IBM Case Studies Boosting rail ticket sales to better compete against low-cost travel providers

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	Boosting rail ticket sales to better compete against low-cost travel providers IBM

Boosting rail ticket sales to better compete against low-cost travel providers

IBM

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software
Applicable Industries	Railway & Metro
Applicable Functions	Business Operation Sales & Marketing
Use Cases	Public Transportation Management Real-Time Location System (RTLS) Transportation Simulation
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration
Challenge	The European railway operator was facing stiff competition from low-cost airlines and coach operators. The company realized that its existing service offerings were out-of-touch with the way that its customers wanted to travel. More and more travellers were turning to the web and mobile channels to book tickets, find information and plan journeys. The operator recognized that the key to regaining ground from its rivals lay in offering customers more attractive prices and promotions, as well as an easier way to book and plan journeys. By developing service offerings that truly stand out and giving travelers greater flexibility, the company hoped to boost ticket sales and steal a march on its competitors. The company wanted to better engage with its customers by launching more desirable travel options at attractive prices, and to ensure that its offerings are always up-to-date. Read More
About Customer	The customer in this case study is a European railway operator that manages a very large railway system, which includes several high-speed routes. The operator was facing stiff competition from low-cost airlines and coach operators, and was looking for ways to boost ticket sales and compete more effectively. The operator recognized that the key to regaining ground from its rivals lay in offering customers more attractive prices and promotions, as well as an easier way to book and plan journeys. The operator wanted to better engage with its customers by launching more desirable travel options at attractive prices, and to ensure that its offerings are always up-to-date. The operator also wanted to ensure that its ticketing application could withstand increased demand and stay available even when tens of thousands of users were connected at once. Read More
Solution	The operator enhanced its web and mobile experience by streamlining processing of customer queries, enabling real-time service updates for travelers, and creating flexible journey-planner solutions. The company has built a robust IT landscape to support top performance and round-the-clock availability for its ticketing application, which runs on IBM® WebSphere® Application Server for z/OS® on an IBM zEnterprise® EC12 mainframe server. At the core of the solution, the company stores its business-critical information, including ticket sales data, on IBM DB2® databases on the same zEC12 server. All transactions for ticket sales – from online and mobile to sales points at stations and travel agencies – are managed on the EC12 mainframe using IBM WebSphere Application Server for z/OS. Once the tickets have been booked and created within the z/OS environment, payment transactions are pushed to WebSphere Application Server on Linux for System z®, still on the same physical EC12 mainframe, which handles all the necessary security checks and brokers the transactions with external payment processor companies. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries

Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software

Applicable Industries

Railway & Metro

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Public Transportation Management

Real-Time Location System (RTLS)

Transportation Simulation

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Challenge

The European railway operator was facing stiff competition from low-cost airlines and coach operators. The company realized that its existing service offerings were out-of-touch with the way that its customers wanted to travel. More and more travellers were turning to the web and mobile channels to book tickets, find information and plan journeys. The operator recognized that the key to regaining ground from its rivals lay in offering customers more attractive prices and promotions, as well as an easier way to book and plan journeys. By developing service offerings that truly stand out and giving travelers greater flexibility, the company hoped to boost ticket sales and steal a march on its competitors. The company wanted to better engage with its customers by launching more desirable travel options at attractive prices, and to ensure that its offerings are always up-to-date.

About Customer

The customer in this case study is a European railway operator that manages a very large railway system, which includes several high-speed routes. The operator was facing stiff competition from low-cost airlines and coach operators, and was looking for ways to boost ticket sales and compete more effectively. The operator recognized that the key to regaining ground from its rivals lay in offering customers more attractive prices and promotions, as well as an easier way to book and plan journeys. The operator wanted to better engage with its customers by launching more desirable travel options at attractive prices, and to ensure that its offerings are always up-to-date. The operator also wanted to ensure that its ticketing application could withstand increased demand and stay available even when tens of thousands of users were connected at once.

Solution

The operator enhanced its web and mobile experience by streamlining processing of customer queries, enabling real-time service updates for travelers, and creating flexible journey-planner solutions. The company has built a robust IT landscape to support top performance and round-the-clock availability for its ticketing application, which runs on IBM® WebSphere® Application Server for z/OS® on an IBM zEnterprise® EC12 mainframe server. At the core of the solution, the company stores its business-critical information, including ticket sales data, on IBM DB2® databases on the same zEC12 server. All transactions for ticket sales – from online and mobile to sales points at stations and travel agencies – are managed on the EC12 mainframe using IBM WebSphere Application Server for z/OS. Once the tickets have been booked and created within the z/OS environment, payment transactions are pushed to WebSphere Application Server on Linux for System z®, still on the same physical EC12 mainframe, which handles all the necessary security checks and brokers the transactions with external payment processor companies.

Impact #1	Sleek, modern customer interfaces that offer a wider range of travel options.
Impact #2	The ability to process an ever-increasing number of transactions is achieved through WebSphere front-end servers and IBM WebSphere Application Server for z/OS, which are key in enabling the operator to scale up to meet increased demand.
Impact #3	The company’s new strategy revolves around creating enticing travel solutions with real-time pricing and promotions, and round-the-clock availability for mobile apps and online access.

Impact #1

Sleek, modern customer interfaces that offer a wider range of travel options.

Impact #2

The ability to process an ever-increasing number of transactions is achieved through WebSphere front-end servers and IBM WebSphere Application Server for z/OS, which are key in enabling the operator to scale up to meet increased demand.

Impact #3

The company’s new strategy revolves around creating enticing travel solutions with real-time pricing and promotions, and round-the-clock availability for mobile apps and online access.

Benefit #1	Boosted ticket sales by a double-digit percentage.

Benefit #1

Boosted ticket sales by a double-digit percentage.

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Overview

Boosting rail ticket sales to better compete against low-cost travel providers

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit