The technical maintenance team knew it needed to provide the train personnel a way to report errors that didn’t require a phone call, a process that took considerable time on both ends of the call.

“We were looking to improve the accuracy of notifications and capture more details than could be provided in an ordinary phone call, all while making sure that drivers with urgent requests didn’t end up waiting unnecessarily in the queue,” said Eirik. “And we needed a seamless way for this information to be documented into our SAP maintenance application.”

After a competitive bidding search, the team found the solution it was looking for from Neptune Software, which they brought in part because of their expert knowledge of the SAP HCM application, among others.

Led by technical support, the project team included representatives from the drivers and the operations center within the development team, as well as Neptune consultants who could help optimize the solution from the outset.

Vy approached the project in three phases. They began by creating a desktop app for the tech support team that streamlined their interaction with the SAP system, making error documentation much more efficient.

Phase 2, which enabled the team to view the status of all reported errors via tablets was released in September of 2017 and tested through the end of the year.

“Having error status readily available on tablets was a big step in making the SAP world more efficient for our users,” said Eirik. “The third phase of the project made the workflow mobile and we were surprised to see that without any advertising or promotion, people began using the system. Almost overnight, user interaction skyrocketed and 80% of all errors were reported using the app.”

Previously, Vy drivers had to place a phone call, have the maintenance response operators enter it into the SAP system, and then wait until the next time the train was back in the workshop for it to be fixed. That’s not the case anymore.

“We’ve seen a big change in the notifications workflow. Where before, all errors were reported to us through the phone, today, we estimate that 75% of errors are reported through the application and they’re able to be addressed faster,” said Eirik. “That kind of quick response frees all of us to focus on more critical work – and provide a better passenger experience.”

In one case, a driver reported an error while stopped at a train station, and noticed that within 30 seconds it was being processed in the system. Within five minutes the mechanic was on the train attending to the issue. In just ten minutes, the issue was fixed, documented, and closed. And the train continued its journey on time.

Additionally, drivers can now track the system errors for their trains across the entire repair process, can easily identify issues that have not been fixed, and have the opportunity to add more information to help get the issue resolved.

“With Neptune, phone calls have dropped by 45%. That’s a win-win story,” said Eirik.

Plus, the maintenance workflow continues to evolve. Since the initial project launch, Vy’s maintenance providers also have the Neptune app, creating a truly closed loop between the train conductors and drivers, the tech team, and the maintenance provider for even greater efficiency.

Moving forward, the team is also paving the way for more predictive maintenance, where the system can be linked to onboard sensors and automatically recorded and ticketed, a process improvement that will make name maintenance more responsive and efficient.

The kind of efficiencies achievable with Neptune DXP for mobile, desktop, and on and offline experiences for SAP are exactly what’s needed to help businesses like Vy address increased market competition – and the improvements mean that everyone benefits.

Vygruppen, branded as Vy, formerly Norges Statsbaner and formerly branded internationally as the Norwegian State Railways, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport.

Customer Industry: Transportation and Logistics
Number of Users: 2,600 Users
System Version: SAP HCM, SAP MRO
Devices: Samsung phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads
Scope: Mobile, web, and desktop