Northern Rail 'Customer Service' auto-reply.

[455driver]

Why should I not expect an answer to a query about a journey today *now*?

They could do with "triaging" e-mail questions to give an initial "we've read it, we'll take this long for this type of query" within a few hours.

Neil

In that case wouldnt it be easier just to look up the answer? :roll:
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Do let us know truthfully how long it actually takes to get a reply...

Edited for accuracy!

 

[Flamingo]

Was it so APP_ALL_ING as to be worth joining an online forum just to be able to complain?

I somehow get the feeling that it's not the OP's first time to join this forum...

 

[455driver]

I somehow get the feeling that it's not the OP's first time to join this forum...

Spidey sense tingling again?

 

[6Gman]

Some queries might take time to sort out. 28 days or 20 working days is quoted by all sorts of businesses as a guaranteed response time for deliveries, complaints etc.

But the 20 days isn't guaranteed! On the one occasion I complained to NR it was 6 weeks+ before I got a response.

Mind you, my most recent query to Virgin is now 12 months ... and counting
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The response is clearly a catch all incase the complaint is in depth. Will receive an answer quicker than that.

Really?

Not my experience.

 

[bb21]

But that is making the customer's ability to make their query dependent upon how savvy they are in using Twitter. Not a customer-friendly approach.

Before the days of email and social networking, unless you phone the company you will not get an instant answer. This option is still available.

Technology has made things easier, but if one is unable to keep up with the advancement of technology, then one can still use the original methods of communication, with the original level of performance expectations. Nothing has changed on that front.

You cannot use older technology and expect performances in line with newer technology. It is simply not realistic. Email is an older form of communication compared to social networking, so if that is what you are able to use, you have to have realistic expectations in line with that technology, which in the case of customer service enquiries appears to be a few days.

 

[TUC]

I don't understand what point you're making, I'm sorry. The limitation of characters is a limitation of Twitter, not the TOC. There are other options to communicate with them if Twitter isn't something the person is happy with.

What do you expect Northern or any company to do that is more customer friendly? Develop their own Twitter like system without the 140 character limitation? Train everyone who may want to travel with them on how to be Twitter savvy?

Just monitor emails coming in and deal with simple queries speedily. More complex ones can be passed on for later response.

 

[BlueFox]

Today I raised a query with Northern Rail Customer Relations about their current (time-limited) '£10 anywhere' offer using their online contact form. Their auto response promises me a reply within 20 (twenty) working days! Is that APP_ALL_ING or what?

Don't expect to get a reply within the time they say.
I contacted them to ask a question the last time that offer was on. After a month they hadn't replied. So I contacted them via twitter and they said they'd sort it out. Two weeks later they still hadn't. So I tweeted them again. They immediately answered my original question, and a few days later sent me a letter apologising, and a ticket for two days free travel on Northern services. The envelope also included a letter that was meant for someone else.

 

[Greenback]

Just monitor emails coming in and deal with simple queries speedily. More complex ones can be passed on for later response.

That's what has happened in every customer service or backroom I've been employed in. I've been in places where we have been able to send a response in a matter of minutes, but it all depends on the workload and what members of staff are doing, as we also had telephone enquiries, personal visitors and other duties to attend to.

I don't recall ever waiting more than three days before I've had some sort of response to an email to a TOC. I'm not sure if the OP here is going to return to say that they had a quick reply, even if that's what happened.

But since the discussion I quoted seemed to be about Twitter and users not being able to do 1/3, 2/3 or 3/3, I'm still unsure where email comes into it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

In that case wouldnt it be easier just to look up the answer?

Depends what it is. The last enquiry in writing to a TOC surrounded the (now fixed) incorrect implementation of LM Saturday morning peak restrictions on the Super Off Peak tickets, and wanting something "in writing" that I could show to the guard/RPI that they were incorrect and the train I wanted to use was valid despite the Journey Planner saying it wasn't.

I could I suppose have printed from brfares.com, but as that isn't an official source it isn't as good as something from the TOC.

Neil

 

[Deerfold]

You cannot use older technology and expect performances in line with newer technology. It is simply not realistic. Email is an older form of communication compared to social networking, so if that is what you are able to use, you have to have realistic expectations in line with that technology, which in the case of customer service enquiries appears to be a few days.

Although I can see where you're coming from, how much slower than twitter is e-mail? Without the artificial constraint of having to stick to 140 characters I can see why people would prefer to use it. I don't understand why answers would take days longer.

