Unipart Rail supplies and installs a broad range of rail infrastructure products such as signals, cables, overhead line and level crossing parts. One day, one of our engineers was on site and overheard a couple of Network Rail engineers discussing a thorny problem that they had. Our team member thought he might just have a solution for them…
Network Rail had a problem sourcing critical parts for a panel which needed urgent modifications. The local engineers could not find a supplier for the parts, and their only option was to order a whole new unit. These are bespoke products, it would have taken weeks to order a new part and would come with a significant price tag. Cost was not the only dilemma for the local engineers, installing a whole new unit involved re-design work, and significant safety implications in taking the existing panel away. This was a real headache.
Unipart Rail thought they might have an alternative solution for them. One of our team offered his advice and advised them that he might be able to help. He knew that Unipart Rail had some spares back at base from a previous panel modification. He went back, sourced the parts, ensured they were correct and to standard; he then created a prototype. He tested this and found that it was successful.
He liaised with the design engineers, demonstrated the panel, proved it would work and would save both time and money. He helped bring about a win-win solution for everyone.
The reason these actions stand out, and demonstrate how our Mark in Action winners go above and beyond to deliver outstanding customer service, is that our award winner thought about the problem that the client was facing; he understood the implications completely and solved the problem creatively. He took the initiative and worked with the client to build a workable solution that resulted in significant savings for the client, saved critical time and helped to build a relationship of trust and collaboration with the client. He truly went “the extra mile” to keep one of our customers “on track”