An award winning website for Chiltern Railways, combining on-line ticket sales with an array of interactive features to enhance services for all customers.
Visit the Chiltern Railways website
Background
As one of the franchises forming the UK's National Rail network, Chiltern Railways is dedicated to providing passengers with a safe, reliable, welcoming and value for money service which offers a real choice and a viable alternative to other modes of transport.
The company wanted a new website that would increase sales, enhance communication and build quality relationships with its primary target audiences - commuters, businesses and leisure passengers.
Solution
The entire development has been user-centred giving visitors full control over the content they are presented. Key developments include:
- Full redesign of the site to meet government and W3C accessibility guidelines
- Improved travel and ticket information to help increase sales:
- Live feeds from Chiltern Railways’ Integrated Control Centre as well as a feed from Transport for London on the London underground
- Journey Check alerts by e-mail or text
- Extensive info on engineering works
- An on-line route map, a range of downloadable maps and timetables
- Customers can also buy tickets on-line that are txt to their mobile phones, a first in Britain
- The site mashes the Google Maps API with a variety of other 3rd party content such as weather, events, attractions and news providing users with highly personalised content in the ‘My Station’ section helping to build loyalty.
- The Leisure travel section offers extensive destination information to build a strong relationship with leisure passengers so they return to the site on a regular basis. Key features of this area include:
- Several feeds are provided by third party publishers such as Visit Britain
- Destinations guide provides info on popular destinations
- Links to current promotions such as 2 for 1 offers
- The site invites customers to register for offers and updates via email and RSS to receive ‘Onboard’ passenger newsletter.
Results
The ongoing improvements have had a tremendous effect on the site with traffic between 2006 and 07 almost doubling. In December 2006, the site received just over 650,000 page requests compared to over 1,100,000 page requests in December 2007.
Sales have also seen a huge increase, with on-line sales more than doubling between 2006 and 2007.
The website has won the Best Website Award at the Communicators in Business Awards and the Best Travel website in the New Media Age Effectiveness Awards 2008.
