Great British Railways pricing managers

[ess]

From reading this forum, I've understood that each TOC has their own pricing manager (maybe more than one) whose job it is to maximise profit for that TOC by adjusting ticket prices to the extent they can, and making route restrictions etc. How will this work for GB Railways? What's the most appropriate way to achieve it - will it be done by region or nationally? (Presumably specific TOC pricing managers won't be required anymore?)

 

[Wallsendmag]

Way back when we we’re BR there were Regional Pricing Managers. I also think you overstate their influence,their role to to implement decisions taken elsewhere.

 

[Haywain]

From reading this forum, I've understood that each TOC has their own pricing manager (maybe more than one) whose job it is to maximise profit for that TOC by adjusting ticket prices to the extent they can, and making route restrictions etc. How will this work for GB Railways? What's the most appropriate way to achieve it - will it be done by region or nationally? (Presumably specific TOC pricing managers won't be required anymore?)

There is a reason they are called Pricing Managers and not Revenue Managers. Their job is not to maximise revenue.

 

[Wallsendmag]

The question you really need to ask is if there are multiple people employed at each TOC with a full time role will it take the less people to do the same job over a larger area? Unless GBR comes with a very radical fares simplification I cant see how it will

 

[Dai Corner]

There is a reason they are called Pricing Managers and not Revenue Managers. Their job is not to maximise revenue.

Which begs the question 'what is their job?'

What targets do their bosses set them and how do they persuade their bosses they've done well and deserve a pay rise?

 

[Andrew1395]

In my day, Pricing Managers dealt with the mechanics of pricing products, (fares baskets at privatisation), and overseeing their introduction and maintenance of prices through the Fares service technology. The rules of pricing were heavily influenced by the early computerisation by BR. Fares clusters are really a mechanism to reduce the stress and constraints of earlier mainframe computing systems. Pricing Managers would also be part of the process of reviewing, restrictions and other product terms and conditions.

Revenue (analysts) Managers oversaw the analysis of how products performed, supported management analysis of the business through interrogating revenue data from Lennon, and oversaw the biannual allocation factor work through oversight of the two timetable a year ORCATS runs. Dealing with revenue disputes and managing the allocation agreements outside of ORCATS allocation factors.

in my experience these fairly specialised roles were used as heavily by BR Sector commercial management as they were by the equivalent Commercial Directors in privatised TOCs.

I expect one of the KPIs the Treasury will be looking at with GBR will be reduction in salaries, and where job duplication can be reduced and automation increased. Fewer competing flows and revenue responsibility falling onGBR will probably mean more centralisation of pricing and revenue management.

not sure how open access fits into the GBR structure, but a good revenue analyst can make or break an open access operator. Pricing and fares creation is more routine.