Award-winning Pacific Surfliner website drives increases in customer engagement, generating a 40-50% increase in referral sales

Nansen, a customer experience agency, has been named a 2019 Episerver Web Award winner for ‘Most Innovative Digital Solution.’ Nansen won the award in conjunction with the Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency for the newly launched Pacific Surfliner website. The Episerver Web Awards aim to recognize partners and customers who have found truly innovative and creative ways to use the Episerver platform to drive standout digital experiences. Episerver’s Digital Experience platform combines web content management (WCM), e-commerce, personalization, and campaign optimization capabilities to help B2B and B2C companies improve customer engagement across every channel. National award winners were announced in late October 2019 at Episerver’s annual Ascend customer and partner conference in Miami, Florida.

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The new PacificSurfliner.com website was launched in August 2019 on the Episerver platform with a fresh look, improved site features, and additional content to make planning and booking train travel even easier. The LOSSAN Agency oversees the Pacific Surfliner service, a 351-mile passenger train service serving communities on the coast of Southern California. The new website was developed to increase online bookings and customer engagement, as well as provide technological flexibility to grow with the constantly evolving world of digital marketing.

“We set out to create a highly engaging experience for all rail travelers while catering to multiple customer segments,” said Joe Grause, Chief Client Officer and Co-Owner at Nansen. “The design and information architecture of the new site provides an engaging customer experience without sacrificing the goal of driving more bookings.”

“It’s very difficult to successfully meet each customer’s various needs in one place but this site got the balance just right,” said Chad Wolf, Chief Customer and Sales Officer at Episerver. “The Pacific Surfliner website emulates the organization’s reputation as being one of the most beautiful train rides in the world, as well as a reliable travel option for millions of passengers each year. The site is a testament to delivering a customer-centric experience online by helping a visitor accomplish his or her unique goals.”

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In addition to delivering timely, relevant, and accurate information to users, including service alerts and announcements, the site drives substantial traffic through to Amtrak’s points of sales for ticketing. Pacific Surfliner credits the new improved booking experience to a 40-50% increase in referral sales in fourth quarter 2019 compared to the same period the previous year.

“Partnering with Nansen made it possible for us to create a digital solution that increases customer engagement while promoting online bookings,” said Emilia Doerr, Marketing and Communications Manager at the LOSSAN Agency. “Now our website is no longer a pass-through for bookings on Amtrak.com, but an interactive, online destination in itself to help users plan and book trips by train in Southern California”

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