CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED

Transport Focus have released the results from an independent survey of Northern customers, providing valuable insight into their opinions and experiences of customer service.

While the vast majority of customers value punctuality above all else, over three-quarters of respondents said that customer service was important to them. Overall, just over half consider themselves satisfied with the customer service they experience from Northern, with 29% dissatisfied, and a quarter saying services are poor value for money. Commuters were generally less satisfied with their service.

In terms of individual experiences, just over a third of respondents have experienced good or excellent service from Northern staff, while 15% have experienced poor service. Of those who have experienced poor customer service, only 12% considered themselves satisfied overall. 69% of these said it made them feel more negative about Northern as a company. This contrasts with 50% of those who had experienced good service who said it made them feel more positive about Northern. This implies poor customer service has more impact on passengers’ opinions.

A more detailed summary of the results can be found here.

Richard Allan, Customer and People Experience Director at Northern, said: “We are thankful to everyone who took part in the survey for their feedback, which is very valuable. We have firm plans to modernise our services and we are taking steps to involve customers more with the launch of our first-ever customer panel in the new year.”