Caledonian MacBrayne scores highly in new customer survey for response to Covid-19 coronavirus crisis challenges; CalMac, which operates the Ullapool-Stornoway ferry among others, praises the work of its staff for the strong survey result
![The MV Loch Seaforth ferry on the Ullapool-Stornoway route. Picture: Alan Jamieson from Aberdeen, via Wikimedia Commons [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]](/_media/img/FD5BWBMCWSWCHNA50S32.jpg)
WEST coast ferry operator CalMac has scored highly with its customers for its response to the Covid crisis.
CalMac's 47 strong customer service team processed nearly 30,000 refunds, actioned 12,000 emails and answered 11,000 social media enquiries over March, April and May.
CalMac worked with 56 Degree Insight, an independent research agency, to ask more than 7000 customers about their experience.
The customer service team scored 9.2 out of 10 for ease of interaction via email replies, 9.1 for online refunds, 8.9 for website contacts and 9.1 for telephone responses.
More than 99 per cent of refunds were processed within the allocated 21 working days timescale.
"We were recently awarded the top level of recognition by the Call Centre Association and the results of this survey would seem to reinforce the faith they have in the professionalism of our staff.," CalMac commercial director Diane Burke said.
"They have worked tirelessly through this crisis to keep customers informed and to manage their booking through what has been a very difficult period for everyone."
Since opening up bookings again, the operators has seen strong interest from the public in travel to the islands it serves. Social media messages to the customer services team are up 96 per cent on the same period last year, emails are up 20 per cent and phone enquires up nine per cent.
Every year the team deals with almost 400,000 phone calls, 37,000 emails covering ferry bookings, enquires, claims and complaints.
Last year CalMac carried more than 5.6 million passengers and 1.4 million vehicles. Its 34 strong fleet serves 27 routes to island and remote mainland locations.
