Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Theater techniques put Translink on route to better customer service

2010; Emerald Publishing Limited; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1108/09670731011028447

1758-7166

Irish and British Studies

Purpose Describes how Translink Metro, which runs the buses in Belfast, improved customer service through an award‐winning training scheme where actors posed as passengers. Design/methodology/approach Outlines the reasons for the program, the form it took and the results it achieved. Findings Explains that, following the program, passenger complaints dropped by 30 percent, the number of compliments for good customer service doubled and passenger numbers increased by 2 percent a year, despite recession. Practical implications Focuses not on skill provision per se but on sharing understanding, agreeing the ways of handling different situations and the behaviors to consider when reacting. Social implications Highlights the role of customer‐service training for bus drivers and inspectors in helping to make Belfast a more attractive place for tourists and inhabitants alike. Originality/value Reveals how the power and passion of art can help to make more fulfilled, rounded employees, and so improve business performance.