YOUR GUIDE TO DIGITALISATION AND RAIL REFORM

For Train Operating Companies (TOCs), the passenger experience is key, and few things affect this as much as the cleanliness of the train they travel in.

YOUR GUIDE TO DIGITALISATION AND RAIL REFORM

Manging Service Quality Regimes with a digital platform...

INTRODUCTION

A smart digital solution for the DfT mandated Service Quality Regimes (SQRs)...

Britain’s railways and the industry need to be aware of the new standards they are expected to adhere to in order to run a more effective, efficient and customer focused service.

With train operators now having strong financial incentives to focus on the customer experience, most will need to seriously rethink their existing operations and start gearing them towards a Service Quality Regime (SQR) if they are to get paid.

And it’s not enough just to meet the new standards: you need to provide digital evidence that you are.

TRACKING THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE...

WILLIAMS-SHAPPS IN A NUTSHELL

This major report sets out the government’s plan for a revolution on the railways in Great Britain.....

The ambitious plan aims to put the passenger experience first.

By replacing franchising, accelerating innovation and integrating the railways, the government aim to deliver an efficient, financially sustainable railway that meets the needs of passengers.

Despite the huge advances in technology that have taken place since the Victorian era, some aspects of the rail system haven’t really moved on.

A newly-created, state-controlled body, Great British Railways (GBR), will integrate the railway system, owning infrastructure and collecting fare revenue. GBR will also be in charge of planning works on the network as well as setting fares and timetables.

THE PLAN FOR THE GREAT BRITISH RAILWAY

The quality of each train operator’s customer service will be monitored under new Passenger Service Contracts, and incentive and reward structures will be developed based on performance and passenger satisfaction.

FIVE STEPS TO READINESS

Here are the five key steps to realising your digital SQR solution...

1. Identify where you’re starting from

You first need to determine your baseline so you can measure future service improvements.

This means you need to start asking questions:

Where are you currently on meeting SQRs?
How realistic is it going to be to achieve targets?
Do you have the right data and tools in place to measure this?

Even if it’s an internal process and you don’t yet have a digital solution in place, start gathering the right data.

THE MANDATE FOR DIGITALISATION AND HOW TO GET THERE

CHECK YOUR ASSETS

2. Build a true picture of your assets

Check the accuracy of your asset register because you are going to have to account for everything, from train carriages and lighting to signage and the vending machines outside the station.

Without an up-to-date asset register compliance will be more challenging. Even an out-of-date poster could resulting an immediate fail.

Once you implement a digital solution, you will be able to update your assets live using a field application as you perform tasks.

INSPECTION REFLECTION

3. External inspections to track progress

It’s now compulsory to commission external auditors to conduct mystery shopper-style inspections on pre-agreed criteria.

These should measure what’s important under the new system: cleanliness, assets being in good repair, and ease and comfort of travel.

If you start this process now, you’ll hit the ground running when the SQR is officially implemented.

PUT PASSENGERS FIRST

4. Make customer experience everyone’s job

With around 1,200 unstaffed stations in the UK, station cleanliness and maintenance issues often aren’t seen or reported because, in many cases, there’s literally no one to see or report them. Even when a member of staff notices a problem, they have neither the time nor the remit to take action.

If reporting a defect involves a series of manual processes – sending emails, filling out logbooks and so on – the hassle factor is simply too high.

But with a workflow automation system installed on handheld devices, it takes seconds to raise an alert and instantly let the right team know what needs fixing.

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER

5. Tackle inefficiencies

Let’s take station toilets as a current example of cleaning inefficiency, as their condition is one of the main ways passengers assess the overall journey.

Toilets are typically checked and cleaned on a pre-set schedule, but if no passengers have visited your station’s washroom since it was last cleaned, does it make sense to send in cleaners?

A combination of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, call buttons and staff devices can be used to make your cleaning responsive rather than routine, making the best use of your resources to clean only when it is necessary.

By making it easy for every team member to report maintenance issues and flag where cleaning or repairs are needed, a workflow management application can transform your SQR performance.