Learn how Singapore’s biggest transportation network operator doubled their productivity and delivers faster, friendlier service.
Providing over one billion rail and bus journeys per year, SMRT is Singapore’s biggest transport network operator. In end 2016, the company started using cloud-based Dynamics 365 CRM service management features across its train, bus and taxi services to power new service innovations, and help staff members deliver better customer service. With Dynamics’ inbuilt automation features, SMRT employees are managing 2.3 times more cases than before. And with a cloud-based approach, SMRT can bring innovation projects to life in less than 3 months. Today, SMRT is powerfully equipped to deliver on its core responsibility: world-class transport that is safe, reliable and customer-centric.
Every transport network has its challenges, but Singapore‘s SMRT has enormous responsibilities. As provider of the principal public-transport network in Singapore, it is SMRT’s job to sustain Singapore’s world-class reputation for efficiency and customer service.
“We have 102 train stations and over 1,400 buses, and deliver over one billion journeys per year,“ says Dave Ong, Head, Passenger Service Department, SMRT. “Our mission is to enhance the lives of Singapore citizens with a transport system that is safe, reliable and customer-centric.“
The Cloud Journey to Better Customer Service and Innovations
SMRT is always looking for ways to enhance customer interactions, and in 2016, decided that the Cloud could help. On any given day, more than 1,000 employees are involved in the process of managing customer enquiries, compliments, complaints and feedback. These busy staff also have to pursue hundreds of ‘lost and found‘ cases each month. SMRT wanted to help these employees deliver a faster and friendlier service.
“Today, customers contact us through many different ways — emails, calls, faxes, letters, Whatsapp, Facebook and SMS,“ says Mr. Ong. “We need a case-handling system that helps us manage new processes for handling all these interactions, and a reporting system that helps us visualise our performance in real time.“
SMRT also wanted to make it easier to engage and manage external stakeholders on a succession of new initiatives known as innovation projects. Cloud technologies had the potential to help SMRT create, share and secure new business applications without having to purchase additional servers. “When setting up an innovation project, we want a system that would allow us to adapt and be more creative,“ says Mr. Ong.
One-Stop Customer Service and Engagement
In 2016, SMRT selected the cloud-based customer-relationship management solution, Dynamics CRM Online – which is now part of Dynamics 365 – to manage SMRT customer service and engagements at the enterprise level. The cloud-based solution provided convenience and flexibility to more than 1,000 employees, reduced capital costs and accelerated rollouts.
With the help of Customer Capital Consulting, SMRT used Dynamics 365 to create a single, integrated system for managing all customer interactions. The new solution aggregates all feedbacks, regardless of which channel the feedback arrives at and uses automatic workflows to assign the case to the relevant team.
SMRT Customer Relations employees use inbuilt features to track progress and turnaround times. System aids, such as reminders, help prompt everyone involved to take action when it‘s required. Checkpoints help employees manage the different types of cases, and see that they are on track. Meanwhile, reporting tools provide accurate updates to managers and external stakeholders.
A Force Driving Enterprise Innovations
SMRT has also used Dynamics 365 to create new business applications to support their new ‘Adopt-a-Station‘ initiative for school student ambassadors. With cloud-based workflows and document repositories, SMRT staff can centrally manage applications, correspondence, approvals and activities-tracking. Mr. Ong says that moving to the cloud presented no problem for the project, and the new application was put to use according to the planned schedule.
“The Customer Capital Consulting team was flexible and accommodated our concerns to the best of their ability,” says Mr. Ong. “They were willing to go the extra mile, including conducting training so that our staff were comfortable with the new systems. They worked collaboratively and closely with the SMRT team to meet deadlines and completed the project on time.”
Productivity is More than Doubled with Dynamics 365
With the help of Cloud technologies, SMRT is achieving Enterprise Digital Transformation where it’s vital — Customer Service. Today, more than 1,000 SMRT employees across different locations in Singapore use Dynamics 365 to ensure that customer enquiries and interactions are handled quickly and professionally. With its principal, public-facing systems in the cloud, SMRT can bring new initiatives to life without the cost and delays of investing in new infrastructure.
As a result, the service-oriented staff at SMRT are better able to handle more cases. Automated workflows reduce the manual effort of sorting and directing interactions. Meanwhile, dashboard reporting helps the team and the management of SMRT to ensure that customer cases are resolved within prescribed timelines.
“Our ability to handle public feedback volume has increased 2.3 times,“ says Mr. Ong. “Dynamics 365 reduces manual effort and frees up customer-service staff to handle cases with a personal touch. This helps us achieve our strategic goal of making all interactions with our contact centre more personal.”
Innovations Made Simple
With Dynamics 365, SMRT can accelerate the pace of innovation within the organisation. With customer-ready tools – such as workflow engine, standard user-interface design and dashboard tools – SMRT does not have to source, buy, learn and deploy different solutions to get new capabilities up and running. Managers can now build, test and use new applications fast.
“Dynamics 365 effectively reduces the time it takes us to evaluate, implement and roll out new innovations,” says Mr Ong. “This means we have a faster time-to-market for new projects. In addition, we save money by leveraging our existing investments.”
Innovation Projects Up and Running in Three Months
Today, SMRT can quickly build the systems it needs to support a new innovation project. rolling them out in just a few months, which is far faster than before. These new applications are cloud-based, so SMRT does not need to invest in new infrastructure. And with the many inbuilt automation tools in Dynamics 365, new projects are now easier to manage.
“By helping us create a new communicate hub for SMRT HQ, station staff and the different stakeholders, Dynamics 365 brought our first innovation project to life,” says Mr. Ong. “Our objective is to deliver a world-class transport service that is a lifestyle experience, and Dynamics 365 is now part of our journey.“
Dynamics 365 reduces manual effort and frees up customer-service staff to handle cases with a personal touch. This helps us achieve our strategic goal.
Note : Originally Published at Microsoft Official Website.
