparency.
Once that person took ownership of the dispute, there was a modal change in something that had dragged on for far longer than it should have done. A telephone call to introduce himself, was followed by regular telephone updates (he had asked me if I wanted these updates and if so, by what method) and then a final summary, before confirming the outcome in writing. There was a formal apology and an offer of financial recompense.

I’m not saying that the operator in this case should go to those extremes (there has been no material loss in this example – mainly down to luck!), but the behaviour by the organisation above, was in my opinion exemplary towards the end of the process.

What we have here, is an operator clearly complicating the process (by asking for the same information via survey monkey, despite already having it), a total lack of ownership, absolutely no communication and no transparency at all. Despite it being 11 days since the initial communication was started by myself.
I know data and cctv will need checking. I know the driver (and any witnesses) may need to be spoken to.  Unfortunately, I don't have that knowledge because the operator provided me with it.


RE: Customer Service thread - markydh - 09 Apr 2017

I have to say, customer service is one area where Stagecoach are streets ahead of the rest. A simple tweet can often lead to a pretty comprehensive response from a lead driver, depot manager, etc, often on the same day. If there does need to be more investigation, then they make this very clear and give you a time frame. They've also got the best app, but that's another conversation entirely!


RE: Customer Service thread - Adrian - 09 Apr 2017

(09 Apr 2017, 12:19 pm)markydh I have to say, customer service is one area where Stagecoach are streets ahead of the rest. A simple tweet can often lead to a pretty comprehensive response from a lead driver, depot manager, etc, often on the same day. If there does need to be more investigation, then they make this very clear and give you a time frame. They've also got the best app, but that's another conversation entirely!

I'd agree there. I've had similar experience on the few occasions that I've contacted Stagecoach NE.


RE: Customer Service thread - James101 - 09 Apr 2017

EYMS seem like a friendly team to deal with. The pictured conversation took place over a few minutes. Fast replies, friendly and commercially on point. 

.png
IMG_0808.PNG
Size: 201.6 KB / Downloads: 27


Don't know where I got the idea EYMS serve Flamingo Land from. Maybe they did years ago. The in-laws are off there for a few days in summer. Spending 4 days in a static caravan in Yorkshire would be a form of torture for me.


RE: Customer Service thread - Adrian - 09 Apr 2017

(09 Apr 2017, 6:14 pm)James101 EYMS seem like a friendly team to deal with. The pictured conversation took place over a few minutes. Fast replies, friendly and commercially on point. 

Don't know where I got the idea EYMS serve Flamingo Land from. Maybe they did years ago. The in-laws are off there for a few days in summer. Spending 4 days in a static caravan in Yorkshire would be a form of torture for me.

They've got the patter but no substance. They promised me a "full refund" on the Cityzap when I used it last year, until they found out I had a £20 group day ticket.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect a "full refund", but customers shouldn't be promised what can't be delivered.


RE: Customer Service thread - James101 - 09 Apr 2017

(09 Apr 2017, 7:52 pm)Adrian They've got the patter but no substance. They promised me a "full refund" on the Cityzap when I used it last year, until they found out I had a £20 group day ticket.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect a "full refund", but customers shouldn't be promised what can't be delivered.

After my conversation with EYMS, I messaged Coastliner and it took them hours to reply and they just directed me to their website. Must be a Transdev thing.


RE: Customer Service thread - Adrian - 09 Apr 2017

(09 Apr 2017, 7:56 pm)James101 After my conversation with EYMS, I messaged Coastliner and it took them hours to reply and they just directed me to their website. Must be a Transdev thing.

Apologies - I'd read your post and thought of Transdev for some reason!  Blush

I've never had any dealings at all with EYMS.


RE: Customer Service thread - Ambassador - 09 Apr 2017

So why do GNE struggle so much? It has to be down to leadership and direction, perhaps at a lower level.

They have the branding, pretty colours, some decent drivers, modern brand vibe about them but their whole interaction on Facebook and indeed via phone is aggressive, dismissive, patronising and fails to take any ownership. I think the most annoying thing is the empathy. They try it but they are so bloody awful at it it comes across patronising.


RE: Customer Service thread - LeeCalder - 10 Apr 2017

(09 Apr 2017, 11:17 pm)Ambassador So why do GNE struggle so much? It has to be down to leadership and direction, perhaps at a lower level.

They have the branding, pretty colours, some decent drivers, modern brand vibe about them but their whole interaction  on Facebook and indeed via phone is aggressive, dismissive, patronising and fails to take any ownership. I think the most annoying thing is the empathy. They try it but they are so bloody awful at it it comes across patronising.

Couldn't agree more. I find the majority of Facebook responses very cringworthy to read, the majority of them come across argumentative, and as though they are almost trying to prove people wrong.


RE: Customer Service thread - Andreos1 - 10 Apr 2017

(09 Apr 2017, 11:17 pm)Ambassador So why do GNE struggle so much? It has to be down to leadership and direction, perhaps at a lower level.

They have the branding, pretty colours, some decent drivers, modern brand vibe about them but their whole interaction  on Facebook and indeed via phone is aggressive, dismissive, patronising and fails to take any ownership. I think the most annoying thing is the empathy. They try it but they are so bloody awful at it it comes across patronising.

I wonder if it comes down the culture or attitudes within the firm, or at the very least the department.

Members are often very vocal when it comes to dissatisfaction, particularly when it is about one of the smaller operators. GCT comes to mind. Yet, the apparent experiences of the Customer Service Department within GNE provokes a lot of discussion.

Over the last 10 years, I have not submitted more than one complaint to an organisation, apart from a couple.
The name of the organisation that has had more complaints than any other? GNE. That’s despite giving up over significant period of time and not complaining at all.

Surprisingly (or not), I have yet to be satisfied with the way the complaint was dealt with. Issues have been ignored, I have been fobbed off, I have been given in-accurate information and I have had to spend my own time, chasing up complaints. All whilst dealing with the attitudes you mention, from a department where I imagine considerable staff turnover has happened in those intervening 10 years.

It is not as if they're what I would consider frivolous complaints either. If they were, I would be typing an email about the attitude of the driver who gave me change that was incorrect, just yesterday.
Maybe, the attitude shown by the driver, goes back to my first paragraph.

As with drivers, there will be some members of the Customer Service team who excel in certain situations and others, who don’t. Maybe it isn't fair that drivers get labelled or tarred, because of the behaviour of certain ones.
There will be passengers who complain on a regular basis and there will be some who complain, and do so with a certain attitude. Isn't it up to the team, to remain professional in all situations? Defusing issues or passenger attitudes?
I would argue, the overall department do anything but.

No matter how many good eggs there may be hidden away, until some of the good practice I mentioned yesterday is shown, my opinion of the department as a whole, will not change - regardless of what the root cause may be.


RE: Customer Service thread - Adrian - 10 Apr 2017

I don't disagree with the majority of what has been said above, but I want to specifically focus on drivers.

My own experience is that the vast majority of drivers I come across, in all three big companies up here, are both friendly and accommodating workers. They're maintaining this despite the environment they're working in, where it is quite frankly a disgrace the attitude they get from some customers. We should acknowledge the professionalism in those situations.

You of course get a few bad apples, but that is the case in any company around the world.