RIA Update 113 Summer 2021
Taking Member feedback on board RIA’s November 2020 Member Survey saw the highest satisfaction ratings for RIA since the survey was first conducted. But we’re not resting on our laurels and are working hard to make sure your feedback is acted on. In a special article, Operations Director Gaynor Pates sets out what RIA has been doing with the valued feedback you provide us. Ahead of the AGM last year, RIA conducted its annual Member Pulse Survey. Conducted by the independent Pulse Business, the survey asks members about their experience of RIA, their key priorities and what we can improve to ensure we’re delivering the best service possible. Given the tough year the industry has experienced, we were really pleased to get such great feedback from members, including: • In answer to the question “Overall, how happy are you with your RIA Membership?”, the number answering ‘Very happy’ (the highest category of member satisfaction) has increased from 44% at the start of the year to 52% now. Also, 84% now say they are either ‘Really or quite happy’ with their membership compared to 75% at the start of the year. • This new score means that the satisfaction score ‘Really happy’ highest category, has increased from 34% in 2017 to 52% in 2020. • And, in another part of the survey 88% said they believe RIA is playing a leadership role as the voice of the UK rail supply community; and 85% feel RIA has been performing really or quite well as the ‘go-to’ body for advising on government policy. It’s fantastic to have such positive results, and we’d like to thank all members who answered the survey. But we know that excellent service requires constant appraisal and challenge!
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So, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the anonymised feedback we’ve received and what we’ve been doing to improve.
Thought Leadership for 2021 When asked what the thought leadership priority should be for RIA in 2021, the resounding response was ‘passenger confidence and the value of rail’. We’ve certainly been acting on that advice – at the end of 2020, we published our ’10 Reasons to Continue to Invest in Rail’ document, highlighting why the Government should not take its foot off the pedal when it comes to supporting rail. Throughout our communications, we are bullish about rail’s prospects, highlighting that rail has been through similar economic and health crises in the past and has always bounced back. We’re also working to place the rail industry at the centre of Government’s plans for the economic recovery. This includes working with the Department for Transport and Network Rail on the Rail Project SPEED Conference, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP gave the opening remarks, highlighting the need for rail post-pandemic. We’re also supporting the Campaign for Better Transport’s ‘The Way Forward’ campaign, launched recently. And we have much more planned, including renewing our well-received Oxford Economics research, to show the value rail provided the economy before the Coronavirus pandemic. Look out for further information on this soon!
88% said they believe RIA is playing a leadership role as the voice of the UK rail supply community
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Visibility and consistency of workload
The RIA Team at a networking event Kings Buildings, 16 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HQ +44 (0) 207 201 0777
Since the survey, we’ve continued to press for visibility, urging the Government to publish the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline as soon as possible, including through media activity and our ‘Rail Enhancements Clock’, which highlights the number of days since the RNEP was last updated.
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ria@riagb.org.uk www.riagb.org.uk
