SilverRail, the transformational technology business dedicated to supporting train companies in attracting, interacting and transacting with their customers, has today announced a new partnership with Govia’s rail companies’ supporting their On Track Retail booking engine. The rail companies have more than 27% share of the UK rail market with 6,000 daily train services and 12,600 employees. SilverRail’s market-leading SilverSearch platform is now powering the new On Track Retail rail booking engine across all of the franchises, enabling customers to plan rail journeys in real-time.
This partnership marks a huge step forward in innovation in UK rail retailing, with train operating companies taking control of the complete end-to-end customer booking experience. For the first time a UK rail franchise operator will own their customer data, integrating direct customer feedback into their digital customer experience across all customer channels to help drive innovation.
The company launched their new On Track platform, powered by SilverSearch, in October 2015, phasing it in across their channels and brands. Today, On Track is powering online sales for all Govia’s rail franchises: Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) that includes: Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express, Southeastern and London Midland.
On the company’s partnership with SilverRail, David Maitland, On Track Retail MD, said: “SilverSearch has enabled us to rethink the customer experience, adopt next generation journey planning and pricing, and ultimately bringing the purchasing of rail tickets through web and mobile up to the standard of other retail sectors through a customer-friendly, intuitive interface. With the support of SilverRail, we are delighted to be able to offer our users a more comprehensive service than ever before.”
Cameron Jones, Chief Commercial Officer, SilverRail said: “This partnership highlights how SilverRail is helping to drive innovation into the UK rail market, where we are seeing a growing trend for UK transport groups seeking to improve their retailing and customer experience capabilities. Unlike any other travel vertical, rail in the UK has traditionally seen operators outsource the digital customer experience to third party companies, therefore losing control of the customer experience and slowing the rate of innovation. We are thrilled to enable them as they challenge the status quo, take back their customers, and accelerate their pace of innovation.”
