TECHNOLOGY improving the passenger experience .
EE , part of BT Group , has been working closely with Arriva . Andy Summerfield , MD Corporate , BT Business and Public Sector , comments : “ Passenger expectations , requirements and demands , along with those of any mobile user have changed dramatically in recent years . People now depend on data connectivity for many aspects of their lives . In the near future , this dependency will become absolutely critical to all aspects of our lives , inside or outside work . Once seen as a luxury , data is now a necessity .”
Fulfilling customer need The Digital Train initiative could be perceived purely a service providing Wi-Fi to passengers , but it is so much more than that . Making use of innovative technologies , the programme will provide real time information and entertainment to the customer . There will also be crucial reporting and monitoring of passenger numbers , to allow Arriva to make short and long term operational and customer experience improvements .
Ives adds : “ There ’ s an appreciation that no two customers are the same – they all want slightly different things from their day to day experiences . As technology has improved , we are able to think more about the specific customer needs and adopt our offering to reflect that .
“ Addressing and fulfilling customer need is central to the Arriva strategy . At any one time there are at least
“ We are changing how we deliver passenger connectivity , and how we use connectivity and aggregated information to drive both internal and external change in the quality of the experience felt by our customer ”
– Kevin Ives , Digital Transformation Director at Arriva UK Trains
www . arriva . co . uk 57