All aboard…. Or not? On Wednesday the 16th October 2013 I travelled to Geelong by train to take my mother out for the day. Nothing out of the ordinary, I have taken the trip a number of times previously. I leave Shepparton at 6.30am arrive in Geelong at 11.00am, then take a taxi to mum’s. I spend the day with mum taking her out to lunch and for a walk around Geelong. At the end of the day I catch the 4.26pm train from Geelong to Melbourne to catch the 6.22pm train to Shepparton. Generally very easy! The problem on Wednesday the 16th October was that the 4.26pm train never arrived at the Geelong station. The next train at 4.52pm left Geelong at 5.30pm approximately and arrived in Melbourne at approximately 6.55pm. No drama, I would just catch the train to Seymour. I rang Amanda and was sure she would come and pick me up even though she was out for the evening on very important business. The question what, how to get from Seymour to Shepparton without requiring Amanda to come and pick me up? I decided I could ask the conductor if she could ask over the intercom if anyone was travelling to Shepparton by road and if they could give me a lift. Unfortunately not, against V Line Policy. So nothing ventured nothing gained, I stood up at the front of the carriage asked for everyone’s attention and explained my dilemma. The question was if anyone was travelling to Shepparton by road, I would appreciate a lift. Unfortunately no one! I rang Amanda and pleaded my case! Next thing the conductor (Tess) came up to me and suggested that she might be able to organise a taxi for me from Seymour to Shepparton at V Lines’ expense; yes, right, nice idea but wouldn’t happen. I rang Amanda and asked her not to leave yet. Next thing Tess, the conductor, tells me she has organised a Taxi for me! At V Lines’ Expense!! In business we hear and speak so much about customer service. All the people I had spoken to previously had all provided “acceptable customer service” they had all pointed me in the right direction or answered my questions, even the person on the platform in Melbourne with the bright vest which read “Customer Service” and pointed to the carriage I needed to board, on the train to Seymour. None took no ownership of the problem I faced, being how to get from Seymour to Shepparton. The trip back to Shepparton was a real case study of what true customer service is all about. For all the rhetoric we go on with in all business, about customer service and what this means, true service relies so much on the people within the business being prepared to listen, understand and do more than expected. As with so many of the V Line staff I had spoken to in this case, how many of us go through the motions thinking we are providing Customer Service and how often does this mean absolutely nothing to the customer? To Tess the conductor on the 7.31pm train from Seymour to Melbourne, who understood the problem and took action; that was some customer service and very much appreciated!
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 01:57:25 +0000
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