Challenge
Digital onboard operations
Our client specializes in providing technological solutions for railways and travel agencies. Connecting the
collaborators, they create new revenue streams and optimize processes to modernize businesses. The company
was looking for a way to help its customer (a major rail company in Australia) transfer passenger-handling
duties to train managers, and to streamline the process. In due course, they hoped to increase customer
satisfaction while, at the same time, dealing with a diverse and complicated workflow. This included
controlling passenger records, handling last-minute bookings, and delivering timely service to each and
every passenger on board.
Train managers were using outdated and cumbersome paper documents to track passengers, collect feedback,
report departure and arrival times, and determine the overall schedule for each day. It was a tedious
process. When the papers weren’t missing, they were inaccurate and unmanageable. And they couldn’t provide
on-demand services to passengers.
Solution
Improving the user experience, automatically
Luxoft’s skilled engineering team was a perfect fit for this industry-specific challenge. With Luxoft’s
delivery model focused around agile and scrum methodologies, the team was able to deliver this solution in
three-week sprints.
The team created a comprehensive iOS- and Android-compatible mobile app, which helped train managers provide
a full range of passenger services, en route. The Onboard App offers crucial, integrated railway service
options, such as:
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Booking and ticketing: train managers can now book passenger tickets and seats
while on board.
-
Seat management: managers have access to an interactive, real-time seating
diagram, which allows the changing and assigning of seats on the fly
-
Route change information: train managers can change ticket routes on the spot
for passengers
-
Ticket upgrades: upgrading passenger tickets to a higher class of service,
subject to availability
The onboard Wi-Fi service drops out frequently in the region where the Australian rail company operates
(lots of tunnels). However, the application can be operated offline and then, when the signal reappears, the
app synchronizes automatically, solving the problem of unstable internet connections.
Result
Easy to use. Easy to integrate.
Built on the client’s API framework, the Onboard App connects to any back-end system, without fuss, so
operators can easily integrate it with their rail IT systems. With the app up and running, the company has
many opportunities to upscale for future prospects. The app promotes seamless booking, ticketing, check-in,
seat management, route change information, and ticket upgrades, all in one place on the user’s personal
mobile device.
The app helps:
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Reduce workforce costs, after passing duties from ground-handling staff to train managers
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Increase revenue streams due to the immediate handling of last-minute sales, and also the
upgrade onboard option
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Improve customer service and satisfaction by enabling both reactive and proactive Special
Service Requests (SSRs). Managers can now communicate effectively with their customers,
assisting on-request and, sometimes, even before customers realize they need anything, e.g.
providing a suitable seating arrangement for a large family
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Enabling SSRs in the app also supports passengers who have special needs, helping with
wheelchairs and so on
