Merseyrail and their Social Media Failings

I live in Liverpool, England which is a part of Merseyside and our local train system is operated by Merseyrail.

They do a good job, almost all the time and this is not a complaint about their service. More a review of their social media work and lack of.

This is a perfect example of a company that started right but, never followed it though.

The Poster

A few weeks, possibly even a few months back now. Whilst waiting at the train station, I noticed a poster than informed me I can get train announcements via Twitter.

As a keen user of the microblogging platform, I immediately took my trusty BlackBerry Bold (9000) and loaded up ÜberTwitter and proceeded to follow Merseyrail on Twitter. Something, that has proved useful, as I can check their tweets in the morning and know if my train will run or not.

Know Your Audience

This is probably the biggest failing that you will notice almost immediately.

Each tweet, contains a link for more information on the status update. This is a great idea, as let’s be honest 140 characters is not always enough.

The failing however is that when I click from my BlackBerry to view one of these links. I am automatically redirected to a mobile friendly page that does not remember the link I clicked. You will see on this site, if you followed this link from your mobile device that you were directed to this page and not the home page.

I appreciate their mobile page is rather simple, and you get the information in a few clicks. I just think this is a few clicks you shouldn’t have to make.

Feedback, Mentions and @Replies

I have on several occasions tried to send feedback to Merseyrail via Twitter. Whether it be about an improvement, a report of damage or a general enquiry.

For instance, not so long ago. I went to purchase a train ticket to London from my local Merseyrail staffed train station. I was informed that I could not use my Young Persons Railcard before 10:00am. This is not the case, and I argued the point with the member of staff. They made a phone call and came back and told me it was still the case and Merseyrail would not accept my Railcard before 10:00am.

To prove that I am correct I would like to point to the entry from the FAQ about a Railcard. That clearly states:

1. Can I use my Railcard at any time of day?

Yes you can. However, for all journeys made at or before 10 am Monday to Friday a minimum fare applies. (The exceptions are when you travel at weekends, on Public Holidays, or during July and August). If you travel regularly before 10 am, then a weekly or monthly season ticket may be more appropriate, though you won’t be able to get a Railcard discount). More information about minimum fares can be found at Tickets & Travel times.

The minimum fare I have also been advised is £12. As a return from Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston is £43.70 with a railcard it easily exceeds the £12 minimum.

I had to travel to Liverpool Lime Street, and buy my ticket from there with no issues. This is obviously a staff training issue, that needs to be highlighted before they overcharge their customers (unless they already have done and can be looking at people claiming).

I sent them a tweet on Twitter, that has gone unanswered as of today. As have several other queries, sent to them. I appreciate they carry on average 100,000 people every day, but looking at their timelines they have never answered any queries via Twitter.

Merseyrail Network

For those of you who are reading this and wondering what the Merseyrail network consists of it looks like this.

It consists of 67 stations and 75 miles of track and is one of the most heavily used railway systems in the United Kingdom outside of London.

Website

Having spent the time to setup the Twitter account, have a live feed of information going into it and even have posters printed for stations. You would think, there would be mention of it on the Merseyrail Website, alas there is none that I can find.

This probably explains their low number of followers on Twitter.

It’s Just A Rail Network

I’m sure that’s what some of you are wondering by now. What’s the point? It’s just a rail network and shouldn’t be so concerned with social media.

I beg to differ, I belive Virgin Trains on Twitter, is the best example of a company engaging social media to the fullest. I don’t know if this is as a result, of Richard Baker or of someone else. I just know, that it is handled very well. Even if it’s just to ask if I had a nice journey, or to tell me what the delay is. They manage it well, in a personal way. Makes the customer feel important and valued.

The Solution

Easy, start listening to your customers through multiple means. If you are open to a method of communication with the masses, don’t be surprised when they want to communicate back.

Someone in your Public Relations office could have a copy of TweetDeck (not Seesmic) open and monitor feedback and reply accordingly. It would give you invaluable real time feedback from your customers.

If someone from Merseyrail, would like to contact me to ask my opinion on any of my thoughts here please feel free to tweet me, or if you prefer you can email me and I shall respond as soon as I am able.

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