Automation solutions are our core business, and making existing tools talk to one another helps provide our clients the highest value in our services. One of the key values BAYWORX provides our customers is the ability to effectively work within limitations. Sometimes they are budgetary and other times they are simply technology limitations we need to work within.
“…Our customers demand accurate information quickly so it’s vital that our staff is connected to each other and have fast access to real-time information in a rapidly changing environment.”
The Challenge
We were presented with a very unique opportunity: Provide an elegant way to notify train passengers and railway station attendants with real-time updates on the status of trains in the South Eastern Rail lines of London, England. The only catch was that we needed to work within the confines of existing technologies that weren’t exactly on speaking terms. Each station attendant has access to the Southeastern Railway Enterprise Wiki application (Socialtext), which includes a threaded messaging system. Made good sense to us.
The Solution
The key piece was unlocking the threaded concept within the messaging system. For example:
15:22 London Victoria to Ramsgate due 17:26 will be formed of 7 coaches instead of 8. This is due to a train fault.
When an update to a notification comes in, we wanted to be able to reply to the existing message. Once we were able to unlock the threaded message ID heirarchy, we were able to update the existing message, leading to a much smoother commute for Londoners.
15:22 London Victoria to Ramsgate due 17:26 will be formed of 7 coaches instead of 8. This is due to a train fault.
—>Update – 15:22 London Victoria to Ramsgate now formed of 8 coaches. Train fault resolved.
The Value
Because we were able to reduce the uncertainty for passengers (particularly morning commuters), this led to a much better travel experience as well as a huge improvement in customer service for Southeastern Railway.