"Good Morning, Customer Care has arrived at this station"

Like many of you I am sure, I had to wrestle my way around London during the recent tube strike.  It was busy, extremely so, at times, but the London Underground stations that were open and where trains were running were generally staffed by helpful staff and volunteers in high-vis jackets who were helping weary commuters complete their journey.

As I was an unprepared commuter (dead phone battery, no newspaper and certainly no book), I was more acutely aware of the automated announcements seemingly being made at every few seconds.

Customer care on trains I guess is all about getting people to their destination in a timely fashion.  As commuters we hope for regular services in a safe clean train.  So that’s it isn’t it?  Well, no of course not as that was before our expectations were augmented to include the need for timely, accurate information and some comfort and lots of other key “touch points” along the way.  The new “through trains” on the Circle line (and others) certainly meet some of those comfort needs aplenty – space, air-conditioning and no closed carriages so now crowded suddenly feels quite…..well, comfortable!

The other need we have is for timely information – especially in an age obsessed with speed.  There is of course a big uproar about closing ticket offices (hence the strike) but actually I refer to the automated information being given below ground.  It reminded me that now we’re in the age where  we are now, frankly, bombarded and I lost count of the number of announcements made during my journey.  Why is it necessary to have such an assault on the senses?  Is it because it is:

• ·         an integral part of the customer service (because everyone needs this information all of the time) so more announcements mean we are fulfilling that need? 
• ·         avoiding the need to have lots of staff (good for productivity and hence profitability) but we have to have visibility so we need lots of announcements?   
• ·         to obviate the problems with humans doing customer care (ie. can be difficult to manage and control how well and frequently messages are transmitted).  Without automated messages, train drivers would have more opportunities to practise their audition for Britain’s Got Talent.  We could end up with this type of thing (which I do love)   "Ladies and Gentlemen, I do apologise for the delay to your service. I know you're all dying to get home, unless, of course, you happen to be married to my ex-wife, in which case you'll want to cross over to the Westbound and go in the opposite direction".

My theory is, in the main, it’s because we now provide customer care in an age where speed is more important, certainly in the case of travel!  It’s easier to standardise information into announcements and keep them coming to ensure the message gets out than it is to provide the human touch.   It misses the point of good customer service though – which is accurate and timely.  

As we’re using technology we should be able to avoid errors such as being on the last east-bound Jubilee Line train, and listening to announcements about connections we couldn’t make because of closed stations – all of which were in the other direction. 

Once I was finally on my over-ground train home, I was subjected to more automated announcements whilst seated in the so-called quiet carriage.  “Ping Pong” came the sound every time we arrived at a station  – only this time they’d not pushed the switch to reflect the train was now going the other way. 

Health and safety is such an important issue to cover off too.  We must ensure we say stuff repeatedly “just in case”.   At my local over-ground station, we’re reminded not to skateboard or cycle on the platform and not to leave bags or parcels unattended which is fair enough you could argue.  Perhaps it is also important to remember about slippery platforms in wet weather but regularly indicating the “adverse conditions” is a bit OTT when it’s drizzling a little.  This is the UK after all.

I remember reading an article a few years ago now about how train travel customer service was full of waffle and fluff, littered with charters and codes of conduct.  Commuters were “customers”, “clientele”, “clients” and “patrons” and this particular author mused he simply wanted to be a commuter again.     Discussing my journey options with humans in high-vis jackets in Marble Arch ticket hall was a bit reminiscent of the old commuting days I thought.  So if we went back to the land of the commuter, would that reduce automated announcements?  Thanks to technology leading the way, that’s probably a destination we’ll never get to.