Customer Satisfaction increased in 7 months from 71 – 83%
Client
High Speed One
Industry
Rail & Infrastructure
Expertise
Operational Managers & Frontline Colleagues
The Challenge
HS1 embarked on an initiative to develop an innovative end-to-end, learning experience, for customer facing staff at Stratford and Ebbsfleet International.
The objective was to enhance the customer focus of station colleagues, enabling them to create meaningful experiences and going beyond what a customer would expect from station staff. HS1 is dedicated to advancing the training programme and recognises its potential to significantly impact the overall customer experience. To ensure the effectiveness of the training, HS1 sought to conduct a comprehensive ROI evaluation, commissioned by the Department of Transport, and 3rd party-objectively measured, as to the impact on customer satisfaction, the efficacy of the training programme and the quality of the service provided at the stations.
The Solution
HS1 partnered with Unthink to design a bold, immersive, behaviour-led learning journey for frontline managers and gateline colleagues, under the brand identity Meaningful Connections.
The ambition was to challenge perceptions of what world-class customer service truly looks and feels like, and to equip colleagues with the confidence, judgement and practical skills to deliver it consistently.
Rather than focusing on transactional service, the programme was grounded in the HS1 behaviour framework, the experience encouraged colleagues to see themselves as hosts of an international gateway, shaping how customers feel about their entire journey.
The programme included:
A distinctive programme brand and visual identity
A launch campaign including a cinematic introduction video
Personalised participant invitations to create anticipation and status
Bespoke immersive workshops built around lived station scenarios
A scalable Train-the-Trainer methodology:
Experience It → Own It → Sustain It → Deliver It
Accountability and embedding groups to drive behavioural follow-through
Practical toolkits and self-assessment diagnostics to support ongoing development
The Impact
+26%
Elevation (went above and beyond the usual level of service): +26% (42-68% agree/ strongly agree)
+21%
Pride (made customers feel valued) +21% (60-80% agree/strongly agree)
+17%
Insight (provided customers with helpful advice) +17% (69-86% agree/strongly agree)
+15%
Connection (took care to fully understood customer needs) +15% (72-87% agree/strongly agree)
96%
96% of colleagues strongly agreed they understand more about how to deliver great Customer Experience
98%
of colleagues strongly agree they actionable takeaways to think differently about how to deliver great CX back in their role
100%
100% of colleagues would recommend the Unthink facilitation team
