Keolis Nederland, formerly Syntus, is a subsidiary of global mobility company Keolis. The company, which originally provided public transport in the Veluwe (Gelderland), Midden-Overijssel and Twente areas and the province of Utrecht,  now also operates public transport services in and around the City of Almere, as well as on the Zwolle – Kampen and Zwolle – Enschede train lines.

Mirelle Poot, Quality Manager at Keolis Nederland has had positive experiences with Sensus BPM Online. We asked why process management is so important for the company in her view.

“To be able to provide public transport in different areas across the Netherlands, we take part in public tenders,” explains Mirelle. “This means you can either win or lose certain areas. If you win a tender, you take over the staff from the supplier that was previously responsible for public transport in that area, such as the bus drivers, for example. All procedures need to be embedded to ensure a smooth transition for the staff. Bus transport is more or less the same everywhere, but each organisation tends to do some things slightly differently.”

Sensus BPM Online required for ISO certification

In addition to the practical aspects, the organisation also wanted to be certified. “We needed Sensus BPM Online to be able to gain ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certification.”  ISO 14001 is the international standard used for the establishment and certification of environmental management systems and is especially important in the public transport sector. The ISO 9001 standard sets out the criteria for an organisation’s quality management system. “We’ve embedded all ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards in the processes that have been mapped, and we’re extremely proud to say that both the bus and the train company are now both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified. We are really proud of that!”

Working together to model processes really works!

We asked Mirelle to explain her approach to a process management project like this. Where do you start, and how? “The first step was to draw up the process network and see which processes needed further development. Now, I arrange sessions with the relevant employees and together we model these processes on a whiteboard using the Sensus icons. This also applies to processes that span different departments. In this case, I invite people from all of the relevant departments to take part in the sessions. I really like this style of process modeling, as it makes the process tangible for everyone. I also think it’s really important that staff are involved. For example, they can gain an understanding of the far-reaching consequences for another department if a process is not followed properly. Minor improvements can be implemented straight away when we meet like this, which is extremely efficient. I’m really pleased with the management board’s decision to go with Sensus BPM Online!”

Measurable results

Good results have already been reported at the organisation. “We’re already seeing tangible results, including a considerable reduction in overlap, and the different departments’ processes are now much more geared towards each other. Thanks to the collaborative process modeling sessions, we’re really starting to see process management take shape in the organisation.”

The quantifiable results also paint a positive picture. “Our performance quality in terms of punctuality and cancellation of services scores consistently and well above the national average. Keolis Nederland is also performing consistently on all aspects when it comes to customer satisfaction, and has improved on previous years’ performance in a number of areas. The number of complaints received has also fallen, thanks to the ever-improving implementation of our plan-do-check-act principle, which forms the basis of our policy,” Mirelle explains.

The importance of Sensus BPM Online in helping bring about these positive changes is clear from Mirelle’s conclusion: “For me, both the methodology and the ease of use of Sensus BPM Online are just ideal.”