Eurostar plots social media overhaul and loyalty revival

Eurostar's social media strategy floundered at the end of last year, and its customer communications have been criticised. So how is it responding?

The last couple of months have not been the easiest of times for Eurostar. As detailed last month, the operator was the target of consumer wrath recently when five trains broke down in the Channel Tunnel, finding itself bombarded with posts on social networks it was eventually forced to turn what were originally set up as purely marketing Twitter feeds into a channel for communicating vital information to its customers and other interested parties. The fact that there was a repeat of the social media mishap only two weeks later served to compound customer misery and further damage the Eurostar brand.

The operator's service shortcomings were starkly highlighted last week by the findings of an inquiry into the debacle, which lambasted it for its lack of winter preparations. The report, by former GNER East Coast Main Line rail boss Christopher Garnett and French transport expert Claude Gressier, recommended not only improved maintenance of trains but also more effective communication with customers.

"Until the mid-December breakdowns, Eurostar was a very well liked and respected brand," says leading brand strategy consultant Simon Middleton. "However, they have upset and disappointed a lot of people. It has clearly wounded their brand, but if they put appropriate measures in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again, manage to communicate those measures persuasively, and are seen to behave properly towards those they let down, then the brand can and will recover."

Eurostar's response has been swift, pledging around €34 million to improve the resilience of the Eurostar trains during severe winter conditions, as well as passenger care during disruption and customer communication both inside and outside the tunnel. As well as major work on the tunnel communications system, the operator will also strengthen its 24/7 passenger care contingency operation, implement a 24/7 call centre operation during periods of disruption, provide train managers with smart phones to facilitate more timely communication with passengers and execute regular SMS text messaging and email updates for customers.

There has also been news that it is to launch a monthly magazine for the nine million or so passengers that it carries per year, in a bid to improve customer loyalty and refocus attention on its environmental credentials, according to reports. 

Furthermore, last week also saw the launch of an official corporate Twitter feed.

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