Managing a transport service requires not only punctuality and security, but also the ability to manage the relationship with passengers. Yet, in many companies in the sector, there are still serious deficiencies due to numerous paper forms, non-integrated systems and response times that are too long. The customer experience is thus compromised. This is the reality of a railway company, which has turned to us to digitize ticketing services. Here's how it went.
Our customer, a company that operates in the railway transport sector, had to manage a series of inefficiencies related to the quality of the service offered to its passengers.
The most important critical issues were found in the phase of direct contact with the public, in particular at the ticket offices, where the processes turned out to be very slow.
This damaged the customer experience and entailed a significant workload for staff, who lacked the means to manage it properly.
Then a vicious circle broke out, apparently with no way out.
Going into detail, there was still a massive use of paper forms.
The activities related to the issuance of traveler cards, the management of complaints and requests for reimbursement required the manual compilation of certain forms, then scanned and entered by hand into the CRM system.
An additional problem was the fragmented management of information.
Customer personal data was not properly synchronized between company devices and there was no centralized system that would allow operators to track and follow the requests submitted by passengers.
To all this was added a total absence of automation, which forced staff to manually carry out repetitive and low added value operations, with a negative impact on the service.
There was a need to replace an outdated operating system with a more modern one, capable of offering a better experience to both customers and operators. Fortunately, the foundations of the old system were not to be trashed; they only needed to be valued.
Our client's operating system was already based on a ticketing application, used daily by operators to manage the main front office activities.
Despite its functionality, however, this tool was not enough to guarantee the efficiency of internal processes. We therefore decided not to replace it, but to strengthen it through the integration of a modern web app, designed to communicate with the CRM based on Microsoft Dynamics 365.
The integration was carried out using WebView2, a technology that allowed us to incorporate our web application into existing software, avoiding the installation of new programs or the use of new workstations.
The application, thus incorporated, is able to interface with the devices in use in the company, including electronic card readers. In addition, it can recognize the operator through a badge or business account on Microsoft Entra, depending on the context of use.
In parallel, a React Native tablet application has been developed, designed to interact directly with passengers.
In fact, the tablets are associated with the ticketing stations through a QR code and receive the requests sent by the web app in real time. Customers can thus view pre-filled forms with which to update their data, express consent or digitally approve any documents.
Managing communication between web apps and tablets is Azure Service Bus, a messaging system that guarantees a continuous and reliable flow of data between the devices involved.
So we get to the heart of our solution: all the data collected is automatically recorded in Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, centralizing and precisely tracking the information relating to each customer.
Currently, the system makes it possible to simplify the issuance of traveler cards. The project roadmap also provides for the extension of the platform to the digitized management of complaints and requests for reimbursement, with the aim of completely eliminating paper forms.
Dynamics 365 CRM is Microsoft's cloud Customer Relationship Management platform, designed to help companies manage all interactions with their customers in a centralized, efficient and automated way.
It is a tool that allows you to optimize numerous processes, from managing contacts to recording requests, to monitoring performance.
In our project, Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM played a key role, since it made it possible to digitize the management of customer data directly at the ticket office, avoiding the dispersion of the information collected between disconnected systems.
Instead, all relevant data about each customer is accessible from a single point.
Each passenger, once registered, has their own personal data sheet in the CRM, updated in real time with the interactions that occurred, the consents provided and, in the future, the requests for reimbursement or complaint submitted and the progress of the same.
The platform has therefore made it possible to:
Thanks to the synergy with other Microsoft tools, such as Entra ID for the recognition of operators and Azure Service Bus for the exchange of information between the devices involved, Dynamics 365 CRM has become the fulcrum of a new digital ecosystem capable of simplifying operational flows and significantly improving the passenger experience.
In a short time, we were able to create a solution that could radically transform the front office experience at the company's ticket offices.
The challenges, obviously, were not lacking: from the need to integrate the new app into an existing system to the optimization of communication between devices with limited resources, to the fluid management of the transfer of data between web apps and tablets.
One of the most delicate aspects was ensuring the correct functioning of the solution on the ticketing machines already in use, without introducing new devices or modifying the physical infrastructure.
This required very precise technical choices, such as the use of WebView2 to incorporate the web app into the desktop application and the adoption of a scalable system for asynchronous communication between devices.
However, every challenge was successfully addressed and, after the production release, the results were not long in coming.
With the entire process of issuing traveler cards now digitized:
The user-friendly interface and the integration with electronic reading tools have then made the front office work more efficient, reducing errors and waiting times.
Finally, Microsoft Dynamics 365, thanks to its automation possibilities, has made it possible to streamline operational activities and to significantly improve the quality of the service offered. A result that is due to careful work, shared step by step with our customer, destined to evolve even more.
The Modern Apps team responds swiftly to IT needs where software development is the core component, including solutions that integrate artificial intelligence. The technical staff is trained specifically in delivering software projects based on Microsoft technology stacks and has expertise in managing both agile and long-term projects.
