Keeping travelers informed, an essential mission
When the COVID-19 pandemic reached France, the transport network operated by KBM saw passenger numbers drop rapidly. The five points of sale dedicated to selling tickets and providing information to passengers closed their doors. Communication flows moved to the Group’s website, its social networks and its Telephone Information Center (TIC). The TIC is located at the head office and manages 50% of customer contacts, with 15 advisors working shifts at 10 workstations.
“There were more and more people not coming in to work at the center,” remembers Jean-Yves Portal, Customer Service/Front Office Manager for Keolis. “We had to quickly find a way for the advisors to be able to answer inquiries from home, because call levels were still high.” So the company turned to its partner of 10 years, Orange Business, to find a solution to keep the TIC operational.
We’ve made a lot of progress with our use of remote working tools, which we had not really come to grips with before. Now they are essential to how we operate.
Jean-Yves Portal, Customer Service/Front Office Manager for Keolis Bordeaux Métropole
Eight days to find the answer
After a telephone meeting and a demonstration of the Flexible Contact Center solution, Keolis Bordeaux Métropole made its decision within 48 hours. “The solution was installed in eight days instead of the usual eight weeks,” recalls a delighted Jean-Yves Portal. “Handover was easy, with an hour of videoconference training.” Seven workstations were allocated to advisors who took them home. The other members of the team worked in shifts on the three workstations left on the premises, which meant distancing rules could be applied.
Keolis’ chosen communication interface is 100% cloud-based, and can be managed remotely: the company can change messages on its voice server 24/7 and edit routing scripts to offer passengers reliable information about disruption to the network. Half of the 900 daily calls (compared to 1,000 in normal circumstances) are handled by this server. The other half of the flow, which involves more specific questions like subscriptions or route choices, is automatically directed to the remote-working advisors’ work mobiles, in a way that is totally transparent for the user.
Remote working takes center stage
With 92% of calls taken, compared to 88% in normal times, the TIC has been able to work as effectively as if the advisors were in the office. Meanwhile, with the end of the crisis on the horizon, some of the Group’s points of sale are reopening, and employees are gradually returning to the TIC. “We’ve made a lot of progress with our use of remote working tools, which we had not really come to grips with before. Now they are essential to how we operate,” concludes Jean-Yves Portal.