Edinburgh Trams received a pre-Christmas present after learning they had become the very first UK light rail operator to achieve ServiceMark accreditation. This is awarded by the Institute of Customer Service based on customer satisfaction feedback and is an assessment of employee engagement with an organisation’s customer service strategy.
Dean Anderson, Customer Experience Manager at Edinburgh Trams, said: “In the last five years of operations we have seen high levels of customer satisfaction but becoming members of The Institute has provided us with the framework to go from good to great. If you haven’t tried the tram yet, there’s no better time. Delivering excellent customer service both internally and externally is everyone’s responsibility. For this reason, we have started to roll out professional customer service communications qualifications which will benefit our customers and colleagues alike. If you’re thinking about a career in customer service, I believe Edinburgh Trams is a great place to start.”
The process started in early 2019 and considers both customer’s and colleague’s views on the organisation. In the customer survey, Edinburgh Trams scored 87.1 out of 11 which is 15 points higher than the transport average and higher against national brands such as John Lewis, Next and Amazon.
The benchmark figure was also achieved on the internal survey with employees scoring the organisation with a score of six points higher than the previous year which meant they could then submit an application for the ServiceMark accreditation. The final part of the assessment was a three day visit from an Academy Assessor who analysed survey results, proved action plans an interviewed colleagues from across departments. After a final report the Board of Directors at the Institute made the decision to award the accreditation to Edinburgh Trams.