The customer is at the center of our actions
Management approach and targets
For us, increasing punctuality is the most important lever for improving product quality. Internal punctuality management is based on lost units (number of delays) and will be expanded in future with additional key figures that take into account network utilization. To measure punctuality, we compare the target arrival time to the actual arrival time for every train/bus journey. A stop is considered on time if the scheduled arrival time is exceeded by less than six minutes in passenger transport or less than 16 minutes in freight transport. We use a punctuality rate to summarize the arrival of trains/buses on schedule or up to a defined maximum delay. In addition, DB Regional Bus also evaluates buses that have departed more than one minute too early as not punctual. The figures are recorded daily and are made available to executives and employees online, together with the lost units and other management key figures, allowing remedial action to be taken. In addition, punctuality data, together with the associated indicators, are prepared regularly and used by the Management Board to determine current points requiring action and where decisions are required. Punctuality is the key indicator of product quality in terms of the Strong Rail strategy, and is a determining factor in calculating the variable compensation amount for executives at DB Group.
Other important levers for increasing product quality include the use of modern vehicles, reliable and comprehensive customer and transport information, the quality and reliability of services offered, as well as reasonable travel and transport times. That is why we continually invest in our fleet and infrastructure, and optimize cooperation with our suppliers and sector partners. We also place a strong emphasis on tapping into the opportunities of digitalization. Our initiatives for increasing product quality and improving customer satisfaction are an important part of the plan to implement our strategy.
In addition to the various aspects of product quality, the continuous optimization of the price-performance ratio and product innovations, especially in digitalization, are key levers for increasing customer satisfaction. We work extremely hard on our basic service and focus on optimizing product and service quality. We offer our customers a comprehensive range of services for their information needs. Our target is to provide our products at a reasonable price-performance ratio in order to meet the expectations of our customers. The focus is on measures that increase the quality of our services and the efficiency of our processes. In order to assess the success of our measures from our customers’ perspective, we use direct indicators such as revenues and the number of passengers. In addition to this, we use the results of regular customer surveys to measure our success and find potential areas for improvement.
