- Virgin Trains previously relied on a legacy notes-based system for its staff intranet and recognised a need for change.
- Virgin Trains selected GOSS iCM (intelligent Content Management) from GOSS Interactive as its Web Content Management system. The main drivers behind the decision to select GOSS were value for money and flexibility.
- The new intranet engages users through Web 2.0 applications, social network style elements and the ability to personalise content.
- Virgin Trains believes that by improving accessibility to information online, it has made savings in both time and resources, and in doing so reduced the volume of paper consumed.
As a truly national network, Virgin Trains covers vast areas of Britain and over the last eleven years, has been at the forefront of innovation within the UK's rail network.
Virgin Trains employs around 3,300 staff from train drivers and on-board staff to platform workers and customer relations teams. These employees work from a variety of locations, looking after the 20.5 million passengers that use Virgin Trains each year.
Internal communication challenges
With such a large and disparate workforce, Virgin Trains uses an intranet as a means of communicating with staff. In 2007, Virgin Trains recognised issues with the technology used to power its intranet; the company was using a legacy notes-based system that relied on one-way communication and could be used only for news updates within the company.
Staff couldn't interact with the system and a limited number of users were given access to upload information for others to view.
Philippa Richardson, Communications Manager at Virgin Trains comments,
"The old intranet was hard to use. It was very unwieldy and it was difficult to upload content. It wasn't at all socially engaging and didn't work effectively as a central point for information and data. We were also aware that it didn't reflect the Virgin brand."
Virgin is one of the most successful, well-known brands in the UK, with a reputation built on attention to detail and outstanding customer focus. It was important to Virgin Trains that this was reflected internally to staff, through the intranet.
It was also noted that there were several problems with the previous contacts system available via the intranet.
There was no central location to store and update contact details that staff could access. Employees were accessing incorrect information from a variety of different sources. There was a need for a central hub with up to date accurate data for all users to access.
Selecting a WCM system
A decision was taken to update the intranet and invest in technology to build a flexible, engaging and useful site, which would both improve efficiencies and inform users. After issuing a tender for a Web Content Management system, Virgin Trains selected GOSS iCM (intelligent Content Management) from GOSS Interactive. The main drivers behind the decision to select GOSS were value for money and flexibility.
Philippa comments,
"When we looked at GOSS iCM, we realised just how simple it is to upload content on to a page. We are planning to enable users to submit information to be uploaded to the intranet via email or text. So if people see something when they're out on the road, they could write an article and upload it. This way, things that they think will be useful to other staff get disseminated quickly. It would be great for those people who don't get to use a computer very often...they just send information via text message. The built in approval process will enable us to filter and edit content which means we could manage the volume and type of information being submitted."
GOSS iCM enables improved usability and workflow for site contributors. The easy to use Web Content Management system offers the functionality to help Virgin Trains deliver its communications goals, engage its staff in new ways by employing Web 2.0 technology such as: polls and surveys, RSS feeds, social bookmarking plus friendly and short urls, embedding widgets and the ability for the user to personalise their homepage.
In addition, Virgin Trains was also looking for a technology partner that could offer continuing support after implementation and work well with its design agency. Philippa continues,
"Our design agency was happy to work with an application that was simple to manage and have been delighted with the support we've received since the site has gone live."
User opinion
When planning for the new intranet, the business was keen to elicit input from its staff, the people who would be using the intranet on a daily basis. Focus groups were held throughout the design process to gain feedback on the look and feel, the usability and the functionality they wanted. Staff from the front line, office based staff and executives were involved in the process.
Implementation
As an alternative to testing the intranet during the design process, the site was launched in a live testing environment. Over a couple of months staff were invited to give comments and feedback on the site so that the team could make changes where necessary.
Responsibility for updating content has now been devolved to staff across a number of departments. These individuals are responsible for creating and uploading content to the intranet. The selected individuals have received training from GOSS on how to use the software, and on the type of content to use. In addition GOSS iCM includes placeholders with helpful text such as "Add your title here" or "insert image here". A group of around 35 'Network Communication Champions' have also been formed to educate others about the intranet and to encourage its use.
"We've noticed a huge increase in the amount of people that are discussing the intranet. It has created quite a buzz around the office, and if people need help regarding a communication matter, they are turning to the intranet for information, or to communicate with others", says Philippa.
Engaging staff
The new content rich intranet went live at the end of August 2008 and uses many features associated with Web 2.0, making use of content from many different sources.
Thanks to GOSS iCM, users are able to customise the look and feel of the intranet: they can now add, minimise and maximise, remove and re-order content widgets in any combination they wish. In addition, there are social network style elements that encourage cross organisation team building and co-operation in areas of the company that would otherwise not engage with each other. Staff can add information about themselves that can be viewed by others across the company.
'Station guides' provide a portal where individuals can upload information about activities around particular station locations. For example, good restaurants, bars and cinemas are added, so that staff have an idea of what's on in the area. This is particularly useful for train drivers, travelling to and from different stations. The intranet also offers forums that staff can use to keep in touch with each other and comment on company issues.
"The new format has really increased the popularity of the intranet. Staff can now upload pictures and video to the site; one video that was posted recently gained 700-800 hits. We noticed that polls are also becoming more widely used."
The new site also displays performance data - information on delays, platform changes, weather hazards, signal issues etc. The Information published on the intranet is automatically uploaded onto the platform screens.
The number of people using the intranet should increase as time goes on, and more content is added. Philippa adds,
"Not all of our staff have regular access to computers, so we provide designated Virgin Trains learning centres for computer and intranet access. For example, the Euston station learning centre has 10 computers that can be accessed by Virgin Trains' staff. "
Long term benefits
Since the intranet went live, the team at Virgin Trains has experienced a number of benefits, which they anticipate will have a positive impact on the business long term.
Initial feedback has focused on how communication has improved with and between employees. Philippa comments,
"Our communication is more effective. Everyone knows about everyone else and this is in many ways down to the intranet. Our administration will also improve as we plan to save time on a number of processes such as applying for annual leave online, which will save the HR department time as they won't be receiving phone calls from people with requests. It will be much more efficient."
The company also believes that by improving accessibility to information online, it has made savings on both time and resources and in doing so reduced the volume of paper consumed. A number of internal forms are now stored, and can be filled in online, which is not only quicker and more convenient, but reduces the need for paper and postage.
"We're beginning to work on rolling remote access for the intranet", says Philippa.
"This will be great for all those staff that can't access a computer in their working hours. People will be able to access the intranet at home, so they can still be updated with news and information."
Ongoing
The intranet at Virgin Trains is an evolving project. Rob McCarthy, managing director at GOSS Interactive concludes,
"Virgin Trains has really shown how a staff intranet can be both functional and engaging, making use of technology to apply web 2.0 features, turning what was an information cul-de-sac into a fully interactive communication tool. GOSS iCM provides the flexibility for the site to adapt to the needs of the business and our support team are on hand to ensure that any changes happen promptly and smoothly."
