SNCF Connect: bugs soon solved?

Now it's the turn of Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, Minister Delegate for Transport, to call on SNCF to "improve the quality of its services". resolve as quickly as possible "the malfunctioning of SNCF Connectthe rail company's new application launched on 25 January. And in an interview this weekend on the CNews channel, he explained that " SNCF has undertaken to mobilise more than 30% of staff to answer a certain number of queries by telephone He was also pleased to note that "the SNCF has not been able to get the message across" from disgruntled customers. However, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari was far from condemning the SNCF, saying that " it's a transition, and all transitions are sometimes a little complicated. […] There's no doubt that this new application will be packed with features." 

Created by merging the previous digital tools in place, Yes.sncf and The SNCF Assistant primarily, the new application had to improve train reservations in France (TGV, TER, Intercités, etc.) and international services (Eurostar, Thalys, Lyria, etc.), but also to offer the best fares in response to user criticism of the high prices of high-speed trains (excluding Ouigo, whose application has not yet been merged).

This project, led by SNCF Connect & Tech, the digital subsidiary of SNCF Voyageur, aims to particularly ambitious with the ability to query 'door-to-door' journeys between 400 towns and cities in France by combining several modes of transport. All this while adding innovations such as the ability to pay for several tickets at once by placing them in a virtual basket.

Aware of the stakes, the SNCF spared no effort, with 300 people from SNCF teams and the French Tech start-up ecosystem working for a year on the development of this "all-in-one" digital application. It was then tested over several months by 4,000 volunteer customers, user associations and SNCF staff.

New ergonomics that displease some users

Unfortunately, since 25 January reviews about SNCF Connect have been particularly numerous, coming from a section of our customer base who have been venting their frustrations on social networks. Most of them concerned the difficulty in retrieving bookings from the tool The new display on a black background has also confused many users, who have been unable to book a journey with several connections. The new black background display also confused many users. Validated during tests, this dark mode is supposed to make information easier to read and, above all, to consume less energy for smartphones.

Anticipating criticism, Anne Pruvot, Managing Director of the SNCF Connect & Tech subsidiary, said at the launch that SNCF Connect will be regularly upgraded with, in particular, the addition of payment methods (Paypal, Apple Pay), eco-friendly travel options (free-floating bicycles and electric scooters) and Ouigo tickets in Spain, where SNCF to compete with Renfe in 2021.

Malfunctions to be rectified by the end of March

On Friday, SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou had already stated that improvements will be made by the end of March on the points that have been the focus of most criticism. For example, it will be possible to re-use the Wallet functionality of iPhones to store tickets. And the price comparison table that had disappeared could make a comeback. In its misfortune, SNCF is reassuring itself by claiming that it has not lost any customers since this major changeover, with an average of 2.5 million visits per day to SNCF Connect since 25 January (i.e. +39% compared with Oui.sncf) and over 400,000 downloads since the updates to the Ouisncf and L'Assistant versions, which were downloaded 23 and 16 million times respectively.

Jean-Pierre Farandou's objective remains to get customers back on his trains in the wake of the health crisis, and to attract new customers in the long term in order to doubling the share of rail transport in transport, or 20% by 2030. The next milestone is set at €6.5 billion in 2025, up from €4.3 billion last year.