Efficiency, automation and a 360° view are driving ticketing and reservation solutions development
Covid-19 has had a large impact on the evolution of reservation and ticketing systems, speeding up the need for efficiency and automation.
Ticketing and reservation companies have been busy upgrading and developing their solutions, including meeting the requirements shaped by the pandemic.
E-Dea chief commercial officer Marco Pavoncelli tells PST, “Covid-19 creates a real urgency for a 360° customer view: the primacy of privacy, the post-GDPR landscape, multiple device and channel usage and the explosion of messaging technologies.”
Providing an overview of developments at E-Dea over the past year, he says, “We have focused on continuously improving our software platform for ferries making it more ’smart’, efficient and customer-centric.
“Collecting and using customer’s data and their travel information, ferry companies can use device identity, browser behaviour, transaction insights and other contextual data to create a single view of each customer, enabling great customer experiences, better tracking and personalised workflow and messages to customers based on their individual preferences.”
Mr Pavoncelli says, from a ferry company perspective, this helps to improve customer engagement thanks to marketing campaigns based on customer segmentation and loyalty schemes.
E-Dea has also started providing an application and database management service (ADMS) designed to supplement the support and maintenance of the E-Dea software. The service provides full proactive management of all application and database server runtime services, including licensing, monitoring, maintenance, patching and upgrading the E-Dea software.
Mr Pavoncelli says, “The main benefit is complete peace of mind regarding IT activities which are not part of the ferry company’s core business, in terms of overall system management and performance.”
The ADMS also includes hosting on Oracle cloud or Amazon AWS as part of the offering.
Highlighting the impact of the pandemic on ticketing and reservation systems, he says, “The request for high levels of digitalisation, the optimisation of vessels’ capacity, advanced pricing features and modern reliable reservation systems have led to a positive and unexpected demand to replace old reservation systems. Several large ferry companies, both in Europe and abroad have assessed their needs and issued RFPs for system replacement. This trend, which is directly linked to the adoption of new tonnage, started in 2020 and is ongoing, with new projects already in progress. To some extent, the pandemic slowdown has been an opportunity for forward-looking players. When we go back to normality, investments in standard and modern solutions will allow these ferry players to have a sound competitive advantage over ferry companies still tied to their legacy systems.”
Mr Pavoncelli says, “There is an ongoing trend to switch from browser-based websites to progressive web apps (PWA) for an increased autonomy of the final users on all aspects related to booking and ticketing.”
In this direction, E-Dea has launched a B2C app. The B2C is a web and mobile application that leverages the eBooking API for both guest and registered customers.
Next generation and analytics
Rescompany (Resco) is also seeing increased demand for automated and efficient processes as well the need for little to no human contact in line with Covid health protocols and government recommendations. To accommodate these needs, the company has enhanced its guest portal, so guests can check-in online, upload documents such as passports, medical certificates and vaccination certificates prior to their cruise journey.
Resco is also offering Resco Central. Resco chief executive Peter Winqvist says, “Resco Central has been developed to bring ship and shoreside operations closer together, giving a complete 360° view of the passenger including onboard expenditure, all available on one platform and ship and shoreside data can be analysed together with the inbuilt BI dashboards.”
He adds, “One of the exciting developments is Resco Next Generation (NG) – our latest technology will be deployed in the cloud with all functionalities available both on board and ashore. It will also include offline management for when there is no internet available. Resco NG allows for faster development deployments and upgrades available on web, desktop and mobile devices. It will also mean minimal onboard infrastructure and maintenance.”
The company is working on a BI project with AI-powered analytics to optimise client-facing marketing campaigns and to evaluate multiple learning models and help maximise sales. Resco senior sales and account manager Sonja Berrang says, “The AI and machine learning can leverage predictive capabilities to personalise email campaigns based on a customer’s past behaviour and interests such as sailing destinations, onshore excursions, or onboard entertainment. It can be used to preselect potential clients for last minute travel, for that important last push to hit capacity targets. The module can also make decisions about filtering out clients with future bookings or those who don’t fit the cruise profile, resulting in less intrusive messaging while still driving awareness and loyalty.”
It was announced in January 2021 that Schulte Group became the owner of Resco. This has enabled Resco to become partners with Schulte Group entities BSM Cruise Services and MariApps Marine Solutions. “We are able to provide a one-stop-shop for all maritime digital solutions and also ship management operations,” says Mr Winqvist.
Resco and Mariapps are currently working on integrating modules including crew integration, HR, payroll, sea roster and trip planner. “In the coming months, we will also launch a revolutionary system involving port, itinerary planning, fuel, port agent, and tour planning solutions,” says Mr Winqvist.
