Transcript FBPOS Workshop

Amtrak Customer Service
Technology Programs
Standing Committee on Rail Transportation
2011 Annual Meeting
Charlotte, North Carolina
September 13, 2011
Emmett Fremaux, VP Marketing & Product Development
Customer Solutions Vision
 Amtrak is uniquely positioned to draw on economies of scale and capital
resources to build and deploy modern on-board customer service systems
 Over the last 5 years, Amtrak has been working to build its systems
capabilities to support its partners, passengers, and operating requirements
 Our work in this area has been in close collaboration with State Partners,
who share the vision of enabling customers and enhancing their experience
on-board with the latest new technologies . . .
Current Customer Service Technology Deployments
 iPhone Customer Application
 eTicketing and Conductor Mobile Applications
 National Wi-Fi Program
 Integrated POS Food & Beverage System
Amtrak’s iPhone Customer “App”
Amtrak for iPhone
 Amtrak has launched a free iPhone application that
provides customers access to purchasing, existing
reservations, train schedules & status and station details
 The goal of this application is to make booking and
managing travel easier while increasing customer
satisfaction with the Amtrak experience.
 Customers will experience a whole new way to take the
train with Amtrak. They get simple and intuitive access to
travel information; they can book trips on the go and stay
up-to-date as trains arrive. They can do it all without the
hassle of their laptop, making calls or extra trips to the
office.
What Customers Can Do Today
See all trips booked
on the application or
through Amtrak.com
Purchase One-Way
and Roundtrip train
tickets
Get the latest train
status direct
from Amtrak’s
systems
Lookup stations serviced by Amtrak
using name, state or location
Customers can
experience Amtrak
in a new way by
sharing their trip on
Facebook and/or
Twitter
What Customers Will Be Able To Do In Future Versions
Interactive
System Map
Amtrak for
Android
Expanded Station
and Route
Information
Travel documents
displayed in the
application
Full integration
with Amtrak
Guest Rewards
Success To Date
Launched on August 9th
 Featured in iTunes
– “New & Noteworthy”
– “Free Apps We Like”
 Through Sunday 9/11
– Revenue: $311k
– Downloads: 104k
– Free Travel Apps:
>Peaked at #3
 Marketing Starts:
>In mid-September
4 Star rating in iTunes
eTicketing and Defect Reporting
eTicketing Program Overview
 Major reservation systems work now complete
 eTicketing is operational on Auto Train, which has gate
control, today
 Conductor Handheld Device next key step, capitalizing on
learnings from CCJPA and NNEPRA work
– System in pilot on Downeaster
– Planned for pilot on Capitol Corridor in January
– Nationwide roll-out planned to start late spring 2012
eTicketing Solution Aligns with Customer Needs
No Ticket Pickup
needed at Station
“Lifts”
Sales
1. Customer: Prints
eTicket “anywhere”
2. Conductor Scans
Customer Document
or Smartphone
eTicketing Conductor Application Example
1. Expected Tickets Preloaded
2. Conductor Scans Barcode
Display eTickets and Select
3. eTickets Matching Barcode Display
4. Conductor Hits “Select
All” then “Lift All Selected
(5)”
Lift eTickets – Actual Ridership Counts Updated
5. eTicket Lift Confirmation
6. Actual Ridership Counts Updated
Automated Equipment Defect Reporting
Conductor Fills in Simple
Menu-Driven Form
Equipment Defects Will be Reported in Real Time
National Wi-Fi Program
Wi-Fi Program Overview
 Acela Wi-Fi implemented in March 2010
 Eastern and western corridors scheduled for deployment during
October – December of 2011
 Mid-west corridors are planned for 2012/13, contingent on funding
Wi-Fi Network Overview
 3G cellular broadband is widely used in the United States and is a proven
technology. The quality of service depends on many factors, including:
– Tower signal strength
– Distance to towers
– Topography
– Number of competing users on a given tower
 The cellular “backhaul” introduces the primary network capacity bottleneck in the
On-Board Net
Cellular Net
design.
Verizon
AT&T
4G/Wi-MAX
(Future)
Sprint
T-Mobile
National Wi-Fi Program

A national standard has been established, ensuring a common customer
experience on every train

Currently expanding to more corridor routes, leading to coverage for 70% of
Amtrak’s ridership

2011 installations are occurring in the Northeast Corridor and California

Equipment is being installed on 621 cars, raising the total to 795 cars
Capitol Corridor
San Joaquin
Pacific Surfliner
Amfleet I
Wi-Fi Installation Roadmap
Currently Installed:
Cascades
Currently Installed:
Acela Express
2011 Progress CA:
• Pacific
Surfliner
Joaquin
• Capitol Corridor
• San
2011 Progress NEC:
• Northeast
Regional
• Carolinian
• Empire
Future Installations:
• Missouri River Runner
• Hiawatha Service
• Michigan Service
• Illinois Service
• Heartland Flyer
NEC trains will launch in October, 2011
California trains are expected to launch in November, 2011
Service
• Keystone
• New Haven –
Springfield Shuttle
• Ethan Allen Express
• Vermonter
• Downeaster
2011 Progress South:
Auto Train
Integrated POS Food & Beverage System
Point-of-Sale (POS) System Program Overview
 POS is in use on board California trains today
 Warehouse Inventory Management System (WIMS) became
operational in June
 POS Roll-out on Acela planned for start of October
 Integrated solution planned to begin deployment late winter
(Q2 FY12)
POS/FBS/WIMS – An Integrated F&B Management System
 Point of Sale (POS)
– Records on board sales, spoilage and
temperature monitoring data
– Improves customer experience by
eliminating paper-intensive LSA
processes
– Provides data for back-end auditing
and reporting
 Food & Beverage Management
System (FBS)
– Provides database to track menu
items, maintain product specifications
and forecast food production
quantities
 Warehouse Inventory Management
System (WIMS)
– Automates commissary inventory
ordering and receiving
– Tracks the provisioning and return-tostock functions for trains
– Provides a perpetual inventory value
09/26/2007
NCR Proprietary
POS Benefits
 Elimination or automation of 19+ paper forms that today have to be printed, scanned,
processed and stored, eliminating miles of paper daily
– Less time spent by OBS employees on paperwork and more time to focus on sales
and customer service
– Data-driven remittance, reconciliation, and exception reporting
– Reduction in the hidden costs of employee job dissatisfaction - high attrition rates,
poor job satisfaction among LSAs, and negative impacts on service delivery
 More effective management of Amtrak resources improving product turnover, reducing
shrinkage and managing provisioning levels
– Provides real-time inventory status and ability to issue on board orders, reducing
run-outs and preventing overstocking
– True perpetual inventory capability with daily updates
 More flexibility to introduce targeted pricing and discounts, including value and combo
meals
 Integration of all F&B management systems into a seamless data-driven environment
State Partners Play Key Role in Solutions Development
 Our collaboration with State Partners greatly advanced the design,
development, and delivery of all 3 systems
 We benefit from working with motivated and committed business
partners willing to share risk, contribute ideas, and support hands on
testing though pilots
 States benefit from Amtrak capital investments to support the
development and the delivery of a scalable, enterprise solution
 Our customers benefit from an enhanced experience – and both
States and Amtrak share in the business benefits
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT