The Hinterland Container Notification (HCN) Barge & Rail web screens are about to undergo a major redevelopment. To ensure that this renewal better reflects users’ day-to-day operations, an extensive study was conducted. A survey and a series of in-depth interviews provided valuable insights into the strengths of the service and the key areas of focus for the future.
Valuable insights from the survey
As a first step, a survey was conducted among organisations actively using HCN Barge & Rail. With a response rate of 62% of user organisations, the research provides a representative picture of users’ experiences and needs. The results subsequently formed the basis for further discussions with customers.
A solid foundation with opportunities for further improvement
Users rate HCN Barge & Rail an average of 7.2 out of 10. The service supports many users effectively in their daily operations, while the research also highlights clear opportunities to further enhance the user experience. Rail users are generally more positive than barge users. In addition, users of system integrations are less positive than users of the web screens.
Users mainly identified areas for improvement in relation to:
- Process disruptions;
- Support when dealing with questions or issues;
- Differences or missing information across systems and sources.
This demonstrates that improvements are not limited to the web screens themselves, but also relate to the broader service offering and collaboration across the logistics chain.
Key challenges in day-to-day operations
Users indicate that they spend most of their time on:
- Following up on error messages;
- Waiting for feedback from terminals;
- Searching for information within the screens.
In addition, 67% of respondents experience inconvenience caused by automatic logouts. More than a quarter also report spending a significant amount of time coordinating with parties outside the PCS.
What can be improved in the screens?
The main areas of focus are:
- Clarity of container statuses;
- Filtering and search functionalities;
- Availability of information within the screens.
A significant proportion of users see opportunities for further optimisation in these areas, which could directly contribute to more efficient ways of working.
In-depth interviews
To gain a deeper understanding of the research findings, interviews were conducted with 12 customers, including terminals, rail planners and barge planners. They generally find the screens clear and user-friendly, while also highlighting performance and data quality as important areas of focus.
The interviews also revealed significant differences in working practices. Some organisations plan on a very short-term basis, while others schedule visits and rotations several weeks in advance. This variation in processes is an important consideration in the further development of the service.
Next step: redesign of the web screens
Based on all insights gathered, work is underway on a renewed version of the HBarge & Rail web screens. The focus will be on:
- Improved performance and data quality;
- Enhanced usability, aligned with other services and suitable for mobile use;
- Clearer container statuses and logging.
Over the coming period, a new design will be developed and validated with a number of users before development begins. In this way, we are working step by step towards an HCN Barge & Rail environment that better meets users’ needs and supports daily operations.