 

[bb21]

Although I can see where you're coming from, how much slower than twitter is e-mail? Without the artificial constraint of having to stick to 140 characters I can see why people would prefer to use it. I don't understand why answers would take days longer.

Twitter is pretty much instantaneous, with a few minutes' delay at the most ime. Email can be fast, but not that fast, but usually within a few days. As to why, I don't know. Perhaps it goes into a queue with more complex enquiries having to be sorted and passed on to appropriate departments. Twitter messages tend to be the most straightforward issues ime and don't require long responses.

The problem is that some people these days expect immediate responses, so email may be quick for many, but apparently not quite so for others.

 

[Scotrail84]

Today I raised a query with Northern Rail Customer Relations about their current (time-limited) '£10 anywhere' offer using their online contact form. Their auto response promises me a reply within 20 (twenty) working days! Is that APP_ALL_ING or what?

Could the information you require not be sourced at your local ticket office?

 

[Flamingo]

Could the information you require not be sourced at your local ticket office?

But then what would there be to complain about? Get with the programme!

 

[Scotrail84]

But then what would there be to complain about? Get with the programme!

A case of put up or shut up then.

 

[ChorleyGeoff]

Having raised this issue, I have found the discussions very interesting, and I’m sorry to see that some seem to be now ‘arguing’ about technologies: I, along with millions of others, rarely use social media. I have four other comments:-
(1) Passenger Focus advise: “Train operator response times are set out in their Passenger Charter and I can confirm that Northern Rail Passenger Charter states that they aim to respond to complaints within 20 working days. Northern Rail's Passenger Charter is approved by the Department for Transport as part of their franchise agreement.” They also suggest that if it is not possible to give an immediate answer: “ . . we would hope that Northern, or the relevant operator, would write to passengers and keep them updated on progress.”
(2) I have neither complained nor made a fuss; I commented on the promised response time in the auto-reply. I appreciate that many orgs have these sort of target times. However, I would not expect any to make an initial response in that time-frame: the final answer may well take longer, but I would expect a prompt indication from someone (not an auto-reply system) that the matter is being dealt with. I sent the same query to National Rail using an online form and their auto-reply reads: “A member of our team will be in touch within 24 hours.” I had an answer from a member of staff within that time.
(3) In fact I received a satisfactory answer from Northern within 24 hours. The issue is, then, with the wording of their auto-reply: the circumstances in Passenger Focus comment: " . . we would hope that Northern, or the relevant operator, would write to passengers and keep them updated on progress." could be indicated by Northern in their auto-reply message.
(4) I was a rail commuter for many years, and in my experience the most infuriating part of rail problems wasn't the problems themselves but the lack of information, or even any indication that somebody cared. It's all about good communications - and customer perceptions.

 

[bb21]

So Northern have kept you informed of the progress in that case then?

No one is forcing you to use social media, but social media will likely give you a faster response time. If you are not prepared to move on with new technology then you will be left behind. You cannot deny that. If you do not use social media then you will need to be prepared to put up with the service standards of other forms of communication, which in your particular case seems to have been satisfactory.

 

[ChorleyGeoff]

For clarity, I suppose I should share my original query. Northen currently have a promotion "£10 anywhere" valid exclusively on Northern trains. Here is the version of the query I sent to National Rail.
When using the 'Train Times and Tickets' service, I would sometimes like to specify one operator for the whole journey. However, when a specific operator is selected from 'Choose operator', for any journey which requires a change of trains, one or more legs of a journey may be with another operator. One leg will be with the selected operator, but not necessarily all legs. This is true even for journeys which I know are possible with one operator; eg from Chorley or Manchester to York using only Northern Rail. Is there a way to get results for only one operator for journeys which include a change of trains?

Their response: " . . I understand that you want to check times with a particular Train Company. Currently this functionality is not available on our website. I will definitely take this feedback and forward your comments to our Website Team. . . "

 

[bb21]

I am not blowing my trumpet here but if you had asked this question here, you would probably have got a better response.

I am just curious about your choice of communication method. For a query of this nature, I would have thought that time would be of essence, so why you chose emails is beyond me. You could have rung them, spoken to a person face-to-face, or as I mentioned earlier, used social media for a speedy response. Emails offer no guarantee of a fast response and for a time-critical enquiry, is not particularly suitable imo.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Their response: " . . I understand that you want to check times with a particular Train Company. Currently this functionality is not available on our website. I will definitely take this feedback and forward your comments to our Website Team. . . "

Standard responses like that are utterly infuriating, and clearly shout "can't be bothered". Though at least they have correctly read it.

