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Transforming Urban Transit: Localising Customer Experience and Navigating Innovation with James Dolling



In this episode of “The Voice of the Customer” podcast we meet James Dolling, Head of Customer Proposition at Arriva Rail London.

James takes us behind the scenes of the London Overground service and how they have addressed many of the challenges facing mass transit in a large metropolis.

James delves into the significance of localisation and how considering the diverse needs of specific communities, they were able to understand their customers on a deeper level. This approach allowed them to tailor their messaging and content more individually, building loyalty and trust.

James shared how they optimise and introduce systems and technology to support this and how the rebranding of the London Overground network splitting a complex network into six defined routes resulted in significant improvements in the Wayfinding and Navigation of our stations.

James Dolling

James Dolling

Arriva Rail London Head of Customer Proposition

Railway professional working within sector for 10 years working on Major Projects and Change. Currently reviewing the provision of information within Arriva Rail London and partnering with TfL on how we can better support all need around London both in usual running and the complexities which disruption causes.

As a concession there are differing requirements with the wider industry piece which is considering ‘Smarter Information, Smarter Journeys’ led by the RDG. My role is to harmonise both objectives and deliver for London.

I have just finished a 5 year strategy has been written focusing on centralising our data, cross channel consistency collaborating with the industry and maximizing our colleagues. How we provide information has been a pain point for all industries and whilst legacy systems sometimes hold back process and change it is navigating a way to benefit London’s public.

Gerry Brown

Gerry Brown

Customer Lifeguard Chief Customer Officer
Gerry Brown, aka The Customer Lifeguard, is on a mission to save the world from bad customer service. He helps businesses save customers at risk of defecting and breathes life into their customer service operations and customer experience strategy. Gerry has provided organizational leadership on people development, business transformation, customer engagement and technology enablement for some of the largest companies in the UK, Canada, and EMEA. These include National Express, Nutricia, The Royal Albert Hall, Endsleigh Insurance, O2, Screwfix, Sage, Sky, Bell Canada and TELUS. He is a frequent speaker, chairperson, panellist and facilitator at conferences, webinars, company events and other business gatherings, where his many years of business and customer service experience provide stimulating, thought-provoking engagement and audience participation. He is also a published author and his new book When a Customer Wins, Nobody Loses is available on Amazon to help business leaders to create winning and memorable customer experiences.

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