Great Western Coffee Shop

Just a small throught, I would think most front line FGW staff have now attended the "Putting Customers First" course, from what I've heard some think it educational, others a waste of time.

Well I don't know what's in this course, but I've always been led to lead by example, so why on earth is this course Always held in London? It would have made more sense if it was held in Bristol or Westbury for Central Staff and Plymouth or Exeter for West Staff, and saved FGW a massive Bundle of Money!

Courses for Plymouth and far west staff in Ealing,  for London staff in Melksham, and for Bristol area staff at Kidwelly.   Staff to travel by FGW in "civvies" to attend the courses, so that they see the practical side too  :D

In a slightly serious vein,  I did a "sandwich course" many years ago, and can't talk highly enough of the practical experience sections which helped so much put what I was learning about into a real life context.

Not really? Relocating the course continually would probably cost more than the travel costs.

Its not like FGW buys tickets for its staff, they just get a travel warrant, and paper is fairly cheap.

I have attended the course and it changed my ways! it was very good, the reason it's in Paddington is because it's in a purpouse built venue.

and you get two nights in a rather nice hotel, isnt the whole thing costing them ^4(?) million??

As Vacman said ..its in a purpose built suite of 6 rooms high up in Macmillian House at Paddington, to relocate it would cost a fortune...participants are told your on the course be there for 8.30 am.....it wasnt a bad course and the hotel was good !!

hotel was ok although FGW get different menu to normal guests there is also a decent boozer just round corner to have a few jars in.
personally i think course was a waste of money and very HST orientated when i attended.

i have heard a whisper when all front line staff are done then the drivers are  getting a diluted 1 day version with the far south west staff attending somewhere in plymouth to save travel/hotel rooms for 1 day.

Hmm.  This topic seems to be prompting some quite personal comments and responses: would anyone prefer it if I were to move it to our 'frequent posters' board, where we can be forthright without being 'overheard'?

While we have nothing to hide, it may be that our staff members here would be happier discussing their views 'in private'.

Chris.  :-\

Most people who I know who have been on it have enjoyed it, I didn't think it was HST orientated, but I spose each person who has attended will have their own opinion, and some will get more out of it than others.

Costing who     ????

FGW

I have been on the course, I thought it was okay :)

The latest figures I can find (2007) show total rail subsidies to be ^6.3 BILLION !

I say again:-

"Costing who ???"

But the subsidy/premium payable to/from FGW is set out in the franchise agreement, and any variation under cap and collar is related to revenue not costs.

So whether FGW put their staff in the local Travelodge or the Savoy won't impact on the subsidy profile,  and thus the cost is borne by First Group.

What is purpose build about it?  Is it just a conference suite or is there a mock-up train (or prehaps animatronic fare-dodgers?) hidden in the building? 

If FGW are thinking of building a mock-up station, they could save a packet and use Melksham instead.  Arrive in the Morning and leave early evening and have the whole station to themselves for the rest of the day with no pesky trains to disturb them. 

Why would FGW staff require warrants to travel on FGW trains when we all have FGW passes?   ;)

The ^4m was forced spending by FGW as part of the ^29m remedial package agreed with the DfT.

A final thought, guaranteed hotel reservations month after month will mean a good corporate rate (and for the record the hotel is not by Paddington, so they've obviously done their homework on cost).

Although i'm good at customer service (imo  ;)), it was still a very good course.

Thankfully Drivers aren't going on this course due to the very limited (if any) actual contact with passengers / customers / this weeks buzzword. So it would be tying up resources far better used elsewhere actually permitting trains to be run.
 ;)

I understand the Westbury travelling fitter went on it though. Rather odd as if a unit / train is broken it surely is still broken even though the customers might not like it. Not sure that customer care training makes much difference to unwilling rolling stock.



 

i heard drivers will get a diluted version once everyone else has been done might just be rumour though so see what happens in the future.
i also heard the travelling fitters had to go on the course quite why they need to go is beyond me

There has been some fairly vaugue comment that drivers may get a 'Day Release' (how apt!) version of the course at their depot rather than the full bifters two day event at Paddington with overnight stay. However there is quite a lot of training of drivers on different tractions going on at the moment so I wouldn't think it will occur any time this year as the running of the service must of course take precedence. Not much point cancelling trains just have the drivers on a jolly to tell them what effect train cancellations has on the travelling public........
 ;)

Remind me NOT to ask you to do my accounts !

