October 2020
The contract with the Rail Delivery Group was signed following a long process, where the Danish company competed against established suppliers from the UK. Fortunately, the Brits selected the Danish content agency, A Close Shave, and their learning platform, Academy. With their 1.7 billion train journeys, the Rail Delivery Group facilitates training for operators whose reach ranges as the world’s 5th largest transport network and is thereby A Close Shave’s biggest client yet.
“The deal with the Rail Delivery Group is a dream come true. We have worked very hard to be considered and chose, at the beginning of 2019, to establish an office in London to show that we’re serious and to avoid any problems related to the whole Brexit situation,”
says Robin Andersen, Director and Founder of A Close Shave, who has developed the Academy platform.
According to Robin Andersen, the Rail Delivery Group looked at the positive results Danish public transport companies have experienced by using Academy, and the platform’s unique approach to learning. 80% of all bus drivers in Denmark are now keeping up-to-date and interacting with colleagues on Academy, using their computers or smartphones.
Social recognition and digital pats on the shoulder
Academy is an online platform, which trains and motivates employees – typically in retail, hospitality and public transportation – through knowledge sharing, social interaction, gamification and recognition with digital pats on the shoulder. The platform is built on principles and mechanisms, which work to optimise learning and retain information. And by using artificial intelligence, the user is presented with the right content at the right time.
“The system is built on the fundamental idea that most people enjoy doing something good for others, to help their colleagues and make a difference. We have examples where employees in different stores in only a few minutes or hours can solve a challenge posed by one costumer in one store – something which would take days or weeks in a non-digital organisation structure,”
–says Robin Andersen.
Next stop: Berlin
The implementation of Academy for the Rail Delivery Group is already completed. First, about 650 train operating company employees are getting access to the platform from September, where they will be trained on the new reservation system, so they can advise and help colleagues and retailers in servicing their clients on the world’s 5th largest transport network.
At the same time, the Danish company, who have also opened an office in Berlin, is hoping this will be the beginning of a Danish export adventure.
– says Robin Andersen.
About A Close Shave:
A Close Shave was founded in 2003. The Academy-system, which the company has developed from scratch, first appeared in 2011. Their first client in the public transport sector, FynBus, signed a contract the same year. Since then, several big public transport companies have followed, and both flex- and bus drivers at, amongst others, Movia, Nordjyllands Trafikselskab and Sydtrafik, are now using Academy every day.
Today Academy supports several languages, such as English, German and Chinese, and with 12 employees across offices in Copenhagen, Aalborg, London and Berlin, the relatively small company has already grown international and created a portal for training, knowledge sharing and motivation for employees across the world.
About Rail Delivery Group (RDG):
The Rail Delivery Group is a member-owned industry organisation, which has existed since 2011. RDG connects all British freight and passenger railway companies, the state owned Network Rail, and the newly planned fast speed railway, High Speed 2.
RDG’s primary functions are to ensure the infrastructure and ticket sales for all passenger trains, cooperate with the public transport company for London, TfL (Transport for London), and to communicate with the public on behalf of the industry.
For more information: Contact CEO Robin Andersen on +45 27 11 40 00
