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A new system for complaints, concerns and questions at the ROH


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A recent failed booking - mishandled first by the Royal Opera House's technology and then by its staff - has over the last weeks drawn me into an extended correspondence with various members of ROH staff. Somewhat to my surprise, the final outcome turns out to be wholly positive, not just for me in this particular case but for customers of the ROH more generally. 

 

It turns out that there is a new way to contact ROH with complaints, concerns or questions. As of very recently there is now a central place for us to contact ROH by email: 

 

customerservices@roh.org.uk

 

It may be that some recent frustrations are down either to the previous clumsy systems or to teething troubles in putting the new system into place. But whatever happened in the past, ROH now promise that irrespective of the nature of the enquiry - security, clumsy front of house, the dodgy website, a failed booking, the printing of the new programmes, stupid statements by ROH staff, the cost/benefit of the catering, or whatever - this email address is the place to write to. The ROH say that once an email is logged, it is the responsibility of the new centralised service department to chase down whoever is responsible for giving a detailed reply and ensure that they do so within a reasonable time. 

 

This is new, so there are bound to be a few stumbles as the system gets bedded down, but it makes much more sense than the piecemeal and rather disorganised ways things were dealt with in the past. This thread could be a place to report back what is - or isn't - working. I for one am pleased with things so far.

Edited by Jan McNulty
Edited at request of OP
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I suppose one should say 'oh, good,' but my experience is that once an organisation sets up a specific department or functionary to answer customer correspondence, we get the bland leading the bland, i.e. stock answers along the lines of:

 

'I am sorry that on this occasion you could not Afford a Ticket/ Read the Cast Sheets/Find anywhere to sit on the Ampitheatre Terrace/Locate your seat in the Auditorium/Book Your Transport Ahead of the Performance/Afford a glass of Champagne/Use a Loo with any Paper.....

 

Our customer feedback shows that 99.9% of visitors to ROH are wholly satisfied with their experience and, as an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and obliterating elitism,  we are delighted that Open Up has been such a success.   Whilst we regret any disappointment you may have experienced, only a very small number of people have voiced a complaint and we hope that by the next time you visit, you will have undergone a period of re-education which will allow you to see things in a more positive light.

 

Thank you for getting in touch.  Customer feedback is absolutely vital to us in ensuring that we are progressive in taking things forward.'

 

Yours, .....

Edited by penelopesimpson
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7 hours ago, alison said:

Although the implication is that they won't specifically be answering correspondence, just making sure it gets to the "right" people ...

 

That is not what they said to me. Nor is it what I wrote (apologies if there was a different “implication”, I tried to report as clearly as I could):

 

>>The ROH say that once an email is logged, it is the responsibility of the new centralised service department to chase down whoever is responsible for giving a detailed reply and ensure that they do so within a reasonable time. 

 

By “ensure that they do so within a reasonable time” I meant ensure that the correct person replies within a reasonable time. I hope all is clear now as this sounds like a significant improvement. Time will tell. 

 

Edited by Sebastian
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4 hours ago, Sebastian said:

 

That is not what they said to me. Nor is it what I wrote (apologies if there was a different “implication”, I tried to report as clearly as I could):

 

That's still how I read it, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

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6 hours ago, Sebastian said:

 

That is not what they said to me. Nor is it what I wrote (apologies if there was a different “implication”, I tried to report as clearly as I could):

 

>>The ROH say that once an email is logged, it is the responsibility of the new centralised service department to chase down whoever is responsible for giving a detailed reply and ensure that they do so within a reasonable time. 

 

By “ensure that they do so within a reasonable time” I meant ensure that the correct person replies within a reasonable time. I hope all is clear now as this sounds like a significant improvement. Time will tell. 

 

Yes, this is how I read it too.  Not only will they forward it to the right person, but they will then chase up and ensure that this person actually responds, and within a reasonable time frame.  Time will tell!!

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