Digitize touchpoints of the customer journey
Has the world come to a standstill in the coronavirus pandemic? Not quite.
Bus and rail transport are of systematic importance and are continuing to operate, albeit with reduced passenger numbers. As a result of service restrictions and special timetables, digital services such as real-time timetable information and online ticketing have become highly relevant. Digitalization plans were already gathering pace in normal times and have now gained extra momentum. And ticket sales via app is only the beginning.
Apps are only the beginning
Much progress is still to be made. Nowhere near all touchpoints in the literal customer journey have yet been seamlessly digitized in local public transport networks. This includes checking tickets, for example. Streamlining approaches like digital self-check-in, as has already been established with long-distance trains, have not yet arrived in local public transport. The process chains in the event of ticket violations are often long and costly, while the payment of the increased carriage fee is complicated. I am convinced that there is significant potential for digitalization in ticket control, which transport associations should exploit.
The goal must always be to adjust all communication and work processes individually to end customers – during the journey and beyond.