The benefits of business benchmarking have been put in the spotlight at a meeting of marketing and customer service professionals from across the UK’s light rail sector.

At a recent meeting organised by UK Tram they heard how a number of tram operators were already outperforming the wider transport sector when it comes to customer satisfaction.

As part of a best practice workshop, Rebecca Holliday from the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) explained how the organisation’s benchmarking programme was helping transport companies to compare their performance against the wider business community.

Jamie Swift, UK Tram Marketing and Commercial Manager, explained: “We know that light rail is immensely popular with the tens of thousands of people who rely on it every day and, as part of the ICS benchmarking process, operators can get an invaluable insight into what matters most to their customers.

“It also provides a valuable tool for further improving customer service, while providing a comparison with other types of business.”

The workshop was held as part of UK Trams’ most recent Light Rail Marketing, Communications and Customer Services Group meeting.

The group aims to help drive the promotion of existing tram systems by sharing best practice and taking a more collaborative approach to communications. Its latest meeting, held at the offices of Transport for the West Midlands in Birmingham, was attended by representatives from tramways in Nottingham, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Sheffield and the West Midlands.