Our office is in the center of Amsterdam. I live just outside of the city and commute with the Metro. It sounds a little silly (even to me), but I’ve decided that I am a fan of the Metro. I am so much a fan, that I would go so far as to recommend the Metro to friends and family. In today’s world of Net Promoter Score, this is a big deal!

I don’t recommend easily. I am pretty discerning and think of recommendation as a sort of co-branding of my own name with the company or service that I recommend. That’s why when I decided I was a fan of the Metro, I wanted to understand why because intrinsically it didn’t make sense to me.

I began by thinking about what it was that I liked about the Metro…people watching, feeling a sort of camaraderie with other commuters, the time to myself between home, work and home again. Not really anything special. Then I started thinking about how the Metro helps me do my job everyday. I like that there’s usually a tram every 5 minutes or so. I like that on the line between home and the office, when I have to change lines, that most of the time the connecting tram is waiting or comes within a few minutes. I am always pleasantly surprised by this but it continues to happen and reinforces my good feelings and trust.

At the end of the day, how I feel about the Metro probably boils down to a combination of four factors, as with all relationships:
My own personal characteristics
The task at hand and how I perceive this in relationship to the service provided
My expectations as set by the provider and the outside world in general
And my cumulative experiences with the company over time

When I think about it in this way, I realize that it’s not so surprising that I am a fan of the Metro. The people-watching has a sort of entertainment value for me wondering what another person’s story is. (I always wonder if they are wondering about me; it’s a vicious circle). I also appreciate the combination of this small-scale entertainment with the fact that this is my own time, which is scarce and much appreciated. When you combine these things with the fact that the Metro is very efficient for me and is a great, low-cost travel option that I can rely on time and time again to get me where I’m going, it’s the basis for a great relationship. I heart the Metro!

Kathy van de Laar