- Plans being launched during National Customer Service Week
- Meet the manager events to be held for passengers
- Find ‘Supertram man’ competition with prizes to be won
- Nominations open for passengers to vote for their ‘Customer Service Stars’
Perth, Scotland, 2013-10-10 — /travelprnews.com/ — To celebrate National Customer Service Week, Stagecoach Supertram is today (Monday 7 October) launching a month of activities for tram customers across Sheffield.
National Customer Service Week – which takes place from 7-13 October – provides an opportunity to raise awareness of customer service and the vital role it plays in the growth of the UK economy.
Stagecoach Supertram is taking the chance to ask passengers for their feedback while also celebrating its own customer service successes with employees. The company has launched a competition to find the Supertram Customer Service Star and is asking customers to nominate their star employee during the month of October.
Staff from Stagecoach Supertram will be giving away DayRider tickets at Sheffield station and will be on site to offer tram information and guidance.
The team will also be introducing their newest recruit, ‘Supertram Man’ to passengers during National Customer Service Week. Supertram Man, the caped crusader whose job it is to spread the word of safety when using the tram, will be appearing at various locations across the system. Anyone who spots him is asked to email competition@supertram.com with the date, location and time. One person will be picked at random every day to win a free DayRider ticket.
‘Meet the Manager’ events are also planned at Castle Square, Meadowhall, Spring Lane, Hillsborough and Gleadless tramstops*. Passengers will be-able to chat with staff, either offering feedback or asking questions.
Claire Ansley, Head of Customer Service for Stagecoach Supertram said: “It’s really important to us that we offer our passengers the best possible customer service. We know that almost 89% of our passengers are satisfied with our service, which is great news, however we realise we can always improve. As well as celebrating National Customer Service Week through a range of exciting initiatives, we’ll also be looking for feedback from passengers on how we can do better.
“This week we’re also launching a competition to find the Supertram Customer Service Star. The competition, which will run until the end of the month, gives passengers the opportunity to nominate a member of staff who has made a difference to their journey. We already know we have some fantastic staff on our trams, but now we’re giving our customers an opportunity to have their say and nominate their favourite Supertram Star.”
Nominations for Supertram employees can be made by passengers either filling in forms that are available from staff members or by e-mailing competition@supertram.com, stating the name or staff number of the person who has made a difference and how they have done so.
All passengers making a nomination will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Meadowhall giftcard. Voting is open until 30 October.
Employees are also looking back at the customer service achievements of the last year. These include:
• Supertram staff completing additional customer service training. The training helps to give staff more of an understanding of the impact their body language, tone and speech has when engaging and interacting with customers, with the ultimate aim of providing a better experience for all.
• Introducing a new ticket for season ticketholders at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. By introducing a discounted ticket for fans and introducing new procedures for travelling on the tram after matches, the experiences of both football fans and other passengers using the network has improved.
• Working with other operators in the area, Supertram is part of the SAFE organisation. SAFE funds a dedicated transport liaison police sergeant. This sergeant coordinates regular operations to tackle fare evasion and anti social behaviour whilst helping to reassure passengers that the public transport network is safe to use.
Supertram understands that some customers travelling by public transport can be daunted by the experience. Working alongside the local authority, familiarisation days with young passengers and those with disabilities have been introduced.
Jill Siddall, Assessment and Training Manager- Independent Travel, Sheffield City Council said, “For the past four years, Supertram has delivered a learning activity for a group of young people with a learning difficulty or a disability, on how to travel safely using the tram. This activity was arranged as part of the ‘Out and About’ project run by Sheffield City Council’s, Assessment & Training Team. Young people taking part in the project are working towards becoming independent travellers to and from school, so the input from Supertram has been extremely beneficial.”
The activities being held throughout October coincide with the completion of the current rail replacement work being carried out by VolkerRail on behalf of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE). Claire Ansley continued, “We understand that some customers have had to deal with disruption to their journeys as a result of the project and we want to thank them for bearing with us during the work. The rail replacement work is vital to ensure the future reliability of the network and as we’re nearing the end of this phase of work we’re pleased to hear that 87% of passengers were satisfied with the alternative arrangements put in place during the works. I’d like to thank all of our passengers for their patience.”
Stagecoach Supertram provides good quality, affordable and reliable travel for around 44,000 people every day. There are three tram routes in Sheffield which are used by around 15 million passengers each year.
ENDS
Notes to the Editor:
*Meet the Manager
Date & Time
Friday 11th 12 noon – 14:00
Gleadless Townend tramstop
Tuesday 15th October 14:00 – 16:00
Castle Square tramstop
Thursday 17th October 10:00 – 12 noon
Meadowhall Interchange tramstop
Tuesday 22nd October 08:00 – 10:00
Spring Lane tramstop
Thursday 24th October 10:00- 12 noon
Hillsborough tramstop
Tuesday 29th October 12noon- 14:00
Gleadless Townend tramstop