By
Michael Grey |
What motivates the customer to use a particular route for a sea crossing? While some operators might suggest that it is mostly habit, which is difficult to change, or price, which is driven by other factors, it is useful to try and better understand the reasons. And in making this exploration, one might come upon something of a set of rules for establishing a more successful ferry operation.
A basic rule, for instance, might be to remember that the shortest sea crossing is not necessarily the best, for example if the terminal at either end is ill-served by poor road or rail connections. Accident black spots, congestion well beyond the ferry operator’s ability to improve, or other hold-ups will cause customers to seek alternatives. More than one ferry route has closed in recent years because of poor connections, even though its geographical location suggested that it ought to have succeeded.
There has been something of a sense that foot passengers are a nuisance and ought to be discouraged, which is a pity, as they might gravitate to a car in future if they are treated well. Successful operators do not have the foot passengers herded up ramps ahead of trucks revving their engines, or left seething in terminals because there is no bus to help them with their onward journey. Separate and safe embarkation arrangements and good connections ashore do make a difference. A large ferry which was timetabled to depart simultaneously with the arrival of an international train at the adjacent station, was just one of the negatives which contributed to the demise of a route.
What policies are in place to cultivate the haulier’s loyalty? These really do make a difference, whether it is in the provision of drivers’ lounges aboard ship and pleasant facilities in the terminals. These are the year-round customers who appreciate good treatment and influence the choice between operators, which makes a difference to profits. And in an age of growing transport bureaucracy, the ferry operator that makes life easiest for these hard-pressed people, through good technology around the paperwork, is the one that will prosper.
The friendliness and helpfulness of terminal staff also differentiate the customer experience for all categories of passenger. It is a big responsibility, bearing in mind staff may be dealing with people who are in unfamiliar territory in both the terminal and the ship, or individuals who may not speak the language, but who will generally respond positively to a friendly face.
This experience should begin at the booking phase, continue at the terminal reception and throughout the sea passage – and it really does make a difference. How easy is it to change a booking? How accommodating is the terminal to a late arrival? Are there financial penalties for booking changes, as there are with airlines? All of us, whether foot passenger, car driver or haulier, are well able to tell the difference between motivated staff who prioritise customer satisfaction and those who think the ferry or terminal is run chiefly for their own convenience.
It might be suggested that all of this is just common sense, but if someone has been a ferry traveller for many years, they will invariably accumulate a stock of memories, both positive and negative, but they tend to remember the latter. The cancelled sailing that caused chaos on the terminal. The stormy passage which saw an unfriendly crew ignoring the distress of passengers. Shouted orders in unfamiliar languages causing confusion. Rotten food and dirty public spaces. We are all human and remember these passages, which will contrast so vividly with those where the terminal was well-run, the ship was perfection and the staff were obliging. This is why paying close attention to customer service is the most important rule of all.
Michael Grey is a master mariner turned maritime journalist and has edited both Fairplay and Lloyd’s List in a career spanning more than 60 years.
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