Case Studies

A real life case study - what do you think?

Improving service for your customers means making decisions. So here's a real life case study. Consider it and then think about what you would do if you were in charge.

The situation concerns a friend of mine. Her name is Jill.

Jill booked a holiday in Portugal with her partner but doesn't like flying. So, whilst her partner travelled on the plane, Jill decided to go by train.

Jill booked a special Euro Ticket from the station at Welwyn Garden City (about 20 miles north of London) to Lisbon in Portugal.

The ticket was an open ticket for one month and basically allowed Jill to travel anywhere in Europe.

The journey each way took Jill about two and a half days. So a total of 5 days was spent in trains! Such is her fear of flying.

On the return trip, it was easier for Jill to come into Stevenage. Stevenage station is another 10 miles up the line from Welwyn Garden City - just one more stop on the train.

Imagine Jill's amazement when she arrived in Stevenage and was confronted by five ticket inspectors! Apparently, although Jill could have continued travelling on trains all over Europe, the ticket did not cover for a return to Stevenage. And so Jill had to pay a penalty charge of £10 for the extra 10 miles and one station.

So what would you do if this were your business?

Here are some of the key issues that you might want to consider:-

• Customer perceptions. How were Jill's opinions coloured by this?
• Systems. What should the system be? Are rules set in concrete or made to be broken?
• Empowerment. What discretion should people be allowed?

This might be a useful case study to use with your Team. Get them to think it through and see what they would do.