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Northern phone lines shut 12-2
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Perhaps it's so they can facilitate a lunch break for the relevant staff but without causing those left behind to be swamped dealing with the phones? Even with staggering if a quarter of your staff take their break you leave three quarters still dealing with the same number of calls after all!
Bet you wouldn't enjoy the rubbish pay and the unreasonable customers
But you still only have to answer one call at a time?
When I worked in a call centre, many, many years ago we didn't take breaks over lunch times as the company realised that that is when most of our customers (who paid our wages - it was a travel company) would be free to call us so it made no sense for us to be unavailable. It took a bit of getting used to especially as a part timer who didn't get into the routine of it. But as a manager pointed out, we're paid to serve our customers not our tummies and if it weren't for them we wouldn't have any money to fill our tummies!
Advantage of a TOC, they don't have worry about such fripperies as "going bust"
Dr Hoo
Established Member
It’s not exactly a new thing. When the Rail Users Consultative Committees were set up in 1994 (replacing the the former TUCCs) each area only had three staff in total. In those days there was still a lot of postal correspondence. The phones would be diverted to answering machines some of the time to allow the office to keep up with the correspondence.
Indeed but those queries probably weren't so time critical.
Almost every TOC I know outsources their complaints / customer services contact centre. It's still listed as "Northern" but they are often under contract or if they are in house, its to somewhere physically quite different
DelW
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Call centres exist in a world with strange arithmetic, which means that they receive an "unusually high number of calls" all day - every day - from first thing in the morning until last thing at night - throughout the entire year.
Vexed
Member
I've tried to call Brittany Ferries this week, first attempt abandoned due to a one hour queue, second attempt at 9am (opening time) and once I was through all the automated questions it was a 5 minute queue, which would have been fine but 20 mins later it was still 5 mins so I hung up as I had stuff to do (yes, when I called them at opening time today they already said they had a higher number of calls than usual!). Called up later and got a 20 min queue which turned out to be 15 so not too bad.
Back on topic (ish), the only TOCs I've called before are SWR and Thameslink. Both times they answered quickly but only SWR were able to resolve my issue immediately, which I was impressed with as it was a somewhat complex issue I was having with Tap2Go.
Unless it's changed recently Northern are insourced and based in Sheffield. At least I think they are!
Parham Wood
Member
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- 13 Jun 2011
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- 404
Appalling customer service. Their survival is not linked to customer service so presumably they don't care.
py_megapixel
Established Member
I once tried to call some company (I forget which) as soon as their line opened for the day, but called very slightly too early. The recorded voice told me they were closed at the moment, but please call back at 8am.
Since the clock has just ticked over to 8am, I hung up and immediately redialled. Lo and behold, "this line is currently.experiencing an unusually high number of calls". It had barely been open 10 seconds!
gingerheid
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Working in badly managed places that are going to the dogs and have virtual queues of peeved customers is rarely bliss.
Dr Hoo
Established Member
Fair comment but for any consumer organisation the fact that a dissatisfied rail passenger who had quite possibly popped out of a workplace to make a call from a public kiosk during their lunch break about a current issue of rail redress then ended up with a poor opinion of an official ‘watchdog’ as well was hardly a good look.
It is a legal requirement (in the UK) to have a minimum 30 minute (meal) break after 6 hours. The law doesn't stipulate that this has to align with meal times, and those working part time may not exceed 6 hours in a shift.
Indeed so. Roger French had a visit last year for those who want to know more,
Behind the scenes at Northern’s Customer Contact Centre
Tuesday 14th October 2025 Knowing the frustrations I’ve experienced claiming Delay Repay over the years with Avanti West Coast and GWR, when I met up with Alex Hornby during the summer he kindly of…
busandtrainuser.com
'Unreasonable customers' such as me trying to do their job and report an issue with a station they manage hahaBet you wouldn't enjoy the rubbish pay and the unreasonable customers
ruaival
Member
The easy way to get a question answered by Northern customer services - in my experience - is to use Facebook Messenger; they respond promptly and helpfully often using the time between messages to get good answers.
Bishops
Member
It doesn't have to be a 'Meal' as such but its 20 minutes uninterrupted break if you work over 6 hours.
Most decent employers are happy for that to be a mid morning break and unpaid dinner hour and another short break in the afternoon from my experience
Absolutely
Though I was more meaning the sort of people who are quick to become abusive/difficult over minor anoyences or things outside the control of Northern (and at the very least outside the control of the poor person answering the phone!)
Twitter still works quite well for that as well in my experience. I've reported a few things (both good and bad!) and got a quick reply from someone who generally seemed to know what they were talking about. Far easier than hanging around on the phone. But appreciate not everyone wants to communicate in that way.
Whisky Papa
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20 minutes was the only break in a 7 hour booking office shift (0900-1600 in my case) with Northern, although you could generally slip to the loo in a quiet moment.
I always imagine Northern HQ to be like Ronnie Barker's Open All Hours store.Indeed so. Roger French had a visit last year for those who want to know more,
Behind the scenes at Northern’s Customer Contact Centre
Tuesday 14th October 2025 Knowing the frustrations I’ve experienced claiming Delay Repay over the years with Avanti West Coast and GWR, when I met up with Alex Hornby during the summer he kindly of…
Surely that depends entirely on figures?
It's not a practice we have, but I do know that nearly 80% of LNR customer service requests are in written form, be that mail/email/socials.
And I believe the magic figure set by the DfT is 90% answered within 7 days - there was a time a few years ago where it was taking 30 days plus.
Ideally you do emails etc at the start or end, something that a company I worked for many years ago pushed as phone lines opened and closed and hour later/earlier than staff shift hours. But if 12-2 is actually the quietest period for calls they receive, and they're able to deal with a great chunk of other queries then it can make sense.
greatkingrat
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- 20 Jan 2011
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- 3,289
Or just have a rota system - today A B and C will be answering calls, D and E will be replying to emails - swap round tomorrow.
Depends how many staff you have in of course, but yes that's entirely possible
Former Call Centre Employee, all the staff on the phones will simultaneously be answering Social Media, Whatsapp and Emails while speaking to people on the phone. Call Centres rarely differentiate and specialise departments, at least if its a bedded in system, you're trained on the new fangled communication methods and they're added to your daily work. Staff are monitored constantly, chastised for going to the toilet and have satisfaction targets and KPI's to hit. Its not a job for the weak.