Shoaib Akhtar – A Fallen Hero?

Amtrak to Offer Service Guarantee; Railroad Unveils a New Logo Along With Satisfaction Policy

The Washington Post July 7, 2000 | Don Phillips Amtrak, as part of a new campaign to revitalize its image and improve its bottom line, yesterday announced a series of customer service initiatives that includes a promise to passengers that if they aren’t satisfied with a trip, they will receive a “no questions asked” certificate for future travel worth the same amount as their ticket.

The service guarantee is part of a broad effort to overcome some of the problems that have dogged Amtrak in recent years. Although ridership has begun to increase, so have operating costs and salaries, making it more difficult for Amtrak to meet a congressional mandate to break even on its operations by 2003.

The new “Acela” high-speed trains are more than a year overdue, with no starting date set for Washington-New York-Boston service. Many long-distance trains are chronically late. Amtrak’s capital- improvement needs are daunting–an estimated $9.1 billion over 15 years still must be provided by Congress or the states.

Amtrak President George Warrington said the service guarantee is just one of a series of steps he is taking to refurbish service. He also announced new “strict” service standards for equipment, service training for employees and a replacement for Amtrak’s 29-year-old logotype, the “pointless arrow.” Warrington said the new certificates will be handed out in any case in which a passenger–now called a “guest” on Amtrak–is dissatisfied and on-board employees couldn’t make it better. There will be “reasonable” controls for fraud, such as bogus tickets or repeated dissatisfaction by the same customer.

Warrington said many Americans view Amtrak as “tired, worn out, under siege and complacent.” He said Amtrak is disappointing too many new travelers and must do something to retain them.

An estimated 15 percent of new train travelers are dissatisfied and never take another train trip, he said. Every 1 percent of those passengers Amtrak retains means another $13 million in annual revenue, he said.

Asked if the announcement was timed to take advantage of publicity about poor airline service, Warrington told reporters he wouldn’t say that but they could draw their own conclusions.

With the program comes a new logo. The “pointless arrow,” the blunt red-white-and-blue arrow that has been the symbol of Amtrak since it was formed May 1, 1971, is being junked in favor of a more abstract design. The new logo appears as three sweeping, broad lines separated by two narrow white lines. in our site amtrak promotion code

The new logo will be the center of a redesign of Amtrak stations and equipment as well as new uniforms that were shown during a Union Station media extravaganza yesterday. The uniforms were designed by Stan Herman of the Fashion Institute of America, and they make allowances for regional and job differences, including shorts for Miami workers.

Warrington said Amtrak employees also are being trained to deliver better service, and he said he will not hesitate to remove employees who are identified through the service guarantee program as chronic problems. He said most Amtrak employees want to do a good job and don’t want to be held back by troublemakers.

The program comes at a time of mixed fortunes for Amtrak. While ridership is increasing at a rate of about 7 percent a year, the corporation continues to lose money and must continually battle for money in Congress. The corporation is under congressional orders to break even on its operations by 2003, a goal the General Accounting Office says will be difficult. Even then, Amtrak would continue to need hundreds of millions a year for capital expenditures such as new locomotives and cars. amtrakpromotioncodenow.com amtrak promotion code

The GAO estimated in a May report that Amtrak has $9.1 billion in capital investment needs through 2015.

Amtrak had counted on increased revenue from new Washington-New York-Boston high-speed trains to help it meet the 2002 goal. But the trains–called Acela Express–have been delayed more than a year by developmental problems. The first of the 150-mph electric trains are undergoing tests now and may go into service in the next few months, although Amtrak is not ready to set a date.

On-time service for long-distance trains has taken a dive in recent years because of congestion problems on freight railroads that will not get better quickly. Amtrak and CSX Transportation have even posted joint apologies to passengers at stations throughout the Southeast and Midwest.

But Amtrak appears to be gambling that a smile, a good attitude, constant attention and the comfort of train travel will make up for the things that Amtrak can’t control. Passengers “want to feel special,” Warrington said.

Amtrak has been quietly testing its service guarantee for three years on its most popular train, the Coast Starlight between Seattle and Los Angeles. So far, only a handful of passengers have asked for the travel certificates, about one for every 107,000 passengers.

Warrington also noted that the Coast Starlight will serve as the model for service on all Amtrak long-distance trains.

Under the service guarantee program, Amtrak’s on-board employees will be “empowered” to take almost any reasonable action to satisfy a “guest.” If employees need help, they can contact a “guest advocacy desk” 24 hours a day for advice and help.

Customers who are still dissatisfied need only call the regular Amtrak reservations number and give the agent the number on the ticket stub. Amtrak will then send the passenger a travel certificate good for the amount the customer paid for the ticket.

The passenger will be encouraged to tell about the incident or problem in detail so managers can be certain that it doesn’t happen again. But Warrington said any reason will be sufficient to gain a certificate, even those that are not Amtrak’s fault, such as trains that run late because of track washouts or freight train interference. He said he knows Amtrak trains will face adversity, but “this is about how we and our employees recover from adversity.” Warrington said a report of every incident or condition will be on his desk by 8 a.m. every day.

Amtrak will also set up an employee incentive program in which all 25,000 employees will receive a bonus equal to the previous year’s average ticket price when the “guest satisfaction level” is 99.9 percent or better.

Warrington said that as the service program progresses, Amtrak will also begin a frequent-traveler program somewhat similar to airline frequent-flier programs but based on money spent rather than miles traveled. The program will include partners such as airlines, hotels and auto rental companies, meaning that frequent-flier mileage could be used for train travel and Amtrak frequent-traveler points could be used on airlines, he said.

Warrington said Amtrak decided to keep the Amtrak name because surveys indicate it is a “widely recognized and valuable trademark.” Don Phillips