(25 Jul 2016, 7:45 pm)Adrian wrote Perceptions are everything.
Mind I disagree that missing vinyl was replaced quickly by Go North East in the past. It's been a problem since branding was ramped up, and I don't think it'll ever go away. It's not unique to Go North East mind, as Belmont have had plenty Sapphires running round with missing vinyl this year. The more branded buses the bigger the task, which is a major downside of branding.
I think that communication is poor right across the North East. I don't think that any of the operators engage with their customers as much as they should, and the Executives & Local Authorities are just as bad. It's conveniently forgotten that customer engagement is a two-way process, and it should form part of continuous service improvement.
I used to really like the idea of Open Line and also the Nexus forums, as that allowed for that level of engagement, to a degree. People being able to ask questions directly to senior managers and directors, bypassing the mundane rigid processes of customer services, makes them feel valued. Both GNE and Nexus were ahead of the game here, and with the twitter boom, many more are taking this stance nowadays. VTEC have David Horne regularly contributing with customers, Andrew Wickham from Go South Coast makes good use of twitter, and Alex Hornby of Transdev does the same. I'd hope that everyone up here will get into 2016 as far as customer engagement goes, rather than hiding behind their customer service teams.
I liked what Transdev did one day last week. They were dishing out ice lollies to customers on the hottest day of the year so far, and it was all over twitter. It'll have cost them next to nothing to do, yet it's engagement, as everybody is talking about it. It's the simple things sometimes. https://twitter.com/alextransdev/status/...3532223488
Some of the Sapphire's are in a right state, and some have needed new vinyls for a while now.
I remember a when I got on the (Villager) V1 a few years ago, probably 2014, and I was given the choice of a Frosties or Weetabix breakfast, in a 'take away' style pot which I thought was excellent.I think Alex Hornby is undoubtedly one of the best in the business on all aspects, but he is very clever in his communication. He is always talking to enthusiasts, because after all, word of mouth is the best form of communication, surely. And, if he get's enthusiasts on his side, then we all know that news travels fast!