Over 90 % of our customers satisfied with Eurotunnel

Putting the customer at the heart of its business is a priority for Eurotunnel. In a market that remained highly competitive in 2007, Eurotunnel distinguished itself by meeting its commercial commitments – Speed, Ease, Reliability. Constantly striving for commercial excellence, the Group has been able to adapt its operational activities to meet the expectations of the most demanding travellers.

During very busy periods, Eurotunnel’s staff need to be ready to cope with up to 12,000 vehicles and 47,000 passengers in a single day. The special “Busy and Ready” plan (BAR), conceived in 2006 and implemented on peak days, demonstrated its effectiveness in 2007.

The BAR plan includes more Shuttle departures with optimal loads, additional staff and extended opening hours for the shops and restaurants in the terminals. As a result, on 25 May, Eurotunnel carried more than 7,700 vehicles from Folkestone to Calais, with 60 Shuttle departures at full capacity in 24 hours! Similarly, thanks to this organisation, the additional traffic generated by the Rugby World Cup in autumn 2007 was handled perfectly, despite the last-minute nature of variations due to the competition’s outcome.

Focus on Customers

As part of the “Focus on Customers” initiative launched in 2006, commercial and operational staff worked together closely throughout the year to identify precisely how service quality could be improved. Numerous initiatives were planned as a result, starting with customers being given better information when there is a disruption to the service. Eurotunnel is in the process of modernising its communication and signalling system at its terminals.

The proposed project to install an automatic number plate recognition system at check-in booths will ease the arrival of Eurotunnel customers and ensure a personalised welcome message.

To make each traveller’s experience as pleasant and comfortable as possible, the food court in the Folkestone Passenger building was extended and the range of shops increased. The FlexiPlus lounges were also renovated over the summer: more modern and convivial, they reflect Eurotunnel’s premium service.

Since the start of 2007, an overall score for quality based on exhaustive objective criteria (such as customer crossing time, registration time, pre-boarding wait) has been produced daily. This helps with implementing concrete actions aimed at improving the quality of service offered to Passenger and Truck Shuttle customers.

However, as only customers can genuinely assess the quality of service provided, Eurotunnel measures their satisfaction rate and takes into account their comments in order to perfect its services. These show that 94% of Passenger Shuttle customers state they are satisfied with the service. Of these, 79% say they are extremely or very satisfi ed, up 6% on 2006, and 96% of Eurotunnel customers would recommend Eurotunnel to a friend.

A satisfaction survey was carried out in June by TNS Sofres among transport companies and truck drivers. This showed that 96% of Truck Shuttle customers felt Eurotunnel attached a lot of importance to the safety and security of its service, and 94% acknowledged Eurotunnel’s ability to guarantee a Fast, Easy and Reliable service. Overall, 91% of truck drivers said they were satisfied with the service. To further improve these scores, work is in progress to provide more parking for trucks arriving at Coquelles. It is not only the company’s own customer satisfaction surveys that highlight Eurotunnel’s excellent service quality in
2007.

Last year, the UK Institute of Customer Service carried out a web survey asking 6,000 users to rate transport companies in terms of service. Whereas the average score was 69, Eurotunnel reached 80 out of 100, to feature among the top three transport companies in terms of service quality.

Now that the British public has also voted it the best rail company in 2007, Eurotunnel has set its sights on becoming the best transport company in 2008 in terms of service quality.