Customers travelling with ScotRail will have even more access to its award-winning communication team after the operator announced extended social media hours.
Communicating effectively with customers, and providing round-the-clock information, is a priority for ScotRail, and investment in the team means that customers will now be able to get a response on social media until midnight every day of the week.
The social media team will operate at the following times:
- Monday – Friday: 5.30am – midnight
- Saturday: 6am – midnight
- Sunday: 7am – midnight
Almost 65,000 customer messages have been dealt with by the team since the start of 2019, with an average response rate of just over a minute. In busy peak-time periods, in both the morning and afternoon, the team can handle more than 1,000 messages in just two hours.
The communications team has been recognised by the industry as one of the best of any train operating company, with success at recent awards ceremonies. This includes:
- Marketing and Communications Team of the Year at the 2018 RailStaff Awards
- Highly Commended in the Rail Team of the Year category at the 2019 Rail Business Awards
With more than 212,000 followers, the ScotRail twitter account is one of the most proactive across the UK. During the ‘Beast from the East’ disruption, the account received 26,000 incoming messages, more than four times the average for a standard five-day period.
Head of Communications David Ross said:
“ScotRail is committed to providing our customers with the most up to date information, so that they can get where they need to be without any hassle.
“We know how important a role social media plays in keeping our customers informed, and that is why we have made this investment, giving even more access to our hard-working team.”