25 October 2002

National Express Group has appointed Detica, the specialist IT consultancy, to optimise performance of its Qjump contact centre, which services its UK rail customer base. Qjump provides a range of services to rail passengers, from journey planning and ticket purchasing, through to customer services. Following consistent growth over the last few years, the centre was in need of a fresh approach to its operating procedures in order to maintain service levels going forward.

The volume of customer interactions at the Qjump contact centre has increased by more than 150% since moving to its current premises in January 2001. From an initial benchmarking activity, Detica identified the scope for efficiency improvements at the centre. It is now working with the Qjump team to develop and implement a new operating model that will provide a solid foundation for future growth. The new operating model will be the first stage in optimising the contact centre performance. Combined with future planned technology projects, this should help to deliver an improved customer booking experience for rail passengers.

At the Qjump centre, tickets can be printed and dispatched direct to the customer, or made available for collection at the customer's departure station. Customer contact points include telephone, web (www.qjump.co.uk), mail, fax and e-mail. Qjump also offers branded telephone and Web service for National Express' own train operators as well as for other train operating companies. Further, it provides specific business traveller services for corporate accounts. The initial focus of Detica's operations review is on the telesales function.

Commenting on Detica's appointment, Mark Powles, MD at Qjump said: "Having experienced sustained growth over the past year, we needed to take a fresh approach to the way we serviced customers. Detica was the natural choice to review our operation given their call-centre expertise and knowledge of the travel sector. Their collaborative approach has enabled them to rapidly understand our business needs and target areas for increased efficiency."

Grant Klein, head of the transport business at Detica, commented, "Contact centres deliver an integral part of our clients' customer experience. We have been able to combine our experience both from call centre operations and the UK rail industry to help shape Qjump's business for the challenges that lie ahead. What's more, we were happy to take on the challenge while accepting some of the risk of delivering on the efficiency gains we felt were achievable."

Sally Clift or Rachel Ringstead Porter NovelliTel: +44 (0)207 853 2222email: or