NATIONAL EXPRESS
DAVID DUKE spent much of last year
asking colleagues, employees and customers one common question: What do customers really want and expect from us? “We spent a lot of time last year trying to
understand a value proposition,” said Duke, who took the helm at National Express Corp. in June 2011 to oversee Durham School Services in the United States and Stock Trans- portation in Canada. “Tis past year we’ve been laying a foun-
dation that’s focused on safety, people, technology and customer service.” It’s a changing landscape in the school
bus industry, and National Express is mak- ing changes to adapt to the needs of the marketplace. It began with the introduction of Duke, who previously spent eight years with First Student, followed by new senior management executives formerly with First Student, such as COO Charlie Bruce and Mergers and Vice President of Acquisitions Carey Paster. Ten there are new executives with business experience outside of student transportation. Te goal was to create a syn- thesis of views for a more balanced and fresh perspective on the contracting business. Now with new top-tier management in
place, Duke and his team are working at im- plementing National Express’ key initiatives — namely the realignment of its operational structure to provide better customer service. “We’re a much more transparent organiza-
tion, and one willing to challenge how we do things,” Duke said.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK IS BASIS FOR TRAINING In working toward laying a new founda- tion, Duke and his team last year examined
the organization’s 175 operating locations to determine an ideal structure. Tey found they didn’t have enough regional people in a safety role as well as enough maintenance support. Duke gave an example of how there was one employee located in Philadelphia who was in charge of supervising all school bus maintenance for customers in Canada. Ten, National Express held a customer
advisory event, where its customers acted as sounding boards to determine if the com- pany’s policies truly coincided with student transportation needs and wants. “Clearly safety was important, but also that
there was something identifiable, measurable and transparent around the business so cus- tomers could see how we were doing, and that we met their expectations,” Duke said. Customers also expressed flexibility by a
contractor and an emphasis on dealing with conflict resolution. Tey also wanted drivers to be well trained in not only safe driving, but also in providing customer service. “Tat was one of the gaps we had,” said Duke, who relaunched a defunct program the company had called Durham University. Now branded as National Express Univer-
sity, the program will serve as a training base for all employees. At this writing, Duke said company officials were creating the curricu- lum. Te company also hired a new director of training. Duke also noted that the company began a
fast-track training program for managers last month. He and other senior management are a part of this program, as they travel around the country to provide two-day sessions that include mentors and hands-on training for all National Express management teams. Te sessions also bring managers up to speed on
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