To kick off our ‘2023 year in review’ content series, we spoke to Graham Cooper, Head of Product & Marketing in our rail division. Graham is a key part of the rail team and through his role, drives brand awareness on who we are and what they do. We spoke to Graham on what the year has meant to him, how integral communications is in driving the rail industry and what he’s looking forward to in 2024. Read Graham’s thoughts below:
In your role, how exciting has it been for you to play a part in evolving the rail business in 2023?
This year has been a year in which we have really focused on improving our communications and engagement with the rail industry, seeking to explain more clearly the benefits offered by the RailSmart portfolio of products.
With a new website, refreshed media partnerships and a focus on improved digital communication, more people than ever before are hearing about and engaging with us and understanding how RailSmart products can help them drive operational efficiency, communicate with passengers, and enhance safe working practices.
Have there been any standout moments for you this year?
There are too many too list. If I had to pick my top three, I’d say launching our PathPlanner solution– I think that this product has the potential to transform how freight is moved from road to rail.
Next, I’d say hosting the EDS user group at the National Railway Museum in York in June. Having a room full of our clients discussing how they use and get benefit from our EDS solution and help shape where they want to take future versions of it was really inspiring.
The third is welcoming colleagues from FabDigital to Velociti Solutions. Their passion and expertise in creating award-winning solutions for delivering passenger information has been great to learn and understand more about.
The ‘Future of Freight’ whitepaper launch was a key achievement for the business this year. How did you find that process and what has it taught you?
I really enjoyed working on that project. I spoke with a range of industry leaders and experts in the rail freight space and, as a relative newcomer to this industry, listening to them speak with such passion and vision for how rail freight has the potential to help with our national sustainability and net zero targets was really uplifting. In turn, working on software solutions that will give them tools to do this is hugely motivational.
How integral is communications to the rail sector and how do you foresee it evolving in 2024?
Telling the rail industry what we do and how our solutions will help them is hugely important. If people don’t know about what we offer or it’s difficult for them to find out about, we are making it unnecessarily hard for ourselves – and them!
Towards the end of 2023 we started an approach that we will continue and build on in 2024, which is to ask our customers to help us tell others how great our solutions are. Testimonials and recommendations from a client who uses our products, knows who we are and why we are great to partner with, are worth 1000 times anything I could say. Thanks to LNER, Alstom, Stalder and Southeastern who have all supported us with case studies this year.
Next year, we will be publishing more testimonials, video case studies and client webinars – so people interested in us and RailSmart products can hear about them from those that use them for real.
What are you most proud of this year?
Again, there is too much to list here – award wins, new product launches, new client wins, working with a fantastic team of people within the rail division and hugely passionate clients, who are keen to help us deliver the best possible solutions for them, all help me get out of bed in the morning!
I’m proud of the ‘lunch and learn’ events we run – where rail industry leaders and some of our clients come into our office, explain what they do and answer questions from our staff. These are interesting events (served with a nice lunch too!)
Thanks for your thoughts, Graham.
