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Amtrak Satisfaction Guarantee and New Brand Identity
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Amtrak News Release -- July 6, 2000
Amtrak Introduces
Service Guarantee and
New Corporate Brand Identity At Event At
Los Angeles Union Station
Event Focused On Employees As Providers of
High-Quality Service
LOS ANGELES - Hundreds of Amtrak employees from across the country joined together today in celebration of the company's new unconditional Satisfaction Guarantee and corporate brand identity. Souther California Amtrak workers gathered in the south courtyard of Los Angeles' historic Union Station to pledge their support to the Serivce Guarantee. They heard fellow employees, Amtrak and the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) officials describe what the changes mean to them, Amtrak and the future of travel.
"This one-of-a-kind guarantee represents another step in Amtrak's transformation into a customer-focused business, which puts the guest at the forefront of everything we do," said Gil Mallery, president of Amtrak West. "Our promise is to make every guest's trip a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience."
All of Amtrak's 25,000 employees have been training and preparing for more than a year in advance of the guarantee's debut.
Members of the Amtrak Board of Directors, including Board Chairman Governor Tommy Thompson (WI) were also part of the celebration, appearing via videotape, to promote the new Satisfaction Guarantee, the first of its kind among U.S. travel providers.
Capping off the celebration, Amtrak West President Gil Mallery joined employees to reveal Amtrak's new brand identity for the first time in the west, by unveiling a banner with the new company logo in the courtyard. All employees present were invited to sign the banner pledging their personal support for the Service Guarantee. The signed banner will be displayed at Los Angeles Union Station.
In addition to the celebration in Los Angeles, employees pledged their commitment to the Service Guarantee at events in Union Station in Washington, D.C., 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and Union Station in Chicago.
Questions and Answers
About the Amtrak
Unconditional Satisfaction Guarantee and New Corporate Brand
Identity
July 6, 2000
"You're our guest on Amtrak. We promise to make your trip a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience. If something isn't right, talk to any Amtrak employee, and we'll try to make it right. If our efforts aren't enough, call 1-800-USA-RAIL for a Service Guarantee Certificate toward future travel. Your satisfaction is guaranteed."
Unconditional Satisfaction Guarantee
What is the Amtrak Satisfaction Guarantee?
Our Satisfaction Guarantee is Amtrak's commitment to provide all
guests with a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable travel experience.
While the guarantee cannot prevent the occasional problem that a
guest may encounter on a trip, it is designed to ensure that
guests receive full satisfaction for their money. We are
guaranteeing our guests that if something isn't right, we'll do
everything in our power to make it right. If the guest feels that
the effort is not enough, Amtrak will offer the guest a Service
Guarantee Certificate toward future travel. This guarantee is a
first among U.S. travel industry providers.
Why is Amtrak offering this Satisfaction Guarantee
By offering our Satisfaction Guarantee, Amtrak is striving to
achieve a level of customer satisfaction that no other U.S.
transportation provider can surpass. We believe that providing
excellent service and guaranteeing our guests' satisfaction is
essential to building loyalty which, in turn, will lead to
financial success. We estimate that for every one percent
improvement in our guest retention rate, $13 million is added
annually to Amtrak's revenues.
How does the Satisfaction Guarantee work?
If a guest is dissatisfied during any portion of a journey on
board Amtrak, the guest should first address their concerns with
any available Amtrak employee. If the guest is still not
satisfied, he or she may request a Service Guarantee Certificate,
good for future travel on board Amtrak. The value of the
certificate will be equal to the cost of the trip segment for
which the guest was dissatisfied.
How does a guest request a Service Guarantee Certificate?
A guest should call 1-800-USA-RAIL to request a Service Guarantee
Certificate. Guests should keep their ticket stubs as our
Customer Relations Representatives will use the ticket number on
the ticket stub to determine the value of the Service Guarantee
Certificate. Service Guarantee Certificates are mailed to guests.
