How Color Line unified operations from headquarters to the high seas
With both cruise and freight routes, 2,300 workers and seven large vessels, Color Line is the largest shipping company in Norway and one of the largest in Europe, carrying four million passengers a year to seven different cities.
Color Line used to run on an outdated software system that made sales and services complicated to manage, both on land and on board the ships. The company researched the market thoroughly and selected LS Central to support its IT and digitization strategy.
A unified guest experience, from booking to disembarkation
LS Central is the advanced digital platform Color Line needed to synchronize operations from headquarters on land to the systems on board the ships. By unifying online and offline, as well as retail, hospitality and ticketing within the same powerful platform, LS Central gives Color Line the functionality it needs to deliver a unified guest experience from the moment customers book their trip to their arrival at the destination.
A modern POS for staff on board
With its new Point of Sale, sales staff on board are better equipped to serve customers in the restaurants, stores, and on the deck.
Centralized data, synced to every ship
Color Line can now manage data like menus, prices, and offers centrally, at headquarters, and automatically synchronize that information with the ships' on-board systems. The ships immediately receive up-to-date information across the POS in restaurants used to manage seating, self-service terminals in restaurants and cafes, information screens on the ship displaying offers, menus, and order status, and electronic shelf labels in the tax-free shop.
With this unified, modern solution, Color Line can offer guests the best possible customer experience, and strengthen its position as a leader in the industry.
What was holding the business back
The company used to run on an outdated software system. As a result, sales and services were complicated to manage, both on land and on board the ships. Color Line envisioned an ambitious, forward-thinking IT and digitization strategy to optimize the company's internal processes and enhance the passenger experience, and began thoroughly researching a modern system that could help it achieve these goals.
The decision and the foundation
Among the many different solutions on the market, Color Line selected LS Central as the best fit for the company's strategy.
As Marianne Gade Gørbitz, IT Director at Color Line, explains:
"Our old solution was very outdated and had reached end of life. We thoroughly researched the market, and found that LS Retail had the best solution for our needs."
Q&A: insights from Color Line's implementation
What problems was Color Line trying to solve before choosing LS Central?
Color Line's old software had reached end of life, making sales and services complicated to manage both on land and on board its ships, prompting the company to pursue a forward-thinking IT and digitization strategy.
Why did Color Line choose LS Central over other options?
After thoroughly researching the market, Color Line found that LS Retail had the best solution for its needs, with LS Central able to unify retail, hospitality and ticketing across online and offline channels in one platform.
How does LS Central keep operations connected between headquarters and the ships?
Data such as menus, prices, and offers is managed centrally at headquarters and automatically synchronized with each ship's on-board systems, keeping restaurant POS, self-service terminals, information screens, and electronic shelf labels all up to date in real time.
What has changed for staff and customers on board?
With a new Point of Sale, sales staff are better equipped to serve customers across restaurants, stores, and the deck, supporting a more unified guest experience from booking through disembarkation.
