“Please make sure you take all your belongings with you when you leave the train.”
We all know that automated voice when we travel on public transport reminding us to not forget anything.
But it’s clear we don’t all listen to it.
Our blog explores how the current lost property process implemented at the UK’s transport operators needs an urgent upgrade. Utilising new technologies is essential in offering the very best passenger experience.
What do public transport operators currently do about lost property?
Almost 7 billion journeys were made on public transport, including bus, train and tram, throughout the UK in 2018/19 (Source: Business Insider). This means a lot of lost property!
Currently, there is no centralised lost property management system for the entire public transport network. There are multiple operators, providing slightly different services all over the country.
This means it’s super important that every unique operator has a robust, simple and modern solution to eliminate any complications that are associated with lost property.
How does lost property affect your customer experience?
Every part of a passenger’s journey is important. This includes a smooth and stress-free lost property process.
The reason it’s all important is because passengers remember the highs and lows of every journey. If a lost property process is complicated and confusing, the passenger is going to remember. As a result, they may end up disliking the whole experience, even if it was their fault for leaving the item behind! Therefore, opinions about your service may be tainted and passengers may choose not to use you in future.
Three reasons why your passengers hate your current lost property process:
1. They don’t feel listened to
Your staff have a lot of jobs to complete every day. Dealing with customer complaints is part of the job, but lost property complaints are almost impossible to resolve immediately. They require looking into and often spans over several days, weeks or even months!
Directing your passengers to a simple online lost report form saves time for your staff, eliminates errors when recording enquiries and ensures that every voice is listened to.
2. It takes forever for lost items to be located
In the UK, there is 10,000+ miles of railway and 2,500+ train stations, with 24,000 trains running every day!
No wonder it can take time for lost items to finally make their way into the lost property depots. In some cases, it can take anywhere between 48 hours and 28 days for items to be located.
With no centralised database across every type of public transport, it can be almost impossible to locate items.
NotLost gives your staff the tools to quickly register items as they are found, with helpful images of the items too! As a result, staff can visualise the network of lost property and match items with enquiries efficiently.
3. Collecting items is a whole other problem in itself
Many lost property depots expect their passengers to come in person to collect their items. But this isn’t always possible for passengers…
What if they’re located at the other end of the line, they are handicapped or live abroad? These are just a few of the very possible instances that would mean in-person collection is not an option for passengers.
Our clients love how they can use NotLost to simplify the whole returns process, whilst recouping all costs associated with postage and packaging.
Our most recent blog The importance of postage when it comes to lost property looks into this in detail.
In summary
NotLost is on a mission to improve lost property management so that it’s not seen as an impediment in your smooth operation.
Passengers now expect modern solutions to every problem and that includes managing lost property.
So, why are you still using that logbook?
We don’t want you to work any harder, but we do want to give you the tools to work smarter. Plus, you’ll provide a better journey for your passengers.
We proud to have helped plenty of organisations reunite lost items with their rightful owners, putting a smile onto passenger’s faces. Most notably, Oxford Bus Company have completely transformed their lost property process from a slow operation that was irritating staff and disappointing passengers, into a reliable and efficient system that leads to incredibly positive feedback.
Get in touch!
Request a demo here to speak to one of our dedicated sales team who will show you around the platform.
Give us a call on +44(0)20 8037 3970 or drop us an email
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