The taxpayer puts in a total of over ^6 billion, so therefore the ^4 million comes out of FGW's pocket - yup !

I'm an actuary, not an accountant, so I wouldn't dream of doing anyone's accounts, it's far too exciting.  ;D

Shame on you Mr. Sprinter Meister. We are all servants of the company. Nothing makes me cringe more than when a member of staff fails to address the needs of our customers.
Perhaps you need to go on the course more than some :-\

the reason fitters went on the course is so that they can see what effect their actions have on their colleagues and the customers, although they don't come face to face with many passengers their work seriously effects the way in which customers see the railway.

If I'm on a course, that could mean a train cancelled or covered on overtime or RDW, somebody has to pick up the tab for this eventually probably resulting in increased ticket prices. I don't think anyone favours that option. Particularly given the relative lack of customer contact compared with platform staff, guards or other on train roles.

As for the fitters going on the course, yes ok up to a point, however if the train can't be fixed due to lack of parts or tools then its still a dead duck unless another train can be bought out to replace it. It might focus the minds of the fitters as to the effects of their actions but I would think it a bit of a slur to say that our M&EE lads & lasses don't do their utmost with the kit they have available.
 

Just for the record, down here in the far west, stations have been left unmanned to allow staff to be released to go
Seems to defeat the object of the exercise...
"you're going on this course to learn to put customers first,  but we don't care about the ones who can't buy tickets or get assistance because there's no staff at the station whilst you're gone..." ???

It's all about ticking boxes, I think

OK is a purpose built room for the course so moving is out of the qustion.
But it must cost FGW a lot to send staff from Cornwall to London, ok there's NO cost on tickets but HOW many staff travelled in THERE own time.
So from Penzance that's about 12 Hours pay per member of staff sent.

Of course London Hotels are the cheapest around ;D ;D

IMHO any one with a brain would have set up the course more centrally like  in Bristol or Exeter even Reading would have saved costs.

Indeed, what's wrong with Reading or maybe FGW Towers at Swindon?

I did my Customer Service* training at Reading when I temped for FGW.


*In actuality, the course I attended was less about Customer Service and more about revenue protection and what we shouldn't do to help passengers. I left with the impression that passengers are an operational inconvenience for the TOCs.

Apparently there was going to be a second venue set up in Plymouth but the idea was dropped to save money so staff from the far west were given an additional day off to allow them to travel to London. (with another nights accomodation!)

... thus saving lots of money.  ???

Except the travel and hotels etc will come out of operating income and is therefore fully deductible from the bottom line.  Whereas a new centre would be capital and would have to be added to the balance sheet and depreciated. 

Whereas setting up a specific training facility in Paddington (operated by Network Rail, not FGW) is fully deductible, rather than being capital investment?  ???

Argument is they needed one.  So they put it in paddington.  I thought the argument was over an ADDITIONAL facility elsewhere - or did I miss something

The original poster questioned why the one existing training location was at Paddington, rather than somewhere more 'central' to the FGW area - such as Swindon (operated by FGW) or Bristol Temple Meads (oprated by FGW).  Several subsequent members of FGW staff posted in support of that challenge.

However, I'm not FGW staff, so I'm perhaps not qualified to comment.  :-X

what % of FGW staff are based in Swindon/Reading/London/Oxford/south wales/Bristol - in which case day trips are feasible and hence no hotel requirement.  FGW might have control centre at Swindon but to the general public they run paddington - that is their flagship so to speak.

Plymouth/west staff, even at swindon I would guess, would have to still take half a day and overnight. 

Property costs would have been less maybe, but ...

Do FGW use that centre at Paddington for more than just staff training?  Meetings with the gubbermint?  etc etc

There is a reason a lot of companies still have a head office/meeting centre in London rather than more conveniently and cheaper located else where - its because its still a form of status symbol to have such facility in London

The same floor as the PCF venue has several offices used by management and also our communications team.

There is oceans of space within the three floors of Macmillan House and the connecting buildings running all the way along platform 1.  Despite wandering the halls many times I think I've only discovered about 5% of it!  Many other FGW stations/buildings west of Paddington don't have such luxuries of accommodation - for example, the training rooms at Reading are being taken over by the Reading rebuild - so perhaps for a large, long running course, it was the obvious choice?

The PCF Course does take up quite a large space ,eight rooms if i can remember, and i really cant think of any where else big enough which could have been used centrally as an alternative.