Tour guide, therapist, translator & comedian: It’s all in a day’s work for Northern staff as train operator marks National Customer Service Week 2022

One revenue enforcement officer at Manchester Victoria turned Punjabi translator as he came to the assistance of some passengers who were struggling to buy a ticket.

A revenue inspector at Leeds, meanwhile, found himself providing on the spot therapy when he came into contact with a passenger in distress on a service to Ilkley. Similarly, a conductor from Newcastle brought services to a halt, donned a high-viz vest and spent time ‘trackside’ counselling a woman in an extreme position of vulnerability, helping her to safety.

At Manchester Piccadilly, one revenue enforcement officer did all but grab a tour guide umbrella as he provided an insider’s guide to the best things to see and do to a first-time visitor to the city. Meanwhile, Northern’s station team at Harrogate exemplified the ‘Yes We Can’ spirit by collaborating with local groups, Network Rail, signallers and many others to ensure our disabled customers could access the station whilst the lifts were out of action.

And one conductor at Liverpool Lime Street ended up entertaining a carriage of passengers in an exchange with a ‘fare dodger’ whose attempts to quote the right date of birth for the child ticket they were travelling on – despite clearly being on their way to work, in uniform – developed into a farce with each twist and turn that made the claim less and less believable.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “Our staff go above and beyond the call of duty to assist our passengers – and these examples highlight the ‘unknown’ they face every time they clock-on for a shift.

“National Customer Service Week gives us a chance to recognise their contribution and celebrate the work everyone at Northern does to make our customers’ journeys easier and more enjoyable.”

National Customer Service Week is a seven-day celebration of customer service. It is organised by The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) and seeks to highlight how organisations serve their customers, recognise their team’s achievements and show their commitment to service excellence.

Earlier this year, the ICS awarded Northern’s Customer Experience Centre the coveted ‘ServiceMark’ accreditation. The team, which is based in Sheffield, handles more than 250,000 contacts a year. They are responsible for all customer enquiries including complaints, passenger assistance and the ‘Delay Repay’ scheme.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,000 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.