Didcot Railway Centre

In the words of Ann Middleton, Commercial Manager at the Didcot Railway Centre:

"VisitorVerdict is a no-brainer. We use it widely to support and endorse changes that improve the running of the centre, from our pricing structure through to our retail operation"

VisitorVerdict has transformed the way that decisions are taken, with the organization now much more customer-focussed and led. In the first two years of participation, the centre has used VisitorVerdict to:

• Overhaul the layout and content of its shop, resulting in improved profit: VisitorVerdict highlighted a low score versus industry benchmarks for the range of merchandise in its shop which prompted a comprehensive internal review of the quality and consistency of the range offered.  As a result of changes put in place, 2015 VisitorVerdict results have demonstrated strong increases in shop ratings and more importantly, in retail profits for the centre.

• Introduce Key Performance Indicators for the Board of Trustees: an important step in changing the culture of the organisation to one which is more customer-led has been the introduction of regular reporting of headline survey results to the Board. This has improved accountability within the organization and raised the profile of the customer in decision-making processes

• Supporting funding applications: funding bodies tend to look favourably upon bids which are evidenced by customer need. The centre has used VisitorVerdict to this end to demonstrate the need to improve the welcome at the site by introducing a new entrance area.