Opinion
Passengers want to feel valued and cared
for. They want to know that when a problem occurs, it will be dealt with effi ciently – and this has to include keeping them regularly informed. It’s bad enough when a train has to be cancelled, but when the passenger only fi nds out when they are already at the station and are given no information on the next train, it only makes matters worse. How many times do we see news reports from stations about delays where the biggest complaint is not being kept informed? Implementing outbound messaging
services and inbound information lines that can serve passengers with personalised and up-to-the minute news can go a long way towards the goal of keeping customers informed. A fully automated and integrated interactive mobile marketing and automated customer service solution, such as the HTK Horizon platform, can help organisations to sell more and serve better, at lower cost. And for rail operators, this provides the means to notify customers and passengers of journey- related issues such as delays, cancellations and schedule changes. It is essential that customers are able to opt-in to the service, usually from a website
‘Only 35 per cent of regional operator customers said that the process of dealing with delays was satisfactory’
or using mobile SMS, with extensive options for personalisation. This ensures they only get the messages they want and in the format – text, voice or email, for example – that they want. Outbound messages can be centrally managed or delegated to individual stations, while maintaining central reporting. In addition, a single national 0800
or shared-cost phone number can be used to provide localised information to callers. Content could include scheduling information, service updates and even special offers. And at peak times it may be a good idea for the calls to be handled using an intelligent call queue that will signifi cantly reduce caller frustration. For example, when there has been a major service disruption in the area that a person is calling from, then it
is likely their call is about this. Information and advice on the problem can therefore be given immediately, and if it is what they needed, it eliminates the need to wait in a long queue to speak to someone. It’s not just about improving
customer service – improving customer communication can also help increase season ticket renewal rates by sending out a reminder by email or text message, with automated payment and a range of options for standards-based IT integration. Mobile web and text messaging are also valuable tools for collecting insight from customers to improve marketing service programs in ways that will better serve their needs. Used properly, integrated multi-channel inbound and outbound communication tools will help rail operators to capture service issues as they occur and deal with them promptly to help avoid customer loss and negative word-of- mouth.
MARLON BOWSER IS THE CEO AT HTK, A UK-BASED COMPANY THAT PROVIDES HOSTED SOLUTIONS FOR INTERACTIVE MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING, AUTOMATED CUSTOMER SERVICE AND INTELLIGENT CUSTOMER CONTACT:
www.htk.co.uk
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SEPTEMBER 2010 PAGE 29
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