Merseytravel is the executive body that provides professional, strategic and operational transport advice tothe Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. It is also the delivery arm, making transport happen. Carlisle has provided security services to Merseytravel since 2001, which has since expanded over the duration to encompass an integrated cleaning and security solution.
Our Involvement
CSS has provided a 24/7 cleaning and security solution across 12 locations, including nine Merseytravel bus stations and their head office accommodation. This includes the provision of the following:
Security Services
Patrols: Defined patrol routes of external areas, concourse and ticket queues. Our staff are trained to address anti-social behaviour in a busy public environment. Body worn surveillance record incidents to help with evidence gathering for training, best practice and court cases.
Customer Service: Our people are trained and experienced in customer service, including providing directions, advice, and problem solving associated with a very high footfall environment. An essential part of this service is the training and use of high-quality communication skills.
Response Service: Our mobile response team operates throughout Merseyside, are typically called out for serious incidents of anti-social behaviour, with a 15min response time. This involves conflict management or physical intervention techniques as needed.
Client Liaison: Our officers are in communication with the station CCTV operators for incidents or searching to assist with later action/court action.
Locking/unlocking: Locking down various locations and acting as an alarm response outside normal office hours. This includes non-public access areas.
Cleaning Services
Seacombe Offices: Large office space, used by Mersey Ferries management, cleaned three times a week on a static model.
Bus station: Static and mobile cleaning models to 14 bus stations throughout Merseyside. Pier Head Ferry Terminal: Static model using
three cleaners for reception desk, main concourse, customer and staff toilets, dining room, kitchen area, and four staff offices.
Spaceport (Interactive Science Museum): Static model, cleaned daily using one cleaner for exhibits, toilets, reception desk, dining and kitchen area, stairs, lifts, planetarium and cinema.
Ad-hoc cleaning – Events: Head office in Mann Island, we regularly provide post event cleaning, covering a wide variety of events.
Our Achievements
We decided to overlay the security and cleaning contracts we had with Merseytravel to create an alternative delivery methodology to satisfy the client’s needs.
The client had created some short and split shifts for the security team. However, we returned a roster which increased shift lengths for the officers at the key locations by adding on some dedicated cleaning hours whereby the officer would switch discipline at a set time from security to cleaning. The tasks they performed did not deviate from the contractual obligations, but simply changed the times at which certain tasks were completed.
This helped to ease the transition as there was no confusion as to who did what and when. There were also no conflicts of interest in terms of what would happen if an officer was cleaning when an incident of anti-social behaviour broke out, or what a security officer would do if there was a spillage and they were dealing with
an incident or conducting a patrol. In effect we:
• Re-engineered the labour from the mobile and static cleaning and security contracts
• Reconfigured the rosters to reduce hours
• Cross-skilled security officers to undertake meaningful cleaning duties during dedicated hours to complete the tasks
• Saved the client 40% of their annual static security budget
• We also achieved the re-engineering with zero redundancies as we could safely and economically redeploy resource elsewhere to keep the teams and the client happy.
Maintaining a Welcoming Environment
We also implemented the following elements to make travelling a more pleasant experience for customers:
• A good understanding of the client, their policies/procedures
• Deploying a community representative to deliver the service
• Providing timely information to customers
• Promoting a safe environment by removing slip trips and hazards and dealing with anti-social behaviour using conflict management/corporate response
• Client issue of contract notices for poor performance discussed monthly
• Joint inspection to identify any issues and addressed as necessary.
Chris Duffy received a Core of Carlisle award for putting customers at the heart. It’s always great to hear positive comments from our client at Merseytravel about the fantastic work our Facilities staff carry out. A key example of this is our Security Officer Chris, who was recognised by both customer service staff and team management. Chris was working overtime at Birkenhead Bus Station when Merseytravel staff passed on their compliments for Chris doing such an excellent job on the travel centre and bus station grounds, creating a safe, clean and comfortable atmosphere for passengers and staff. Chris is an enthusiastic member of the facilities team who always takes pride in his work and carries a positive customer focused attitude.