The RailStaff Awards 2024

Andrew McClements

Said the following about TransPennine Express Social Media Team:

“TPE's social media team are a dedicated bunch, needing to not only to be capable of delivering great service for our customers but also needing to possess a high level of industry knowledge in order to deal with a wide variety of queries. Social Media was once a Customer Relations activity at TPE but the team now firmly sit within the operational delivery team, as it is recognised that social has evolved into a powerful tool that can assist customers with not only transnational queries but also to support them during times of disruption.

The team have reacted very well and worked tirelessly in the face of all the challenges over the last 12 months (including helping us to recover from the May 19 timetable issues) and they have taken it in their stride. TPE also became the first train operator to launch WhatsApp as a new customer offering, which provides a brand new option for customers to interact with us in real-time and is intended to be used as a "one-stop-shop" for all types of different queries, from service disruption to compensation, to booking reservations and beyond. The team mobilised this initiative extremely well, and TPE are seeing the number of unique customers using the service increase each and every month. It is their commitment to customers and their ability to harness their extensive knowledge to promptly resolve any problem which has made the launch such a huge success.

It would also be amiss not to recognise their resilience. Unlike some railway roles, social media (particularly given the current climate), is an extremely challenging arena in which to operate due to high volume of inbound contact which can be deeply negative in sentiment. The team are well braced to face this and are able to remain positive and composed even in the most challenging of circumstances.

I cannot thank the team enough for their efforts and how they've aptly blended the digital practice of social media with the operational delivery of the railway. Customers will continue to experience the benefits of this team for years to come.“