Resco is currently installing shore and shipboard solutions for Scenic Cruise. Ms Berrang says, “We have developed exciting new features and modules for them such as mobile spa, mobile dining reservation, mobile special services, and much more. We have also launched the newest inventory and supply chain solution to the market. For Phoenix Reisen, we have deployed ticketless excursions. Now guests do not have to have physical tickets to produce to the tour leader using our powerful our eConcierge excursions module.”
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Customer-centric
The main subject for Carus recently has been to put in place “all the pieces of the puzzle of a customer-centric solution”. Carus director of sales John Bertell explains, “Our reservations product has been expanded to serve the fully digitalised ferry operator’s needs, providing digital cabin keys, mobile check-in, new self-service modules, access control to services on board and enhancements to the look-and-feel for an even better customer experience.”
Looking at trends, he singles out there will be a renewed emphasis on making sure the passengers enjoy their ferry travel. Mr Bertell comments, “To do this you have to focus on the full customer process and experience, not just booking and ticketing.”
He says, “We have invested a lot in functionality to connect the reservations with the onboard experience, so when you have ordered your buffet lunch on board, contactless by a self-service gate you can, using your smart phone, access the restaurant, or a lounge or whatever service you have pre-ordered.”
“This whole process brings a completely new infrastructure to the table, where the reservation information will have to be available on board the vessels.”
Looking at the impact of the pandemic, he says “The pandemic has and will reshape the ferry industry. The industry will have to do more with less resources while at the same time attracting new customer segments that previously preferred to go by air.”
He adds that the reintroduction of duty-free in the UK-traffic will also have an impact, and this combined will see increased passenger traffic and a further development of the onboard product.
Mr Bertall says, “Avoiding standing in lane waiting, contactless and self-service are key words that come up in all discussions on what the new normal has brought us.”
Carus now provides fully automated check-in flows both for foot passengers, vehicles and cargo. Freight vehicles as well as passenger vehicles are, while moving, measured, weighted and classified automatically before arriving to the check-in barrier, and by using the licence plate and an automatic number plate recognition camera, the check-in process, including any necessary upgrades for over-size, can be done at the self-service gate.
Carus has created an ID control feature for self-service check-in that has been approved for inter-EU ID control, which will be used to verify the identity of truck drivers.
Carus been working on four reservations and ticketing implementation projects, two port automation projects and three onboard projects during the pandemic.
Clinching new contracts
Hogia Ferry Systems has made several improvements to its BOOKIT system – and has recently clinched several new contracts within the ferry industry.
One recent addition is a lane management system for check-in. Hogia Ferry Systems aftersales manager Maria Åkersten says, “Based on the type of vehicle, the system will automatically draw up lanes in the terminal area and keep track of the lanes, which ones are full, which can be used and so forth.”
Hogia has just finalised this for a customer, meaning it will be added to BOOKIT so any client who wants it, can have it.
Highlighting the advantages, Ms Åkersten says, “Most ferry operators have some type of lane management system but often it is manual, so if a lane is full, someone will say ‘start using this one instead’. But ours is automatic – it automatically finds out what lanes are available for departure and checks which lane is best for which car.”
Another area being developed is that Hogia Ferry Systems is updating its API. The company currently uses a SOAP API but is moving to using a REST API instead. “We are changing because SOAP is not as user friendly, and the REST API offers more flexibility and is more lightweight,” says Ms Åkersten.
The pandemic has had an impact of the development of ticketing and reservation systems. “Getting information out to all booked customers quickly has been key as travel conditions have changed throughout this pandemic,” says Ms Åkersten. “Restrictions and guidelines for travel have been updated constantly and we need to be on our toes and help our customers by getting the information out quickly.”
The pandemic has also helped speed up the increased use of automation for check in and reservations. Ms Åkersten says, “Some of our customers are using mobile check in already, so they just check in online and the boarding card/ticket is sent to their phone and can be used at the gate, plus the cabin key can be on the phone so they can travel without any interaction with staff and will not have to touch anything.”
Over the past 18 months, BOOKIT has been used by several new clients. Irish Ferries went live with BOOKIT in May this year. “They were using two separate systems and they wanted one standard system to take care of the entire operation and that is what BOOKIT offers. They thought the product we have, and functionality was a perfect match for what they were interested in.”
Other new customers include Swedish operator Visingsötrafiken, which operates a small car ferry, Canadian Owen Sound Transportation Company and CTMA Traversier.
BOOKIT is also about to be used by the new operator Hansa Destinations, which operates a service between Germany and Sweden.
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