We also encourage our guests to share their stories with our
Customer Relations Representatives so we can improve our services.
Will every guest who requests a Service Guarantee
Certificate receive one, no questions asked?
Yes, no questions asked. Guests may be asked about incidents so
that we can take measures to see that it doesn't happen again and,
of course, we'll take reasonable steps to ensure that fraud doesn't
occur.
What is the anticipated cost to Amtrak for the number of
potential certificates issues?
By implementing an unconditional guarantee of satisfaction, we
are confident that we will increase ridership and revenue by
developing long-lasting relationships with satisfied customers
and exceed the costs that we will incur through issuing
certificates. Our goal is to deliver satisfaction to our
customers that, in turn, contributes to our financial bottom line.
Is Amtrak concerned about the ability to handle a
significant number of requests for Service Guarantee Certificates?
We do anticipate that some of our guests will request
certificates. However, through the extensive development process
of our Satisfaction Guarantee, we are training our employees to
provide top quality service and are putting a Right-and-Ready
program in place to ensure every aspect of the corporation is
prepared to meet the needs of our guests.
Is every employee empowered to address a guest's complaint?
Yes, all Amtrak employees are empowered to take the initiative to
ensure that every guest is a satisfied guest.
What training have Amtrak employees undertaken to be
prepared to deliver guaranteed satisfaction?
Every Amtrak employee has completed a comprehensive training
program, and new procedures have been adopted to empower
employees to take a personal initiative to solve guest problems,
often before they occur. The company also instituted a series of
new policies and practices designed to meet the highest standards
of service excellence. These include procedures to ensure that
all trains are "right and ready" for service, covering
every aspect of every train prior to guest use. Amtrak has also
developed new standards to ensure consistently high levels of
service and amenities on trains.
Is Amtrak providing employees with incentives for good
service?
As part of an extensive planning process for our Satisfaction
Guarantee, all 25,000 employees completed advanced customer
service training and learning how high-quality service can
positively affect the corporation.
In addition, as an incentive to provide world-class service, every employee will receive a bonus equivalent to last year's average ticket price when the guest satisfaction level is 99.9% or higher. This satisfaction level will be based on the number of Service Guarantee Certificates issued every month. We will also continue our current satisfaction surveys that are mailed out randomly to Amtrak guests every month.
How will the Satisfaction Guarantee help Amtrak end federal
operating assistance by 2003?
Improving guest satisfaction can have a significant impact on
strengthening our bottom line. We estimate that for every one
percent improvement in our guest retention rate, $13 million is
added annually to Amtrak's revenues. In addition, we are making
great strides in becoming a customer-focused, commercially-oriented,
and financially-viable business.
Through our Network Growth Strategy, which will expand service in 21 states, the introduction of our Acela Express service in the Northeast, and the development of high-speed rail corridors in key population centers across the country, Amtrak is striving to increase guest satisfaction and loyalty while increasing service, ridership and revenue.
The Amtrak Corporate Brand Identity
Why is Amtrak changing its corporate brand identity?
With our bold commitment to customer satisfaction, the
development of new rail services including America's first high-speed
rail system, and many business ventures reflecting a stronger
commercial orientation, Amtrak has become a new company. The time
has come to represent this revitalization and set the state for
future growth.
After 29 years, the familiar "Inverted Arrow" of the Amtrak brand will be replaced by a new logo whose shape and suggestion of movement convey the comfort and uniqueness of the rail experience. The new Amtrak Blue brand color and typographic treatment of the Amtrak word mark reflect the company's commitment to quality and reliability. Combined, they represent a revitalized corporation that puts the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of every guest first and backs it up with a one-of-a-kind commitment to guest satisfaction.
The new brand identity serves as a master brand and as an endorsement for a family of services. Under the new brand architecture, Amtrak is bringing greater rationality and consistency to the numerous service names it inherited during its formation.
What led Amtrak to update its image?
