In order to improve the services offered and to direct the choices towards the needs of the stakeholders, RFI monitors the opinions, needs and wishes of its customers, through structured listening and monitoring processes. The processes dedicated to travellers include:

1) Round tables, especially with associations that protect the rights of consumers and people with disabilities. Developed in plenary and sector meetings - also set out from the initiatives promoted by the FS Italiane Holding - direct comparison with end customers represents a fundamental tool for understanding the public's needs and participating in the definition of service improvement actions, to be conducted also in cooperation with the relevant Associations;

2) Analysis of public complaints and reports on the services and activities falling within RFI's sphere of competence, and submitted both through the Railway Companies (to which travellers usually refer for travel-related issues) or through the special "RFI Risponde" web service, available online at www.rfi.it. Complaints and reports are a valuable source of information on public needs and dissatisfactions. After being supplemented by those from other sources, they are followed up in the definition of intervention plans for the resolution of critical issues and the continuous improvement of services.

3) Customer satisfaction surveys to detect the perceived quality of station spaces and services are conducted monthly through direct interviews with departing travellers. The surveys - which represent some of the most extensive customer research on the Italian scene - have been carried out for more than 15 years by the Osservatorio di Mercato RFI (OdM) through companies selected by European tender. The questionnaire is structured to detect the performance according to over 60 indicators of perceived quality, the most representative of which are presented in the Service Charter, together with the objectives set for the reference year and the results achieved in the previous year. In addition to interviews, specific surveys are carried out on a need-to-know basis, to address preferences, opinions and expectations of the stakeholders with respect to strategic, management and investment projects.

4) Business process and corporate asset status monitoring processes, conducted internally by appropriate company figures and/or externally by third parties such as public authorities and accredited bodies to verify their congruity with the set standards. Internal monitoring is carried out according to formalised procedures included in RFI's 'Internal Control and Risk Management System'. To mention one, in all the over 2,000 stations with active passenger services, regular inspections are carried out to assess cleanliness, propriety and maintenance standards.