Progressive Railroading: Amtrak's New Customer Focus

I'm going to start by adding my own technology-should-empower-customers request: live, best-estimate arrival projections, such as Julie (Amtrak's Automated Agent) would offer. It was nice that the conductor on my recent much-delayed (2hrs) Acela came on and gave estimated arrivals for "up the line" but, really, shouldn't this have just been a click away for everyone at all times, like it is on my GPS? Or even on a rotating display at the car end? Next Stop: 8:02p New Haven. / Est Arr Providence 9:30. / Est Boston 10:15

And while we're at it, how about Julie use caller id to remember that I just called 20 minutes ago about the Downeaster's arrival into north station, instead of me having to do all her menu things (...Train Status....Yes...Train 692...Arrival time....Boston North Station....Today...Right) . I'd use a lot less of Julie's CPU cycles and long distance minutes if she'd just remember the association between my phone number and a particular train status (Train #, City, Day) for, say, 5 hours or the train's arrival, and begin by saying "Hello again, would you like an update on the last train you called about?" and end with "would you like me to remember your caller ID so you can call back for updates until your train arrives?"

And let me book an Uber and give them my train #...and have Amtrak give Uber a live feed about my progress to handle the "he's going to be late / he's going to be early" part. Call my Uber for South Station when we get cleared to enter the platform...or send an update when my bags are released from the baggage car.

Greg Moore wrote:You're sort of mixing two issues here:
Convenience (which I'm in favor of) and someone not doing their job. An iPad won't solve that problem, simply hide it. In my experience on sleepers I've had varied service, but honestly service never that bad. I do hope you reported it.

Technology is probably the best way to un-hide her poor service, and to let her know that customers are "watching" and empowered in such a way that it never enters her mind to treat them that way. The alternative--hiring a manager to watch her?--is both more expensive and less effective than letting passengers take control.

So the first step in fixing her bad job is empowering enough customers with "live" menu options that it never enters her mind to cut corners. Its kind of like vaccination and herd immunity. If the "truth" of the menu is out there, and operations are transparent, "the staff" will know that the odds are bad that they can lie to customers and get away with it.

Today, in a paper world (or "computer-behind-the-counter" world), there probably are few enough passengers who take the initiative to follow up (asking "really, no chicken?") that mostly she gets away with it.

Put an Ipad in every room (or car-end) with rotating safety/news/current speed/projected arrivals/menu/ordering. Sprinkle some ads in there.

I'd say give her an iPad and have it tell her to visit only those seats that haven't ordered yet--and take their order right there. Use near-field/bluetooth to track which rooms she's visited, too.

The technology (iPads, improving Julie, etc) would be expensive. And, if the dining car crews have in fact been shrunk, who is actually going to update the software to indicate menu changes? The attendant who lies about what's available in the diner could be dealt with by better supervision. I believe that in Canada there is not the strict separation between OBS and operating crews. I have often wondered if the train conductor could serve as manager of the OBS crew, if Amtrak is unwilling to supply an OBS chief.

SouthernRailway wrote:I agree with Arlington 100%.

To add, my pro-iPad experience is based on my last Crescent trip. Here's what happened:

The sleeping car attendant came to take my order for dinner (served in the sleeping car). She told me that I'd be having baked chicken. (I wasn't offered a menu or any choices.) I asked for a glass of wine and mentioned that I knew that it would be at my expense. She told me that wasn't possible, since she "would have to go to the café car and stand in line for me and couldn't do that."

I later asked someone in the dining car about having only baked chicken and the person was surprised, since the full menu was available.

With an iPad, I could have ordered and paid on a screen, saving staff time and avoiding anger.

She may have been wrong about the menu options but her standing in line for your drink is correct. Since there is only one attendant working the register and taking orders in the cafe car, she would have to wait in line while those in front of her are served. While she is on line taking care of you, someone else needs her attention but can't find her since she is waiting in line for you. Or maybe she needs to do some other duties but can't since she is on line waiting to be served.

JoeG wrote:The technology (iPads, improving Julie, etc) would be expensive. And, if the dining car crews have in fact been shrunk, who is actually going to update the software to indicate menu changes? The attendant who lies about what's available in the diner could be dealt with by better supervision. I believe that in Canada there is not the strict separation between OBS and operating crews. I have often wondered if the train conductor could serve as manager of the OBS crew, if Amtrak is unwilling to supply an OBS chief.

