Most responsive/useful TOC twitter account?

[Metal_gee_man]

I will start it by stating that I understand different TOCs have different levels of Twitter staffing; some work 24hr/364 days a year, others office hours.

I have always had quick replies, informative (not 'bot' provided) replies and the most fun with the team at @SE_Railway, I understand its a mixture of controllers and social media specialists who sit in SE towers near London Bridge, they reply 24hrs/364 days so compared to some I think they probably come out best from my previous interactions with @SW_Help @Chilternrailways and @Virgintrains at one time or another

 

[ainsworth74]

I DM twitter teams and I've got good responses from Northern, TPE and LNER (I don't think I ever contacted them in their VTEC guise). They respond promptly, helpfully and we've even shared a chuckle where appropriate. But then I'm usually contacting them to either dob in a member of staff for doing something good or to report a fault with something on a station rather than anything complicated! I did once ask TPE for some advice on what to do about a cancelled TPE service and the guy on the other end was very helpful and sympathetic (and I think working solo on a Sunday with a lot of cancelled trains...). I've messaged GWR twice and the first time it was a bit painful getting the information I wanted out of them but we got in there in the end. The second time they were very on the ball.

I guess a lot of it depends in your expectations but I've had no reason to complain about TOCs and their Twitter. VTEC used to wind me up though as they weren't quite striking the right tone (in my opinion of course ) but since LNER I think they've managed to hit the right tone much more consistently. There's room for being silly and matey but just not too much and it's a line I think LNER are on the right side of now unlike when VTEC were calling the shots. I can only assume it's something to do with the direction they're being given from on high as I believe it's a lot of the same people!

 

[Metal_gee_man]

Equally I've found that advanced cancellations, shortages of carriages and reasons for delays are very much forthcoming with SE, where as other Twitter accounts barely tweet once a day barring replying to irrate customers asking where their train is

 

[virgintrain1]

Although I've been impressed with the response time with GWR I've never really get the information I want especially during disruption. E.g what is happening with 1C92 or specific running info, usually met with where are you traveling today. But I guess that's one issue of the Twitter team being based in Plymouth and route control in Swindon. Unlike XC where they sit a few desks away so always have the information to hand.

 

[Rockhopper]

EMR replied to me within half an hours and also replied quickly to my follow up DM. They don’t tweet as much as when they were EMT though.

 

[northernchris]

I've found LNER to be very good, I'd say amongst the best of any businesses I've contacted through twitter. I've tweeted Northern a few times, and find them very hit and miss. Sometimes they are really helpful and other times its a cut and paste response that doesn't answer the question asked

 

[Undiscovered]

WMT seem on the ball to me. They're always heavily slated and they try to answer positively, usefully and respectfully, even when some days, it must be soul destroying.

 

[LowLevel]

EMR replied to me within half an hours and also replied quickly to my follow up DM. They don’t tweet as much as when they were EMT though.

They're in the control which is always helpful. Dedicated customer contact controllers in the 'daytime' and the relevant duty manager during the night. They're nice people.

I think as a rule some of the folk who answer social media (for all TOCs) could do with spending a bit more time out and about on the trains though - ours do get spare days in normal times to have a ride out but some of the answers I see that I know as a frontline customer facing bod to be wrong can be a bit cringy. On occasions I've contacted them directly to tell them they've got the wrong end of a stick or similar.

On the other hand to be fair, and to my surprise, I've either got a good reputation up there or I'm known to be a difficult jobsworth ( ) as I have also had them ring me up out of the blue to ask my advice in dealing with a more complex customer query. So it is nice that they think to contact the front line staff for advice if they're a bit stuck with something.

 

[JN114]

I guess that's one issue of the Twitter team being based in Plymouth and route control in Swindon. Unlike XC where they sit a few desks away so always have the information to hand.

Thats not the case - overnight Twitter is handled by control staff as secondary duties to whatever else they’re doing - it’s why a lot of responses overnight tend to be along the lines of “colleagues will be able to assist in the morning” - control don’t all have access to some of the retail systems that day twitter have access to. Also IIRC the remainder of the team are also here in Swindon, just in HQ not control

 

[Parallel]

I’ve found TfW and XC to be the best of the ones I’ve used. Quick and helpful with accurate responses.

GWR have been the worst. They’re quick at responding but don’t always give accurate replies, and have given out wrong information on several occasions.

