Customer Service
The Company is constantly working on improving the quality of services in order to maintain a high level of passenger service. This is one of FPC’s priorities.
Customer Service Levels
JSC FPC is constantly striving to improve passenger train schedules. The adjustments made allow to offer more convenient arrival/departure times and maximise train travelling speed, subject to capacity constraints of the parent company’s infrastructure.
Long-distance passengers aged under 18 years old receive an email invitation to participate in an online survey that tracks passenger satisfaction on a regular basis. This survey provides the Company with recent feedback and customer reviews, enabling prompt responses to passenger comments and suggestions Personal data of FPC clients is processed in strict accordance with the rules of Federal
Information systems that process personal data are organised in such a way to exclude the possibility of unauthorised modification, copying, blocking and other harmful actions that could compromise the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of the personal data. .
Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI Customer Satisfaction Index. ) is derived from weighted scores on the following parameters:
- Ticketing process (online, in a mobile app or ticket offices)
- Cost of trip
- Customer service on‑board:
- comfort level
- technical condition
- sanitary condition
- safety
- work of attendants
- bedding
- travelling kit
- travelling with children
- Poputchik portal
- Catering services (prepaid meals, dining carriage services)
- Loyalty programme
In 2023, the customer satisfaction survey aimed to assess the quality of services provided by JSC FPC totalled 533,653 passengers (2.2 times more than in 2022). As the mailing and questionnaire completion process was automated and questionnaire was more personalised, the response rates showed a noteworthy increase.
The satisfaction index at year‑end was 89.6 points out of 100, which is higher than the target value calculated at year‑end 2022 by 2.1 points.
All CSI parameters for the passenger service block are above the target values for 2023 year. The leaders: attendants’ performance and ticketing process. The cost of travel and dining carriage services are still under‑performing.
The NPS Net Promoter Score. index is also regularly monitored to promote the customer care and increase competitiveness, as well as to determine the level of passenger loyalty and readiness to recommend the Company. In 2023, it stood at 50, up 7 points year-on-year. Passengers showed a higher level of loyalty to the Company: the share of promoters is 50 p.p. higher than the share of critics (in 2022, the share of promoters was higher only by 43 p.p.).
Final CSI and NPS figures in 2023
Passenger loyalty index in 2023
According to the 2023 year‑end results, the number of public negative complaints about poor service on FPC trains per 100,000 passengers carried decreased from 1.8 complaints in 2022 to 1.7 complaints in 2022.
To improve the quality of passenger service, in the Company put a CRM system in place to make targeted offers to customers. A unified customer base allowed to streamline the collection of complaints pertaining to products, as well as to unify passenger service provision standards.
In 2023, the CRM system is capable of auto‑sending of letters to passengers with the offer to complete the Trip Review survey. The letter was sent two days after the passenger arrived at the destination station. The information about the trip is transferred to the questionnaire survey without any involvement of the customer. This reduces the time required to complete the questionnaire survey and minimises the possibility of errors when entering travel details. Responses to the Trip Review survey are transmitted to the CRM‑system, with a an option to link a specific response to passenger, train and ticket.
Moreover, a dedicated report was devised to analyse passenger trips with a transfer in trains and carriages made up by JSC FPC. This information is used in launching new routes. Passengers who have not travelled on trains and carriages of JSC FPC for more than 365 days are included on the list for auto‑sending of personalised offers with information on available discounts. Automatic reports (dashboards) on the FPC Stats portal were also refined.
Customer Service Innovations
Enhancing meal quality
In 2023, JSC FPC implemented a new catering concept on 26 trains and in 47 bistro carriages. The Company became the winner of the XIVth Annual Award titled «Quality of Service and Consumer Rights» in the «Service of the Year for Catering on Transport. Railway Transport» nomination in the Retail Services category for new catering concept.
The Company also launched a project to order hot meals for passengers. The projects involves the use of upgraded staff carriages with kitchens equipped with special equipment for storing and warming up heat‑and‑serve meals, as well as washer and dishwasher.
The initiative to use FPC’s own resources to provide catering services has been underway since March 2023. Catering services are provided by three catering units housed by the Moscow, Kuibyshev and Volga branches.
There is also a service called Food Delivery to Train. Since its launch (in December 2019), it has been used by over 40,000 passengers. More than 21,000 passengers used the service in 2023 for more than RUB 33 million, which is 89% more than for the same period last year. As of today, 100 catering enterprises at 67 stations are connected to the service, including large chain projects: Burger King fast food restaurant chain, Sicily and Tanuki restaurant chains, BlinBerry fast food café chain, Milti, JSC Vkusvill and others.
Making railway service more accessible for different categories of passengers
Improving the conditions for passengers with disabilities
As of 31 December 2023, FPC’s fleet has 1,129 carriage equipped with special compartments for wheelchair users, which amounts to 94% of the total number of scheduled trains.
Design features of such carriages:
- Increased width of exterior doors on the non‑boiler side of the carriages
- Availability of lifts for wheelchair users
- Increased vestibule area
- Increased width of the entrance door from vestibule to corridor, doors to special compartment for wheelchair user and to toilet
- Extended corridor to a specialised compartment
The width of all listed openings and spaces allows the passenger to travel in a standard‑sized wheelchair.
If a passenger with reduced mobility is travelling in a sleeping carriage, the travel booking system informs the attendant accordingly. The attendant makes their berth in advance and helps them to entrain, using a special lift. If a carriage is not equipped with such a lift, a physically incapacitated passenger is helped onboard by the train crew members headed by the passenger train manager.
After a passenger with restricted mobility is onboard in a special carriage, the attendant introduces the passenger to the compartment and the wheelchair‑accessible toilet facilities.
If a physically incapacitated passenger chooses to not use a special disabled‑friendly carriage, they are provided with a wheelchair and the attendant helps move the wheelchair to public places (boilers, toilets).
Detraining of passengers with reduced mobility follows the entraining procedure.
Moreover, the disabled‑friendly carriages are equipped with Braille information signs for blind passengers. After a blind passenger entrains, the attendant shows them around the carriage and its equipment.
Improved conditions for passengers with children
The following conveniences are available for passengers with children:
- Children’s play area with soft sofas, educational toys, table and chairs for children’s creativity, TV (in double‑decker trains Moscow – Voronezh and Moscow – Bryansk)
- Playpen for the youngest kids (in carriages with children’s compartments or upon prior request)
- Young Traveller’s Library (in a number of trains)
- Children’s menu (if there is a dining carriage or bistro carriage in the train)
- Carriage of children aged 10 to 16 years without accompanying adults under supervision of train crew (in some trains)
Improved conditions for passengers with pets
Early in 2024, the Company revised the regulations governing the transportation of pets in order to guarantee their safety.
Now, in case an animal without an owner is found in a carriage, the attendant is to check for contact information about the owner, and if it is available, contacts the owner by phone. If there is no information about the owner, the attendant shall question all passengers of the carriage, starting with those who carry animals according to carriage documents.
If the owner of the pet cannot be found in the carriage, the attendant reports the matter to the passenger train manager, who is to organise a search in other train carriages. If even in this case the owner is not found, the animal is be handed over to the station staff, who will take it to the animal shelter, or, if it is impossible, to a specialised organisation dealing with neglected animals.
New travel kits
Starting from 2024, JSC FPC offers updated travel kits to passengers of high comfort carriages. The new line of travel kits was designed on the basis of feedback on the quality and frequency of service updates, passenger preferences and wishes. All kits meet the improved consumer specifications.
Moreover, new travel kits are offered to children and passengers of tourist trains starting from Q2 2024.