Published on: Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Rail passengers in East Anglia have nominated the station teams and individuals who they feel deliver the best customer service, with a Bishop’s Stortford rail station employee scooping an individual award.
Jennie Alford of Bishop’s Stortford Ticket Office received an individual award for the excellent customer service she provides at the Ticket Office.
Bob Winnington, National Account Director at the Institute of Customer Service, will present Jennie with a coveted National Customer Service Week Award at 9.30am on Friday 25th October at Bishop’s Stortford station.
During National Customer Service Week from 7th-13th October, Greater Anglia asked regular travellers to nominate the station teams or individuals across the network who go the extra mile to make passengers’ journeys pleasant and stress-free or who have gone the extra mile to offer assistance or make a difference.
They received 83 nominations, a four-fold increase on the previous year. The awards were judged by the Greater Anglia Leadership Team who assessed each nominee for, amongst other criteria, the effort they make to exceed customer expectations and the level to which they know the value of excellent service to the business.
Other winners included Graham Cooper and Amanda Sirkett of Ely Ticket Office, Anish Thomas of Cambridge Station, Dave Hardik of Liverpool Street Ticket Office, and Stephen Capps, Conductor. Ely station employees won the Overall Station Team Award, the Twitter Team won the Social Media and Customer Relations Award, the West Customer Service Team won the Regional Award and employees involved in operating the Marks Tey train service won the Joint Operations Team Award.
Ruud Haket, Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, said, “I would like to offer my congratulations and gratitude to all those individuals who helped achieving these awards. Receiving these awards has only been achievable because of engaged employees who do their upmost to exceed our customers’ expectations every day.”
Delivering excellent customer service is a priority for Greater Anglia and since the franchise began the train operator has invested in a training programme that has seen all front line staff taking part in a two day Customer Service course.
Mystery shopping surveys have demonstrated that the training is having a positive effect with many staff achieving perfect scores of 100% when they are secretly assessed by mystery shoppers.