Background
NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) is one of the most important transportation companies in the Netherlands. The company transports millions of passengers every day on the Dutch railway network. NS is constantly looking for ways to improve its services and offer its passengers an even more pleasant experience. Since Covid, NS customer satisfaction has dropped to a 7, where it was previously at a 9. They therefore want customer satisfaction to increase by being found more likeable.
Target Group
Because many different target groups use the train to travel, a distinction is made between two different target groups: the Must-traveler and the Leisure-traveler. A must-traveler is a traveler who takes the train on a frequent basis, often several times a week or even per day. These travelers are often bound to a fixed route, for example from home to work or from work to school. Must-travelers are important to NS because they are a constant source of income. The Leisure-traveler is a traveler who likes to go out and explore new things. He is willing to pay a little more for a comfortable travel experience. He is a relaxed and social traveler. This project will focus on the Leisure traveler.
Challenges
The main challenges for this project are to come up with a concept that meets the needs of the Leisure traveler and to create sympathy with this traveler. Our project goal is to: “Come up with a concept that will entice the Leisure traveler to take the train more often.”
The Process
We created a concept through a ‘value fit’ in which the core values of NS are connected to the ones of our target group, and the trends. This has helped us create a couple ideas in which we chose one that we thought has the most potential.
The end result is the concept ‘NS Connect’ in which retired people can use NS to travel with others. I have come up with concept carriers, such as a guide you get with a goodie bag and a flyer to promote the concept.