I agree with JoeG. What happens if the server on the train isn't working? now your iPAd is useless and now your upset that you have to walk and stand in line on a moving train. And don't tell me you wouldn't be upset and start complaining since I have seen passengers pitch a fit when the 120 volt outlet is working to hook up their laptops, etc. Unlike the Acela's which are always coupled together, on the conventional side, the cars can be separated. So if the server in the cafe or dining car isn't working, does the car get shopped until its fixed? Or do you send it out without it working because you need the car? Technology can be a blessing sometimes and a nightmare as well.

Tablets/I-pads are useless untill there is a reliable internal wi-fi network across the entire fleet and across the country,
at present,along the NEC,Empire Corridor,Cascade services,and the Amtrak-California Corridors have semi-reliable
wi-fi in a limited amount of cars per train.
Some of the Commuter services across the US have semi-reliable wi-fi service,but had to install some of the needed
equipment along their routes and their entire fleet.(NMRX did that Belen-Santa Fe,every station and car has a "hot spot"
wi-fi setup)
Untill the cell tower gaps in parts of the US are covered,and spectrum room needed for various PTC systems is figured out,
it will be a long wait for true "coast to coast" wi-fi on the train.

LIRR272 wrote:

SouthernRailway wrote:I agree with Arlington 100%.

To add, my pro-iPad experience is based on my last Crescent trip. Here's what happened:

The sleeping car attendant came to take my order for dinner (served in the sleeping car). She told me that I'd be having baked chicken. (I wasn't offered a menu or any choices.) I asked for a glass of wine and mentioned that I knew that it would be at my expense. She told me that wasn't possible, since she "would have to go to the café car and stand in line for me and couldn't do that."

I later asked someone in the dining car about having only baked chicken and the person was surprised, since the full menu was available.

With an iPad, I could have ordered and paid on a screen, saving staff time and avoiding anger.

She may have been wrong about the menu options but her standing in line for your drink is correct. Since there is only one attendant working the register and taking orders in the cafe car, she would have to wait in line while those in front of her are served. While she is on line taking care of you, someone else needs her attention but can't find her since she is waiting in line for you. Or maybe she needs to do some other duties but can't since she is on line waiting to be served.

Going with the iPad idea, maybe the iPad should also have menu options for the cafe car too. You can order the wine, and all the attendant would have to do is go and pick it up. After all, you paid for first-class service. And yes, there was no excuse for her at least not giving you the menu in your room. If she could not even do that, that is coming out of her tip, if she gets tipped at all.

It would be nice to close some of the small gaps in cellular coverage that cause loss of WiFi and dropped calls. I'm thinking of the tunnels in Baltimore. Obviously, big gaps in the middle of nowhere have to be expected and tolerated.

My favorite thing about Amtrak is that Verizon Cellular works throughout the NYC tunnels.

To attract high paying business customers, improved connectivity would help. I happily choose the train over the plane and pay for a room so I can work while traveling, but hate having to apologize every time a call drops. "Sorry, I'm on a train and we just went through a dead spot." That's not good advertising.

My second favorite thing is valet parking at New Haven Union station. What a time saver and I don't have to worry if the parking garage is full.

LIRR272 wrote:She may have been wrong about the menu options but her standing in line for your drink is correct. Since there is only one attendant working the register and taking orders in the cafe car, she would have to wait in line while those in front of her are served. While she is on line taking care of you, someone else needs her attention but can't find her since she is waiting in line for you. Or maybe she needs to do some other duties but can't since she is on line waiting to be served.

According to both Amtrak and the folks on flyertalk.com in the Amtrak forum, she was WRONG on both counts. She would not have had to stand in line in the café car to get a glass of wine at dinner for me, and I never would have asked someone to do that.

JoeG wrote:The technology (iPads, improving Julie, etc) would be expensive. And, if the dining car crews have in fact been shrunk, who is actually going to update the software to indicate menu changes? The attendant who lies about what's available in the diner could be dealt with by better supervision. I believe that in Canada there is not the strict separation between OBS and operating crews. I have often wondered if the train conductor could serve as manager of the OBS crew, if Amtrak is unwilling to supply an OBS chief.

In New Zealand, the conductor (guard) was made Train Manager, and all onboard staff made Assistant Managers.
Everyone was trained to do all jobs.
The difference in service was highly noticable, though I suspect better training and a union wanting the services to survive helped.
Mind you, what passed as dining car service before that was akin to been served slops by fellow inmates at a correctional facility.