More information how the on-board 'surprise and delight' is supposed to work.
The app the crew are issued with has a 'Rewards and Recognition' section, customer lookup and ticket information. The crew enter the headcode of the train they're working on and that will obtain the passenger details for the service.
The rewards and recognition section will list all the customers that should get a treat by name and seat number. Once the reward is being given it is recorded in the app (so presumably if they're not given this they'll be offered again next time).
The customer lookup section can bring up more information about who is supposed to be occupying a particular seat, assuming they know. This information they can only get if you book direct and haven't booked for anyone else or moved your seat. It's a lot easier for airlines where the person flying must be the name on the manifest. The information is supposed to include whether they're a high value customer and also an overview of complaints - whether you've had issues in the past, etc. Supposedly to help offer a personal service.
Other ideas have been considered such as recording other preferences such as preferred drinks and any dietary requirements to further customise the service (unless it's used to influence stock loading I can't see the point of this as you'll still have to ask the customer what they want).
If they allow ordering of special meals in first class to cover varying dietary requirements I could see that as a big improvement but that was never mentioned, I have suggested it on various occasions though.
I'm hoping that special meals will be considered more now that British Airways has introduced Club Europe (business class) on domestic flights in April and, in theory, you can order a special meal that'll suit most requirements.
