Delivering an efficient and safe experience for cruise passengers with WAVE PTX TLK 100i

Singapore is one of the top destinations for port calls due to its strategic location as a gateway to tourist destinations in Southeast Asia - easy reach to 25,000 islands including Bali, Langkawi, Phuket and 37 UNESCO World Heritage sites1. Since 2019, the cruise industry has contributed S$630 million to the country’s GDP and supported more than 7,000 jobs. Recognising the potential for growth, the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) – a new cruise centre was built in Marina South to accommodate more and bigger ships2. As one of the largest cruise terminals in Asia, this state-of-the-art cruise terminal boasts top-notch facilities, and its two-berth facility can accommodate up to 2 mega-ships and 6,800 passengers at any one time.

Steering the terminal’s efficient operation is a joint venture company that brings the very best of operational efficiency and warm hospitality, offering extensive cruise related services, and leveraging on the combined experience in the aviation gateway and cruise terminal operations. The operator is responsible for its cruise terminal operations, passenger and baggage facilitation, VIP lounge management, and consultancy services.

For arriving cruise passengers scheduled for same-day flights from Singapore, their Cruise-Fly Service which is the region's first sea-to-air baggage transfer offering provides the benefits of early check-in including baggage drop-off and collection of boarding passes minus the hassle. Precise co-ordination and unwavering safety measures are the foundations for delivering this highly popular experience. To run the everyday operations as well as surges and extreme peak pressure on terminal operations requires a synchronised workforce, therefore seamless communication is key to this success.

According to Sean Yee, Business Development Executive with Technics Communication & Electronics (TCE) for seven years, the terminal's footprint encompasses a vast space of 28,000 square metres (300,000 square feet) that also houses a car park and coach bay area of about 32,000 square metres (340,000 square feet). This massive building made it even more challenging to optimise communications across all employees in their operational teams and on the ground. As an authorised distributor for Motorola Solutions, a leader in critical communications products, solutions and services for communities and businesses, TCE was able to provide them a solution.

Seamless communication wherever they go

The terminal operator knew the ability to communicate across dispersed locations and share timely information was important for their employees to get work done efficiently, and collaborate closely to deliver a great service experience for their cruise passengers. They were using handheld communication devices which were equipped with internal 4G/LTE antennas. Due to the insufficient coverage of these devices, they often encountered poor signal transmission in multiple areas of the cruise centre MBCCS. When they could not establish proper communication between the staff working inside the building and those at the security gates located approximately one kilometre away, the issue resulted in many operational challenges.

The two critical areas where their existing devices were not able to cover were the security guard post in the loading/unloading bay at the front of the centre, and the passenger boarding bridge linking the terminal to the cruise ship. While on board the cruise ships during docking, communication between these work groups proved too difficult at these locations. To resolve this coverage impasse, the terminal management decided to switch to Motorola Solutions’ WAVE PTX (Push-to-Talk Express) service with more than 100 units of TLK 100i radio for high quality voice communications that the teams can rely on. Its swift deployment took only a week, and the training held over two sessions ensured all the user groups could handle these new devices easily.

Strengthening team collaboration for exemplary passenger experience

The effectiveness of the new solution to provide clear sound quality over a wide area enabled the device users to work safer, smarter and faster. Right after they have deployed the new devices, employees gave positive feedback on how the new solution has impacted their tasks and team coordination. In the past, the duty manager in the passenger boarding bridge could not contact the staff at wharf side. During the five or ten minutes of communication breakdown, they had to resort to using their own mobile phones. This problem no longer surfaced with their new TLK 100i radios. The management is also assured of exemplary IT support. When the team encountered a technical issue, and on the same day within an hour of notice to TCE, the issue was resolved swiftly.

There are more operational benefits: user groups responsible for security and passenger management could easily report the backflow of passengers entering the cruise centre, thus ensuring additional manpower be deployed for effective ushering, and reducing the wait times and queues for a much pleasant passenger experience. In the event of possible security threats arising from rowdy behaviours or overcrowding situations, the terminal personnel could request for more support in a timely fashion. The cleaning crew could also receive immediate notification for spills or soiled areas for a shorter response time and increased productivity level.

Purpose-built for business

The TLK100i radio also delivers a rugged design without an attention-diverting screen, so the device users never have to care about the rain, dust, extreme temperatures or even the occasional drop that happen while on the ground, ship or anywhere else in the terminal. The WAVE PTX solution delivers a user-friendly interface and administrative controls that enable the organisation to manage their communication networks effectively, and these new radios which are MIL-STD810G and IP54 rated could also reduce attrition with less downtime. They are much more durable and operationally ready for use.

Better designed accessories for ease of use

Complementing the TLK 100i devices were the well-designed radio accessories consisting of remote speaker microphones and earpieces or earbuds, as well as six-gang multi-unit chargers which enable users to charge and deploy more devices quickly. These chargers display a clear LED status signal, thus giving the user confidence that whenever they see the green light, they can be rest assured the device are fully charged and ready for use during their shifts. The wide range of accessories enables greater flexibility for deployment to the user groups based on their needs, rather than the availability.

Right technology for today’s needs and future scale

With the adoption of Motorola Solutions’ WAVE PTX service and TLK100i devices, the terminal operator has eliminated the frequent disruptions in their team communications caused by its vast location. They believe that service stability is fundamental to its daily operations, crucial for improving employee satisfaction at work, and provide a comfortable and seamless travel experience for the cruise passengers.