Matt Lovell: How Eurostar Automated Refunds to Put Their Customer Experience Back on Track

Matt Lovell, Former Data, Analytics & Insight Director at
Eurostar explains how automation transformed their customer
experience in the wake of the pandemic

On March 13, 2020, after two years of hard work, Eurostar
replaced its 50-year-old ticketing system with a modern,
data-driven platform.


On March 15, 2020, COVID-19 caused Eurostar’s passenger numbers
to crash.


In this week’s episode of the Business of Data Podcast, Matt
Lovell, former Data, Analytics, and Insight Director at Eurostar,
explains why he reprioritized his data projects to improve
customer experiences as pandemic disruption hit.


“At the moment all of the projects that we would normally work on
are largely on hold. So, it does give you the options to do a bit
of a reset, whether it’s adding rigorous processes, fixing
systems, or restructuring data in a way that we want it,” he
says. “These are things that normally wouldn’t get looked at.”
Reacting to Customer Demand in Real-Time

As lockdowns began, Eurostar customers needed a way to easily
reschedule or cancel their journeys. Unfortunately, their
voucher-based compensation system was not designed to deal with a
pandemic.


“That created a whole new management scenario that we hadn’t
necessarily planned for,” Lovell says. “There were a lot of
things we had to systematically work through.”


The first job, he explains, was quick to take stock of the
situation and prioritize key projects. Then, the team rapidly
iterated on system modifications and introduced automation
designed to improve customer experiences.


“We started to [ask] how we could gradually move to a point
whereas much of this was automated as possible and as much of
this was visible to the customer as possible.”


Automating key parts of the process helped Lowell to implement a
convenient system for customers to switch tickets and claim
refunds online. It also proved the value of automation to the
business.


“The resource that was needed for us to do it manually at the
beginning was so substantial,” he says. “[Now] we can build this
in a way where it barely has any of that.”


“Not only is that reducing the stress on the business but it’s
also improving the customer experience, so it’s really a
win-win,” he concludes.
Key Takeaways


Use ‘downtime’ to reevaluate data priorities.
If your regular projects are on hold, take the opportunity to
take a fresh look at your priorities


Iterate for success. Even if a system is not
perfect immediately, by iterating over time you can make
incremental improvements


Automation can create a win-win. By making
systems more efficient, data leaders can improve customer
experiences and prove business value at the same time.