This is the age of the train

When you think of railways in this country, having a reputation for great customer service is not necessarily the first thing you might associate with them.

But for me one of the UK’s finest exponents of a customer service that exudes humanity, warmth and helpfulness can be found working for one of our many rail companies.

It is often said that no one gets up and comes to work to give bad customer service, though as I get older I begin increasingly to doubt this saying. It is just the resources, the systems, the leadership and other infrastructure issues far too often get in the way of people giving the standard of customer care and service that they would aspire to give. Accepting that in some businesses and for some people the standard of service to which they aspire is exceedingly low, no matter the claim that the business puts customers first.

However the person who is the subject of these musings is capable of rising above all this and no matter the issues and the extent to which a whole host of factors get in the way of a top class level of service being delivered, is unfailingly polite, helpful, diligent, reliable and totally 100% customer centric. Here the customer does come first even if a few rules have to be quietly bent to make sure they do and even if they don’t deserve to come first (and at times I am ashamed to say I have fallen into this category).

I once asked about the attitude and approach to customer service. It was simple.

‘’I just imagine that everyone I meet has VIP stamped on their forehead and I treat them like a VIP’’.

Management consultants working in this area will come up with PowerPoint upon PowerPoint detailing their approach to customer service management but I doubt they can come up with anything better.

And so every day myself and all the other customers are treated as a VIPs.

I am met at the station with a warm greeting; I am called Sir until my name is learnt and then I become Mr and eventually we graduate to Christian names; nothing is ever too much trouble, I am never made to feel a bother or stupid; and extraordinary requests not covered by the rule book are treated with a graciousness that is uncommon and dealt with through the application of common sense. You never get the sense of a jobsworth or a box ticker or a slavish follower of rules.

The impact of such a devotion to customer service excellence is noticeable by its rarity.

Indeed it is so noticeable that I am delighted to announce that all these efforts were rewarded by an MBE in this year’s New Year’s Honours List. Brilliant.

For me this is a master class in customer service and I would urge all rail staff and anyone else looking to deliver great customer service at all moments of truth to get down to my local rail station and see excellence in action.

Judy MBE, I salute you.