Chie SASAKI

Biographical note
Since joining East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in 1990, Ms Sasaki has taken on a number of positions specialising in marketing and customer service. In 2008 she was assigned as Manager of the Customer Service Quality Reformation Division of the Tokyo Branch Office before moving in 2011 to work as Station Master at Akihabara Station, one of the largest stations in Tokyo. From 2012 to 2015 Ms Sasaki moved role to General Manager of Yokohama Branch Office`s Marketing Department, where responsibilities focused on the development of commercial sales strategies. In June 2015, Ms Sasaki moved to her current role as General Manager of the Customer Service Quality Reformation Department where she has been leading JR East in improving customer satisfaction though strengthening the stability of railway systems, realizing comfortable railway services and providing excellent customer service.

Presentation: JR East’s philosophy for service excellence
To confront the fundamental failings of Japanese National Railway (JNR), which resulted in debts, strikes and the loss of public trust, JR East has put customer service and satisfaction at the heart of its railway business following privatisation of JNR in 1987. JR East is now underpinned by a ‘customer first’ policy and a drive for ‘entrepreneurial mind-sets from employees’ to ensure that a customer-centric culture is fostered. By prioritising ‘stability in operations’ and the ‘dissemination of information to customers’ JR East has implemented innovative solutions to customer-related issues. This is supported by the development of a comprehensive database of customer feedback, which it uses to respond to passenger-needs while flexibly redefining its own business priorities. Although this ‘customer focused’ strategy has generated sustained growth and high levels in customer satisfaction, JR East continues to strive for improvements in service quality.