Not so Brief Encounter with Virgin
I’m going to relay a nightmare experience aboard a Virgin Train which demonstrates how you can turn misadventure into a reputation building opportunity and learn some valuable lessons in customer service along the way.
My journey started at 7am on a cold, winter’s morning just before Christmas. I took the Virgin Trains west coast line service from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly before boarding a local train to Romilley, near Stockport, to visit my 90-year-old Auntie Maud.
At 4pm, as I prepared to leave, Auntie Maud urged me to stay the night. With 32 people coming for dinner the next day, I declined her kind offer.
You don’t get to be 90 without learning a thing or two, which certainly can be said for my Auntie Maud. “If anything goes wrong, just come back,” she said, her sixth sense working overdrive, as I waved her goodbye.
Fifteen minutes into my return journey the train came to a sudden halt a few miles north of Congleton in the heart of rural Cheshire. Two minutes later there was an announcement by the guard over the intercom system that there had been a serious incident on the line ahead involving the train in front of us and that they would keep us informed of what was happening.
To begin with there was a lot of information coming through. It would seem that a car had been hit on a level crossing by the train in front and then sandwiched by a local train coming the other way.
After about an hour we were told that the power on the line was being turned off because the emergency services needed to use metal cutting equipment. That meant us sitting in a cold, dark train without access to loos - because loos on trains these days have electrically powered doors!
The longer we sat there in the dark and cold, the less information came through, which was very frustrating to say the least.
On a more positive note, however, the Virgin Trains staff brought around whatever food and drink they had on board including fruit, mince pies and bottles of water.
It was also clear that they were well prepared for such an emergency, which was very reassuring. They had light sticks in every carriage so that if anybody did have to move around they could do so in safety. They also had a foil blanket on board for every passenger.
Shortly before midnight, a diesel powered locomotive arrived to haul us back to Stockport Station. It was tempting to make way back to wise old Auntie Maud’s at this stage but I boarded the train that Virgin had organised to take me and my fellow passengers, many of whom were bosom pals by this stage, back to London Euston. From there, at 3.30am, a stream of taxis arrived and the Virgin staff set about grouping everybody into geographical areas of London – North, South, East and West - before sending us in groups of five in cabs for the final leg of our journeys back home.
Impressively, within a week I had received a cheque refunding the cost of the ticket together with a well written letter explaining exactly what had happened, what they did to respond to the situation, empathising with me as to how I must have felt and welcoming the opportunity to restore my faith in their service by offering a complimentary standard class return journey on their services, valid for 12 months. All I had to do was to call the number given ten days in advance of my preferred travel date and they would make the necessary arrangements.
Although this was a very unpleasant experience for everyone involved, overall Virgin Trains did a great job in customer service.
So based on my experience, what lessons can be drawn? Here are my thoughts:
- Even if a situation is not the fault of the service provider – in this example Virgin Trains were not to blame, the owner of a 4x4 had left the handbrake off causing the vehicle to roll onto the railway lines – you have to clearly understand the impact that it is having on your customers and empathise with them accordingly.
- Keep your customers well informed throughout the process. Even when there is nothing new to say, keep in touch because silence is very difficult to deal with.
- Be well prepared for all eventualities, it will help to reassure your customers when disaster strikes.
- Be generous. That night Virgin made sure we had something to eat and drink and that we all arrived home safely at their cost. Because they treated us well, I would not think twice about using them again.
- Do not underestimate the power of verbal communication. I spent the next evening describing my experience to each and every one of my 32 dinner guests. By and large what I had to say portrayed a positive impression of Virgin Trains. Imagine the potential impact on the company if the impression created by me (and my fellow passengers during their conversations with friends, family and colleagues) had been the other way round.
Sarah Mather
26 January 2009
email: sarah.mather@real-service.co.uk
