Cheers Drive awards launched to recognise and reward excellent customer service
May 3rd, 2015
Bus operator First West of England is working with Destination Bristol and Bristol Shopping Quarter (Broadmead, The Galleries and Cabot Circus) to drive up standards of customer service amongst bus drivers by recognising and rewarding those who regularly go the extra mile to help those people from, and those visiting, Bristol.
On Friday 24 April the organisations came together to launch the ‘Cheers Drive!’ awards, taking time out to pose for pictures on The Horsefair, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, and an important access point to Broadmead shopping centre.
The title of the awards is a direct reference to the informal way many Bristolians thank drivers for a pleasant trip as they get off local buses (ie ‘Cheers Drive!’)
While many of Bristol’s 900 bus drivers already deliver a good standard of customer service, First recognises that improvements can always be made. It is considered that by rewarding the positive attributes of those drivers who are already making a difference – brightening a customer’s day with a cheery hello or goodbye, or by going the extra mile to help someone who is lost and in need of assistance – others will be encouraged to adopt similar behaviours, and standards across the board will rise further.
John Hirst of Destination Bristol agrees. He says “A business visitor to Bristol recently took the bus to Bristol Zoo Gardens and told me that she was overwhelmed by the exceptional welcome that the driver gave all his passengers. Almost half our customers travel to Bristol Shopping Quarter by bus and we would like them all to enjoy this positive experience during their journeys here.”
The ‘Cheers Drive!’ awards will initially run for six months, with residents and visitors encouraged to nominate those drivers who they feel have gone the extra mile to help bus users.
The nomination process is easy: you simply need to log onto www.firstgroup.com/cheersdrive and complete a short form about the driver concerned. Alternatively, and importantly for those without internet access, bus users will also be able to nominate drivers by calling customer services on 0117 244 4040, providing details over the phone about the driver they wish to nominate and why.
Once a month a panel of people from First, Destination Bristol and Bristol Shopping Quarter will meet to choose a winner from the nominations received.
The winning driver will then receive a special ‘Cheers Drive!’ thumbs up pin badge, a certificate and, thanks to the generosity of Bristol’s Shopping Quarter, a £100 voucher to spend in the store of their choice. The individual successfully nominating the winning driver will also receive a prize in the form of free travel on the local bus network (worth £66)*. At the end of the six month period one overall winning driver will also be chosen, and rewarded accordingly.
Talking about the awards the managing director of First West of England, James Freeman, says: “We want to continually drive up standards of customer service amongst our drivers and this seems to be a great way to recognise and reward those people who are already delivering great service.
“We know we don’t always get it right – and always we’ll take the appropriate action if and when we find those people who let the side down – but conversely we also know that we have a number of fantastic bus drivers out there, doing a hard job in difficult conditions. Those who make a difference to the lives of their passengers, either stepping in when something has gone wrong, or simply by delivering excellent service with a smile day in day out, deserve to be acknowledged, and this is what were seeking to do.
“We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with Destination Bristol and Bristol Shopping Quarter on this awards programme. Bristol is a fantastic place to live, work and visit, and if we can play our part in making the city even more attractive – by ensuring our drivers are ready and willing to help residents and visitors – then that can only be a good thing.”
To find out more about the ‘Cheers Drive!’ awards, or to nominate a driver who’s delivered excellent customer service, log onto: www.firstgroup.com/cheersdrive
For more information about First West of England, log onto: www.firstgroup.com/bristol.
First West of England is on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/FirstWestofEngland and www.twitter.com/FirstBSA.
Photo courtesy of First West of England taken at their launch event. This shows, from L- R: Sarah Wallbridge (Senior Marketing Manager, First West of England), James Freeman (Managing Director, First West of England, Jo Hawkins (Broadmead BID Manager, Destination Bristol) and Dave Pumford (First West of England bus driver).