The Amtrak identity we are retiring today was created in 1971 to
represent a different kind of institution in an era with
different values. Through extensive research, we learned that our
existing brand image did not reflect many of the positive
attributes of train travel or the attributes that consumers
desire in transportation services today.
The new identity sends a strong signal that significant changes that have occurred at Amtrak in the past few years. As the company has become more market-focused in developing its rail services, we expect to increase ridership and attract new customers who haven't previously considered rail as an alternative to flying or driving. Our new brand identity will make communicating with consumers about the new Amtrak easier and more efficient.
If you really want to change your image, why didn't you
change the Amtrak name?
The Amtrak name is a widely-recognized and valuable trademark.
Surveys indicate that many Americans are generally aware of
Amtrak as a provider of passenger rail service. It is in the best
long-term interests of the company that we protect this valuable
asset by keeping it current and reflective of the passenger rail
system we're developing to meet the needs of Americans today.
Have other companies retained their name, but changed their
identity?
Companies often change or update their identities to communicate
changes in their business strategy or offerings, or sometimes to
align with changes in their markets or among their competitors.
For example, a few years ago, Continental Airlines traded its
orange and gold brand colors for a new blue and gold globe symbol
that was designed to place a greater emphasis on their
international reach and their attention to the needs of demanding
business travelers. Continental's identity change has fit
together with many other business changes to play an important
role in the company's success in recent years.
Will all of Amtrak's signs across the country change with
the new identity?
The new identity will be phased in gradually in a managed and
cost-conscious manner over the next few years. Signage will be
replaced as part of regular station improvements. A similar
approach will be used for all affected items. For example,
existing stationery supplies will be depleted before stationery
with the new brand identity is ordered.
What is the total cost for changing the identity in all
Amtrak stations and on all trains?
First, Amtrak has no plans to make changes overnight. While other
companies may change their equipment at once. Amtrak will do it
incrementally as equipment is overhauled. Instead of applying the
former logo and colors as we would do with overhauls, we will
apply the new identity. The same is true for stations that, from
time-to-time, require signage changes. This gradual changeover
could last two years or so, which is not inconsistent with the
approach taken by many other companies. To keep costs to a
minimum, a plan is being prepared identifying all possible
elements of change and establishing a timeline and possible costs.
What about state, local, or privately held stations and
signage?
Just as Amtrak makes changes on a gradual basis, we do not expect
our partners to change overnight. But as they upgrade facilities,
we would ask them to incorporate our new identity. This would
also be true for state and city Departments of Transportation
that have trailblazer signs with the former logo on them.
With the new corporate brand identity, will you be dropping
historic train names like the Sunset Limited
and the Southwest Chief?
Many of our current train names are an important part of our
heritage and represents the uniqueness of the rail travel
experience. We will continue to use historic train names to
represent specific routes and services as part of our overall
brand architecture.
Where did Amtrak get the funds to guarantee service and
introduce the new brand identity?
All costs will be covered by existing resources in the current
budget, and ultimately be more than offset by new and growing
revenues.
Amtrak's Strategic Plan Is Working!
Amtrak's new Satisfaction Guarantee and new brand identity are just two of the company's major strategies to achieve business success and end federal operating assistance by 2003.
The other elements of Amtrak's strategy are:
These strategies are already producing results:
Starting today, I'll do a lot more than wish
you a
great trip. I'll guarantee it. That's the Amtrak promise.
So if for some reason we don't meet your
expectations, or ours, I'll make it right. Right away.
On the spot. Anywhere and anytime you travel
on Amtrak. What's more, there are 23,999 of my fellow
colleagues with the power to make the same promise.
Our new Satisfaction Guarantee is our commitment to you,
our guests, that the high standards we have
set for your travel experience will be met every time
you step on board. Are you ready to go further?
"Our trains cover 22,000 miles of track. But I'll go even further." -- Sheila Buchanan, Safety Liaison, Philadelphia
"I guarantee you'll see some glorious sunsets from my train. And speaking of guarantees." -- Bob Landreth, Conductor, Milwaukee
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