INTERFACING WITH THE CUSTOMER
PAUL STEPHEN learns how Parkeon’s industry-leading TVM technology is transforming passenger experience
Ticketing is a contentious subject with UK rail fares frequently the subject of negative press coverage for being too complicated, and sometimes offering poor value for money to confused passengers.
With the fares structure largely regulated by the Department for Transport (DfT), train operating companies (TOCs) have been forced to examine the way in which tickets are sold instead, in order to retain trust and boost passenger satisfaction by making the process both simpler and clearer.
As the number of manned ticket offices across the network is in decline, and in light of shifting consumer behaviours, this crucial interaction increasingly takes place on station concourses with a ticket vending machine (TVM).
And for more than a decade the trend has been that more and more of us are using TVMs, either to purchase our tickets immediately before departure or to print tickets that have been bought in advance via the internet.
Parkeon entered the rail market in the UK in 2009, following a long history of successfully providing innovative ticketing and payment systems for UK bus operators, and to train operators in its native France.
Finding that large numbers of basic first-generation TVMs had already been installed by UK TOCs, Parkeon adopted a strategy to concentrate on developing the next wave of TVMs, by addressing the glaring deficiencies that were already beginning to emerge.
Parkeon’s bespoke solution was the small-footprint ToDler TVM, which featured a larger touchscreen for passengers to more easily input booking reference numbers, and more efficient printing and computer processing technology. Its first ToDler customer was Stagecoach, which wanted a TVM that could process transactions faster for pre-paid tickets, in order to reduce queuing at busy stations.
Impressed by Parkeon’s claims that it was up to three times faster than existing TVM technology, Stagecoach Group bought a total of 40 ToDler TVMs for its South West Trains and East Midlands Trains franchises, which it placed at major stations including London St Pancras, London Waterloo, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bournemouth and Southampton.
Paul Moirano, Sales Director - UK Rail, explains: “Dwell times could be as long as four or five minutes, with people using pieces of paper and booking references to get their tickets, and sometimes they would even miss their trains. Stagecoach was aware of what we were doing and said they would buy a solution if it was cost-effective, so we went away and designed what later became the industry standard.
“In the TVM market we were interested in closely collaborating with TOCs. We were here to play the long game and focused on asking our customers what they needed to improve.”
As Parkeon’s commercial success went from strength to strength, it began a continuous cycle of R&D investment at the company’s UK base in Poole, where its 200 employees worked tirelessly to establish Parkeon as a major player in the UK market.
The next breakthrough came when Parkeon added live train running information to its existing TVMs, sparking further orders for TVMs before the company turned its attention to providing remote assistance in its TVMs to help passengers in real time by connecting them with a manned contact centre.
The result is IRIS, which was trialled in a partnership arrangement with South West Trains in 2015. Using a two-way video and audio system which could be installed either in new machines or retrofitted to existing models, it linked TVM users with a dedicated customer service team which could field any enquiries to speed up the purchasing of tickets, and to provide a human point of contact at unmanned stations. The technology even enabled SWT staff to take over the TVM remotely, if needed, to assist with transactions.
It was well-received by SWT’s customers, and over 30,000 passengers were assisted during the first nine months of IRIS.
“The first thing was to prove the technology worked,” adds Moirano, “so we put the first pilot machine into Sherborne station. It proved highly successful
after a month-long trial, so we put another machine into Woking station, where there had been long queues and was used by many non-English native speakers. The ticket office on the Up platform was parttime, so calls were put through to SWT’s Southampton Customer Service Centre.”
Having seen the customer reaction, and the interest shown by the DfT, SWT added a commitment to buy more of these machines into the extension of its franchise, and ordered 91 of them for small unmanned stations. They created a dedicated call service centre at Basingstoke proving that, by using IRIS, SWT passengers could get a much better service without it costing a fortune.
With an enviable reputation for bringing exciting technological advances to market and a strong track record of highly productive collaborative working with other stakeholders, Parkeon was asked to represent TVM suppliers in a TVM improvement project run jointly by the DfT, Rail Delivery Group and Office of Rail and Road. Meanwhile, representatives from all three organisations have subsequently visited Parkeon to see its latest TVM technology first-hand.
From this improvement project, a roadmap for TVM service levels and functionality has been created, and a ten-point plan devised which shaped the requirements of the TVM Code of Practice written by the ORR.
Moirano adds: “We think we are a leading light, from an innovation and supplier point of view, but this has to be done in partnership with TOCs. It’s not about buying from a brochure anymore, it’s about working together to create a solution. There is not always an easy solution, but it is something the industry has to get to grips with, with our help.”
Parkeon’s latest rail TVM solution is the RetailWall - a module that incorporates tablet-like technology to deliver new levels of information and accessibility in rail retailing.
Developed using detailed input from TOCs and passenger groups, a RetailWall user is faced with what looks more like a mobile phone screen, with an icondriven interface that shows cheapest fares information, live train running information, a journey planning facility, notices, advertising, news and social media feeds without overwhelming the user.
It also incorporates intelligent proximity and height detection systems that automatically orientate the screen display to match the user’s eye level, plus an induction loop to make it more inclusive to the needs of all rail users.
There is also an option for TOCs to include a smaller screen for IRIS, while the RetailWall will also carry advertising to increase revenue.
The product was officially launched by Transport Minister Andrew Jones at Harrogate station 18 months ago, where reports confirmed that transaction times had been sped up significantly compared to older TVMs. Developed in partnership with Northern Rail, a further RetailWall has since been installed at Leeds, heralding a new era of more modern TVM technology, more befitting of a retail environment now characterised by mobile ticketing and contactless payment.
Moirano says the RetailWall also perfectly embodies the flexibility now on offer to TOCs, where the information displayed can be tailored to any given locality.
He concludes: “With the legacy TVMs, it was like buying a suit off the rack - all you could specify was the size and colour. But with this next-generation TVM, it’s like going to a tailor and choosing everything down to the buttons. It’s a completely blank canvas.”
And the success continues! As this issue of RAIL went to press, it was announced that Arriva Group has awarded Parkeon the largest UK rail TVM contract since privatisation, covering more than 680 advanced technology units for the Northern and Chiltern Railways networks.
We were here to play the long game and focused on asking our customers what they needed to improve. Paul Moirano, Sales Director - UK Rail, Parkeon