Neil

 

[ChorleyGeoff]

Standard responses like that are utterly infuriating, and clearly shout "can't be bothered". Though at least they have correctly read it.

Neil

In fairness to National Rail the response was lengthier than that and I felt they were taking an interest. I only quoted what I thought was the most relevant part.
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I am not blowing my trumpet here but if you had asked this question here, you would probably have got a better response. . . .

That would be interesting: neither Nortern nor National Rail are able to offer a solution, though Northern offerred to try to do so on an individual journey by telephone.

 

[bb21]

That would be interesting: neither Nortern nor National Rail are able to offer a solution, though Northern offerred to try to do so on an individual journey by telephone.

Plenty of people would have been able to give you pointers on how to do a certainly journey using only certain companies. Granted it is not like a booking engine which will give you all the times in a blinking second, but if you post your approximate times, you will get plenty of journey suggestions.

 

[ChorleyGeoff]

Plenty of people would have been able to give you pointers on how to do a certainly journey using only certain companies. Granted it is not like a booking engine which will give you all the times in a blinking second, but if you post your approximate times, you will get plenty of journey suggestions.

OK. Thanks. Chorley to York, via Manchester, using only Northern Rail, weekday.

 

[bb21]

Do you have a date in mind, or is it just a general query for any day? Feel free to start a new thread in the Fares, Ticketing & Routeing area or the Trip Planning & Reports section, which is more popular for this sort of query.

 

[Greenback]

In fact I received a satisfactory answer from Northern within 24 hours. The issue is, then, with the wording of their auto-reply: the circumstances in Passenger Focus comment: " . . we would hope that Northern, or the relevant operator, would write to passengers and keep them updated on progress." could be indicated by Northern in their auto-reply message.

I'm delighted you've come with this update. It conforms to my own experiences, both as a passenger and as someone who worked in non railway customer services for many years.

In my view, auto reply messages are a necessary evil. They do confirm that your email has got through to the right place, but they don't do much m or than that.

In most of the places I've worked, we did keep customers up to date with progress, but that was normally if a full reply couldn't be provided within 2-5 days. Where a full reply could be provided in 24 hours or less, as it was most of the time, then I don't see the need to refer to it in any auto message. Others may disagree, my main objection is that if you make the auto message too long, no one will bother reading it anyway.

 

[Deerfold]

I'm delighted you've come with this update. It conforms to my own experiences, both as a passenger and as someone who worked in non railway customer services for many years.

In my view, auto reply messages are a necessary evil. They do confirm that your email has got through to the right place, but they don't do much m or than that.

In most of the places I've worked, we did keep customers up to date with progress, but that was normally if a full reply couldn't be provided within 2-5 days. Where a full reply could be provided in 24 hours or less, as it was most of the time, then I don't see the need to refer to it in any auto message. Others may disagree, my main objection is that if you make the auto message too long, no one will bother reading it anyway.

Of course not all companies are as quick. I complained to SouthEastern about having been held at a barrier for 20 minutes despite having had a valid ticket. Their auto-reply stated they would reply within 2 weeks. Their first reply was a few hours short of that but simply asked me for more details of my ticket. The second was a few hours short of another fortnight apologising (just).

 

[Greenback]

Of course not all companies are as quick. I complained to SouthEastern about having been held at a barrier for 20 minutes despite having had a valid ticket. Their auto-reply stated they would reply within 2 weeks. Their first reply was a few hours short of that but simply asked me for more details of my ticket. The second was a few hours short of another fortnight apologising (just).

No they aren't, and even the best places can have periods of high activity and low resource. It's better not to get into that position in the first place, but that's much easier said than done, and I can see how weather related problems and widespread disruption can impact heavily on a TOC which has short or medium term issues in the first place.

I guess I've been lucky in working for several organisations that have been more concerned with customer service than counting every last penny.

 

[Flamingo]

One for the OP - thank you for coming back with an update.

As you did receive a satisfactory response within a satisfactory time scale, would you like to consider amending the thread title?

 

[ChorleyGeoff]

One for the OP - thank you for coming back with an update.

As you did receive a satisfactory response within a satisfactory time scale, would you like to consider amending the thread title?

Done.

 

[Flamingo]

Done.

Thanks!

 

[arabianights]

Chorley - possibly an idiotic question, but what's with the "APP_ALL_ING"?