 

[DarloRich]

Do you mean helpful to passengers or do you mean most likely to give out "da gen"?

As a passenger: I always thought LM were good. LNWR are pretty good to. I have also found east coast operators good. XC seem to get a bad rep but i have always found them helpful.

 

[185143]

Do you mean helpful to passengers or do you mean most likely to give out "da gen"?

I always thought LM were good. LNWR are pretty good to. I have also found east coast operators good. XC seem to get a bad rep but i have always found them helpful.

I've had mostly good experiences with XC. Unless you want unit numbers and they can't give them out due to security reasons...

I remember having a "moan" that I'd missed a connection due to a late running train once and how I was "annoyed" that I'd ended up in the pub for an hour. That got a similarly jovial response!

I complained once that the reservation screens simply displaying "may be reserved" on every single seat (outside of the TMR coach) wasn't too helpful, they agreed and asked where I was sitting/wanted to sit as I'd boarded early at the origin and told me which seats nearby were available for my journey. Can't imagine many others doing that.

 

[DarloRich]

I've had mostly good experiences with XC. Unless you want unit numbers and they can't give them out due to security reasons...

I am not in the slightest bit interested in unit numbers and don't think that is something a customer contact/support team should be dealing with! I am sure many here will disagree.

I complained once that the reservation screens simply displaying "may be reserved" on every single seat (outside of the TMR coach) wasn't too helpful, they agreed and asked where I was sitting/wanted to sit as I'd boarded early at the origin and told me which seats nearby were available for my journey. Can't imagine many others doing that.

agreed - always a positive response yet they seem to get "pelters". Don't understand it

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

I've said GWR - I'm not saying others don't. I won't say too much but let's say my 55-60 minute First Class trip on the 12/12/19 didn't go how I hoped (sort of the same thing happened). Not at the last minute or second as well.

It wasnt the worst thing to have happened which regrettably meant I showed my selfish side that day. However their DM could not have been any better, meaning they 100% understood my message and I got a bit more than a fantastic apology from them. Particularly when I mentioned a true fact that basically I have autism etc.

It wasn't the 35-40 minute delay.

 

[scotrail158713]

I am not in the slightest bit interested in unit numbers and don't think that is something a customer contact/support team should be dealing with! I am sure many here will disagree.

Sometimes the people asking need to reconsider the timing of their question. I’ve had a look at Scotrail’s twitter before and you can have people asking at 8am on a Monday morning - not the best time to be asking.

 

[Stampy]

From my recent experience in travelling to football games before the lockdown.....

EMR & LNER both very helpful in times of disruption.

XC the worst, basically "washing their hands" of myself and other disrupted passengers when we were trying to get back from Birmingham towards Cambridge.

After "advising" us to travel to Nuneaton via Coventry, they then told us to get a SERVICE bus to Leicester after dumping another coach load of disrupted passengers from Birmingham at Nuneaton. The coaches went back EMPTY.

Get to Leicester, and it's taxi's (after about 10 of us complained) back East.

Left Birmingham at 1730 and got home in Peterborough at just after midnight...

 

[185143]

I always found LM and EMT to be good.

Also, whilst not a TOC, Manchester Metrolink always used to be excellent.

 

[ainsworth74]

I am not in the slightest bit interested in unit numbers and don't think that is something a customer contact/support team should be dealing with! I am sure many here will disagree.

Neither am I and I also don't really think it's something that Twitter teams should be getting involved in (unless they've got nothing else to do be doing) but equally I don't think they should just be making things up as a reason for not giving out the number. Surely you can agree it just makes them (and by extension) the railway look a bit silly to be saying that a number which is painted on the side of the train cannot be given out for "security reasons" rather than just saying "sorry, we're really busy dealing with customer queries so I'm not able to look that up for you"?

 

[cakefiend]

I find the whole concept of judging an operator's customer service solely on how willing they are to give out train numbers completely bizarre.

 

[bearhugger]

from

I DM twitter teams and I've got good responses from Northern, TPE and LNER (I don't think I ever contacted them in their VTEC guise). They respond promptly, helpfully and we've even shared a chuckle where appropriate. But then I'm usually contacting them to either dob in a member of staff for doing something good or to report a fault with something on a station rather than anything complicated! I did once ask TPE for some advice on what to do about a cancelled TPE service and the guy on the other end was very helpful and sympathetic (and I think working solo on a Sunday with a lot of cancelled trains...). I've messaged GWR twice and the first time it was a bit painful getting the information I wanted out of them but we got in there in the end. The second time they were very on the ball.

