Should we get rid of/automate National Rail Enquiries?

[Egg Centric]

By all accounts, National Rail Enquiries - as in the phone number - is completely useless at anything other than looking up train times. Something perfectly doable using tech, so my initial inclination would be to close it entirely. However I accept there may be legacy users who whatever reason can only use phones. For them perhaps we should automate the remaining functionality? AI is now good enough that, while not perfect, it'd certainly be better than an Indian call centre. Am I missing something here?

(I'm assuming NRE costs many millions to run, if I'm wrong about that then perhaps this is less important).

 

[Adam Williams]

In theory the call centre should do more than just that; for example, there is a procedure they're supposed to follow and form to fill out if stranded passengers with a valid ticket call in (perhaps when the TOC's own customer-facing contact centre is no longer "in hours" and they're at an unstaffed station) to get them home. That's a genuine case where I think a phone line to a competent human would probably be the best way to get a problem resolved.

I've not had them ever do anything except fob me off when I've been put in that situation personally, however.

 

[Egg Centric]

In theory the call centre should do more than just that; for example, there is a procedure they're supposed to follow and form to fill out if stranded passengers with a valid ticket call in (perhaps when the TOC's own customer-facing contact centre is no longer "in hours" and they're at an unstaffed station) to get them home. That's a genuine case where I think a phone line to a competent human would probably be the best way to get a problem resolved.

I've not had them ever do anything except fob me off when I've been put in that situation personally, however.

Yup, I'm talking about NRE as it is rather than what it could/should be

 

[class17]

By all accounts, National Rail Enquiries - as in the phone number - is completely useless at anything other than looking up train times. Something perfectly doable using tech, so my initial inclination would be to close it entirely. However I accept there may be legacy users who whatever reason can only use phones. For them perhaps we should automate the remaining functionality? AI is now good enough that, while not perfect, it'd certainly be better than an Indian call centre. Am I missing something here?

(I'm assuming NRE costs many millions to run, if I'm wrong about that then perhaps this is less important).

Has anyone ever had an answer to their call resolved satisfactorily?
I know I haven't. So I never use them anymore.

 

[Adam Williams]

Yup, I'm talking about NRE as it is rather than what it could/should be

Then, I'd say yes.

https://openai.com/index/introducing-the-realtime-api/ -> OpenAI's realtime API gives you a low-latency two-way audio connection broadly equivalent to what you can do in the app with it already in voice mode (which isn't quite as good as a human conversation, but it's still pretty damn good - and it's never had any problems understanding me). "All it needs to be able to do"* is:

• Use a journey planner, departing now, for customers who can't use an app for whatever reason
• Some sort of wizard for stranded customers. If they identify they're at an unstaffed station and the journey planning fails to find an alternative, put the caller through to someone at NRCC/TOC control.

To be more useful than today's service.

*I believe the call centre get a non-zero number of calls from members of the public who are dealing with a mental health crisis and on railway property. I hope these are handled with empathy and kindness, but this is one area where I'd worry a bit about AI being entirely responsible for incoming calls. You'd need some strong safeguards in place to be able to get a human to take over / transfer to Samaritans/BTP or something if there were any signs of distress.

 

[30907]

*I believe the call centre get a non-zero number of calls from members of the public who are dealing with a mental health crisis and on railway property. I hope these are handled with empathy and kindness, but this is one area where I'd worry a bit about AI being entirely responsible for incoming calls. You'd need some strong safeguards in place to be able to get a human to take over / transfer to Samaritans/BTP or something if there were any signs of distress.

I am one of those rare beasts who actually worked in a Telephone Enquiry Bureau (40+ years ago - obviously in a bygone age).

In my 2 years I don't recall anyone presenting with mental health problems (maybe it was because it cost money and took ages to get through?) but I do recall customers with complex enquiries (which TBH not all of my colleagues could have dealt with) and with complaints (which required a listening ear more than a resolution). Neither of which, I suspect, would be handled well by AI - but would they be handled well by a call-centre anywhere?