13 November 2013
NextAgent is a radical new concept in transport ticketing using high-speed video links enabling customers to interact with ticketing staff in real time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
An innovative hybrid of ticket office, call center and ticket vending machine, NextAgent is a solution for transport operators to respond to a number of significant trends in ticketing.
These include a continuing preference from some passengers for the option, whether occasional or regularly, of purchasing tickets from people and machines. Complex journeys and individual requirements make some travelers feel more comfortable dealing with a knowledgeable ticketing agent rather than a ticket vending machine. Estimates contend that ticket offices will continue to fulfill as much as 30% of ticket sales for the foreseeable future. At the same time, staffing ticket offices across an operator’s network outside peak travel hours is expensive and ties up staff, restricting their deployment in other roles.
NextAgent enables operators to balance these competing demands cost effectively by locating ticketing expertise in centralized ticketing “hubs” to which all passengers have access whenever they are traveling. For maximum flexibility in resourcing, agents across the network can be available to manage demand on a minute-by-minute basis between busy stations and those with fewer passengers.
Features include:
- A high-definition glass screen for display of live video of the ticket agent at the hub
- Passengers can speak with the agent throughout the ticketing process, exactly as they would at a traditional ticket window
- Delivers all the functionality of a staffed ticket office
- Additional benefits include vending a comprehensive range of media (smart cards, magnetic tickets, paper barcodes, e-ticketing, and mobile ticketing)
- Integrated camera and document scanning facilities enable photos and other personal documents to be verified
- A smart card management system that encompasses sale and issue of cards, processing refunds and returns, and transferring products between cards
- Support for the full range of payment options, from notes and coins to credit/debit cards and NFC-enabled smartphones.
NextAgent ensures a uniform level of high-quality service across the network, which in turn will lead to more passengers and higher revenues.
For more information, please see our NextAgent brochure or our video.