I guess a lot of it depends in your expectations but I've had no reason to complain about TOCs and their Twitter. VTEC used to wind me up though as they weren't quite striking the right tone (in my opinion of course ) but since LNER I think they've managed to hit the right tone much more consistently. There's room for being silly and matey but just not too much and it's a line I think LNER are on the right side of now unlike when VTEC were calling the shots. I can only assume it's something to do with the direction they're being given from on high as I believe it's a lot of the same people!

Apart from the bit about GWR (not had an occasion to deal with their Twitter feed), I agree with this post and is similar to my experiences and thoughts on the practical advice and more jovial stuff.

 

[ValleyLines142]

I’ve found TfW and XC to be the best of the ones I’ve used. Quick and helpful with accurate responses.

GWR have been the worst. They’re quick at responding but don’t always give accurate replies, and have given out wrong information on several occasions.

I find GWR okay. TfW aren't particularly great; one particular representative on there (will not mention their name) is polite but doesn't really address the concern of the tweet in question!

 

[BJames]

I've had good responses from XC and EMR (although XC has been in times of usual operating and not disruption). I find one member of staff on the London Overground page was helpful in declaring which services would be short-formed on West Anglia and which would be skip-stopping in times of disruption, but all the other staff barely posted anything useful to be honest. Likewise GTR has actually been ok on a few occasions, I used twitter to get a really quick response from them from an unstaffed station which had no information and no staff around, and I was able to help the other passengers who were stranded there too.

 

[DarloRich]

Neither am I and I also don't really think it's something that Twitter teams should be getting involved in (unless they've got nothing else to do be doing) but equally I don't think they should just be making things up as a reason for not giving out the number. Surely you can agree it just makes them (and by extension) the railway look a bit silly to be saying that a number which is painted on the side of the train cannot be given out for "security reasons" rather than just saying "sorry, we're really busy dealing with customer queries so I'm not able to look that up for you"?

Absolutely. I seem to recall the froth that generated!

 

[Mikey C]

I've always found South Eastern pretty responsive, but it's an impossible poll to answer as the only operators you're likely to have regular contact with on social media are the ones you use regularly

 

[robk23oxf]

I've never had a problem with GWR, they've always been quick to respond and very helpful.

 

[route101]

Sometimes the people asking need to reconsider the timing of their question. I’ve had a look at Scotrail’s twitter before and you can have people asking at 8am on a Monday morning - not the best time to be asking.

Ive seen a guy ask Scotrail for unit numbers , dont think hes travelling on that service either.

Was there not a guy who pestered Northern for unit numbers.

 

[pinkmarie80]

LNER can be a bit patronising. I had cause to tweet both XC and LNER recently and XC were pleasant and helpful and LNER just assumed the air of talking to a very young child.

 

[ainsworth74]

Was there not a guy who pestered Northern for unit numbers.

He crops up here from time to time too! Anyone asking for unit gen in the Middlesbrough area is immediately under suspicion as a result

 

[trentside]

Absolutely. I seem to recall the froth that generated!

Indeed. I saw an exchange between someone and EMR the other week where the “customer” was trying to get gen on where 222104 was. They were refused on the basis of the (at the time) stay at home guidance. That provided a useful get out clause for awhile. The teams have far better things to be doing.

A problem from the early days of Twitter that I raised at the time with my company was them responding helpfully to abusive tweets. I got a response about always being helpful regardless, despite it blatantly encouraging this behaviour in face to face interactions with staff. I’m pleased to say that most TOC accounts now challenge and refuse to help those who are abusive. LNER are especially good at calling them out too.

 

[DarloRich]

A problem from the early days of Twitter that I raised at the time with my company was them responding helpfully to abusive tweets. I got a response about always being helpful regardless, despite it blatantly encouraging this behaviour in face to face interactions with staff. I’m pleased to say that most TOC accounts now challenge and refuse to help those who are abusive. LNER are especially good at calling them out too.

agreed - although I would love to be put in charge of the account for a while to deal with people like that. I think my robust & direct approach to customer feedback might not be in line with company policy.