Recognition of a Customer Champion
Recognition of a Customer Champion
As a regular user of Chiltern railways, and in particular the Warwick Parkway station I was delighted to read that Judith Biggs, who works at the station as a station host, has been awarded a British Empire Medal for her focus on the customer. A true Customer Champion.
Judith is there every morning welcoming customers to the station and helping them park their cars, buy tickets and board trains. But it is the open, happy and friendly way that she does it that even at 6:30 am makes you feel very valued as a customer. All of the staff work as an effective team, and you always feel that they have the best interest of their customers at heart. Whether it is simply putting out a cardboard box and offering a book swap to its regular commuters, or just ensuring that everyone knows when trains are occasionally delayed what is happening, they ensure travelling on Chiltern is an enjoyable experience (a statement not often heard about the UK rail network).
A few years ago the line between Warwick and London was closed due to construction works for a new supermarket impacting the safety of a rail tunnel. When I arrived at the station I was advised of the situation, informed about the length of delays, and then recommended to drive to another station to use a competitor’s train service. Then they offered to take my mobile number and let me know when the problem with the tunnel had been resolved and a normal service available. Subsequently a few weeks later I was rung with a confirmation of normal service being resumed, and I have remained loyal to Chiltern Railways ever since. This was not a company initiative, the team at Warwick Parkway had simply taken it upon themselves to think what it meant for their customers, and how they could champion their cause. They had considered all of the customer journey, (literally!), and how they impacted it, not just in the short term but the long term as well.