Talking to the SBB: the Customer Council.
About 900,000 passengers travel with us every day. As we are very interested in hearing our passengers’ views, we have now created a Customer Council. This is in addition to the existing Customer Service and our regular customer satisfaction surveys. The Customer Council will provide selected passengers with a platform on which to share ideas, ask questions and help to shape our services.
The Customer Council was established in 2009 and has 29 members. Four members represent interest groups: the Foundation for Consumer Protection, the Fédération Romande des Consommateurs, Pro Rail Switzerland and the Public Transport Interest Group. The other members were selected by lot from a total of over 3,000 applicants.
The Customer Council is made up of persons who represent the entire spectrum of our passengers. It includes young and older persons, women, men, adolescents, people who travel a lot and those who travel little, persons who travel first and second class, business travellers, persons travelling for leisure and persons with special needs.
The first meeting was held on 18 September 2009. Members hold office for three years. The current members will probably be replaced in autumn 2012. The positions will be advertised.
Statement by Werner Strüby, Customer Council spokesman.
"We represent the 950,000 passengers who travel with the SBB every day. Our members come from the German- and French-speaking parts of Switzerland and from the Ticino. We meet four times a year to advocate the interests of season ticket holders of all categories and classes, leisure travellers with and without families, and people with special needs. In close consultation with professionals from various levels of the federal railways, they work hard to produce proposals for ways to improve quality."
The Customer Council.
| Background: | the Customer Council was established to enable passengers to provide input and to help to shape services that are relevant for customers. This body has no decision-making competence. | ||
| Purpose: | the purpose of the Customer Council is to increase customer friendliness and constantly to improve the quality of services. | ||
| Frequency of meetings: | meetings are held four times a year in and last all day. The Customer Council decides on the topics to be discussed with SBB staff. It has the possibility of formulating and making recommendations to the SBB Management. | ||
| Members: | 29 members, 4 of whom represent interest groups. | ||
| Spokesperson: | the spokesman of the Customer Council, Mr Werner Strüby, represents the Customer Council externally, i.e. vis-a-vis the media, and internally (for example as a guest at staff events) and supports the Customer Council team in preparing the content of meetings and in further developing the Customer Council concept. |
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* Journalists wishing to speak to the Client Council spokesman should contact the SBB Media Centre.
