Caledonian Sleeper

Operated by Transport Scotland, Caledonian Sleeper is the only overnight rail journey between Scotland and London. With a rich history dating back to the late 19th century, the service provides a practical, stress-free way for business and leisure travellers to arrive fresh, relaxed, and breakfasted in the heart of their destination city or town in time for a full day of meetings or sightseeing.    

Before partnering with Node4, Caledonian Sleeper relied on a legacy telephony system, an outdated CRM platform, and a standalone live chat application. A lack of integration between these systems affected the organisation’s ability to deliver a consistently high standard of customer service, which is expected of the luxury service. It also hampered the collection of detailed customer-centric data.   

“When the Scottish Government took back control of the franchise in 2023, we inherited a managed CRM solution and telephony platform. This meant we had limited access to customer information, sales data and call centre management stats,” Mark Lonie, Guest Service Centre Manager at Caledonian Sleeper, explains. “To complicate matters, our customer service team also relied on end-of-life versions of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and a customer-facing live chat platform. Neither of which could integrate with the managed CRM solution or telephony platform.”  

Taking back control of customer relationship management  

“Node4 had secured Microsoft funding to assess and review our CRM environment,” Olamilekan Taiwo, Senior IT Project Manager at Caledonian Sleeper, recalls. “But the project became a much higher priority when our new owners tasked us with bringing the managed components back in-house. At that point, we resumed our discussions with Node4. We commissioned a project to create a seamless solution that replaced our third-party CRM system with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Relationship Management platform. This upgrade also included an omnichannel contact centre and an improved live chat application.”  

The transition to a unified system was completed in record time, allowing Caledonian Sleeper to move away from its managed customer service infrastructure without disruption or additional costs.

“The project was complex, yet Node4 delivered it in just a couple of months – around a third of the time that’s usually required. Node4’s flexibility and collaborative approach made this possible, allowing us to meet the Scottish Government’s strict timeline.”  

Olamilekan Taiwo, Senior IT Project Manager

Instant access to customer data across the entire CRM system 

The new omnichannel call centre, Microsoft CRM platform and live chat all integrate seamlessly, giving agents a 360-degree view of each customer. “It’s a million miles away from the disparate systems we used to rely on. These days, when a call comes in, the customer’s information is automatically gathered from across the system and loaded onto the agent’s screen – giving them vital contextualising data that helps with faster call resolution and customer satisfaction,” Mark notes.     

Detailed analysis and reporting capabilities  

Caledonian Sleeper’s fully integrated and unified CRM solution enables contact centre managers to check call performance and run call analysis. This drives efficiency and promotes a consistently high standard of customer interactions. It also allows Mark and his team to conduct detailed analysis of common passenger pain points. “We can cross-reference that data and see how and where these kinds of issues impact customer service. Detailed insights like these directly enhance our ability to deliver continuous improvement by providing actionable intelligence and ensuring issues are fixed,” Mark comments.   

Direct access to customer data  

“Having direct control over our telephony infrastructure has also allowed us to implement simple changes that significantly improve customer experience. For example, we can update the recorded messages that customers hear when they call our contact centre. So, if there’s bad weather and a delay occurs, we can acknowledge this and offer advice and information – potentially resolving customer queries without speaking to an agent. This has huge implications for call centre efficiency and managing potential spikes in phone calls,” Olamilekan explains.  

Rolling out AI in a contact centre environment  

Microsoft’s CRM platform features Copilot integration. It offers a pathway for Mark and his team to take advantage of AI and machine learning in a controlled and measured way that improves the quality and speed of agent response – enhancing, rather than replacing, vital human interactions.  

“Our agents have the option of Copilot support when they’re writing to customers, helping them draft quick and accurate written responses,” Mark comments. “We also use Copilot to summarise interactions and produce call notes, which speeds up the case creation process – allowing agents to focus on customer interactions rather than admin.” 

Node4’s mobile digital application for train hosts  

While working on the first phase of this project, Node4 also developed a bespoke digital tablet-based tool for train hosts. It will ultimately replace existing paper-based processes and systems. Node4 will roll out the mobile app as the project moves into phase two.  

“We currently rely on a paper-based check-in system, rather like a flight manifest. The new app will enable our hosts to register customers upon boarding and handle any queries or requests – for example, cabin assignment, excess luggage, or travelling with pets. Hosts will also be able to check in guests for breakfast. Digitalising all these processes will enable us to deliver an even smoother in-train service,” Mark notes.  

He continues: “The app will also integrate with our CRM platform, bringing that extra level of passenger-specific detail into our contact centre and making it available to our agents. We can also use it for even more granular analysis and reporting – and continue to push that continuous improvement I spoke about earlier.”   

Positive feedback from call centre agents  

Staff feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Customer service representatives now feel empowered and equipped to handle inquiries more effectively. As a result, customer satisfaction is on the rise. Mark can’t hide his enthusiasm: “We are starting to see a positive shift in how our customers perceive us, which is fantastic!” 

With plans for further contact centre enhancements in the pipeline, Caledonian Sleeper is securing its future as one of the most unique, convenient and magical ways to travel between Scotland’s biggest cities, its beautiful highlands and the UK’s capital.