Network Rail: A people-centric approach to customer service training

As the organization responsible for maintaining the UK's rail infrastructure, Network Rail has recognized the negative impact of delays and poor customer service on passenger satisfaction and trust. To address this issue, Network Rail set out a clear goal to shift from an engineering, internal focus to being customer-centric – a significant cultural transformation for a complex organization with over 40,000 staff members.

A successful training program was absolutely essential to implement this widespread cultural shift, and the Customer Service Program Team:
• Set challenging targets to ensure staff members know why customer service matters, regardless of their role within the company.
• Designed two Service Academies offering the basics of providing excellent service, as well as a more detailed, intensive workshop to dive deeper into meeting customer needs.
• Attained City&Guilds assurance for the Academies, meaning colleagues who complete the training receive accredited status.
• Through a successful launch and steps to make the Academies as attractive and engaging as possible, the target of 600 graduates in the first year has already been achieved.

The cultural shift is evident within the organization, with 96% of Academy graduates reacting positively to the statement ‘Network Rail is changing to become a customer service organization’, compared with 87% of colleagues who have not undergone the training.

While the Customer Service Program Team works in a central function, Network Rail is a devolved organization, made up of regions and functions with autonomy to run their part of the business. However, no matter where colleagues work, the principles of customer service remain the same. Providing a central Academy function with consistent methods and outcomes that reach across different roles has had a unifying effect, with all colleagues working toward the same goal.

The Customer Service Academies are successfully changing the mindset of Network Rail with a consistent, safe, and trustworthy approach to customer service.