STATION MODERNISATION AND EQUIPMENT
Rail operators have been slow to develop customer-facing opportunities that will increase the passenger experience, according to Zebra Technologies.
T
he rail industry across Europe faces a multitude of challenges, from the
increasing cost of fuel to increasing thefts due to the high scrap value of metal and cables. On the other side of the coin, how- ever, there are encouraging fi gures out of the UK showing that passenger numbers are up. According to the BBC: “In the year to March 2011, 1.34 billion rail journeys were taken, a 6.6% rise on the previous 12-month period.”
The challenge for rail companies, as for most businesses facing rising costs, is how to continue to attract customers without passing on the increased infrastructure costs that they are facing.
Let’s look at a few areas in more detail.
A number of rail operating companies are looking to improve on-board services in a drive to create a better customer experi- ence. Wi-Fi service is becoming more prev- alent to enable passengers to access data and work effectively.
The buffet car and trolley services are just one area where customers expect effi cient transactions. Mobile devices with chip-
and-pin or contactless capability can be used to scan items and receive payments; mobile printers can produce a crisp and clear receipt as customers increasingly want to use a card to pay rather than cash. While customers are buying coffee or sand- wiches, rail operators should consider what other services could also be sold, such as venue tickets, ongoing travel tickets (such as Heathrow Express), lottery scratch cards or even seat reservations for return jour- neys. Creating more choice from this ser- vice improves the customer experience and increases revenues.
In some countries, rail operators also need to facilitate on-board ticket sales. The same devices as are used on the buffet car can double up as ticket machines and produce a receipt-style ticket, which although not appropriate for the UK turnstile barriers, can be read by rail staff as proof of pay- ment. On the counter-side to this, train staff still need the facility to be able to pro- duce fi ne notifi cations if passengers do not have an appropriate ticket for travel. Again, the same mobile devices can be utilised for this, at the same time providing clear, leg- ible enforcement notices to passengers. This can reduce disputes and avoid confu-
sion that may be caused with handwritten notices or tickets.
Passengers have a choice as to how they travel, and although price of travel is a ma- jor factor in this choice, customers are also motivated by added value items such as re- wards and extra services. In the same way that airlines offer frequent fl yer cards, rail operators have been slow to adopt loyalty programmes, which means they are losing out on potentially valuable passenger data. Retailers are the great example here for rail companies to follow and more should investigate the latest re-transfer card print- ing technology now available to produce a loyalty card at the ticket offi ce or using a kiosk in a matter of seconds, thus making the enrolment process simple and fast.
Companies like Zebra Technologies offer a number of solutions for rail companies from compact and durable mobile receipt printers that link seamlessly to the selected mobile computer or payment terminal, to desktop card printers for loyalty pro- gramme enrolment.
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www.zebra.com rail technology magazine Apr/May 11 | 73
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