In 2017, Saba continued to work towards the digitalization of its business. A process of continuous adaptation which saw the launch of the renewed saba.es website in 2016, which now enables the purchase of products online. This milestone is still remarkable, since saba.es is still the only website in the sector where you can buy 100% digital products.

Estimates for the first year of operation pointed to some 610,000 visits and a total of 9,000 transactions. A forecast that has been far exceeded in 2017. In just one year, saba.es has received more than 800,000 visits and registered 12,000 transactions.

These numbers reaffirm the will to continue focusing on strategies that offer an added value feature. In this regard, Saba strives to offer a catalogue of products always adapted to the needs of its customers. The future of the company is digital and interconnected and as a result 2018 will see the e-commerce website deployed in all Saba countries. In the same way, we will work to continue improving the new digital user experience, innovating in processes and expanding services.

In addition to the goal of becoming a leading digital player within the sector, Saba is involved in the active management of its key accounts. Saba is committed to commercially exploiting its facilities, in order for the company to cater to the demands of different customer segments, with new products, and to adapt the commercial offering to new consumer habits, while also contributing to improving mobility management.

This desire to keep improving is reflected in solutions implemented during the past year, such as eliminating double validation of the ticket for those El Corte Inglés customers who are also users of the Saba car park in Plaza de Catalunya in Barcelona. A case where Saba’s experience together with the introduction of new control systems equipped with QR reading has had a positive impact on more than 100,000 annual customers.

Another key account for which Saba plays an active commercial role is that of the car parks belonging to the Adif Network. In 2018, Renfe users can now buy Saba products directly from the railway operator’s website (www.renfe.com).

CLOSER TO OUR CUSTOMERS

Saba has recently opened Customer Support and institutional communication channels on different social media. In a fully connected world like today’s, where mobile devices continue to gain ground on more traditional forms of communication, we need to reach out to customers where they spend most of their time.

Our Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp profiles allow us to interact with a growing community interested in the company at different levels and which uses new communication patterns. Adapting the message to each network, to each audience, segmenting the created content and trying to capture their interest, is vital for creating a bond that results in a greater awareness of the company and its products.

But above all, these channels should serve to strengthen Customer Support, a fundamental pillar in Saba’s day-to-day. Social media acts as a complement to the work that employees do from within the car park or from the Customer service and Control Centre. Answering questions, helping with procedures, recommending products or handling incidents. New communication channels to be closer to our customers.

FIRST BIG DATA PLATFORM IN THE SECTOR

Saba took advantage of its participation in the Smart Mobility Congress 2017, held in Barcelona last November in parallel to the Smart City Expo World Congress, to present an open data technology solution with applications for improving urban mobility management and partnerships with institutions and companies.

The project, which is at a very advanced stage, will enable the publication of information in real time from different static and dynamic sources in Saba’s facilities in five countries through the sensorisation of car parks, both underground (off-street) and at street level (on-street).

With this initiative, Saba maintains its commitment to implement sustainable mobility solutions in the areas in which it operates, advancing both technological transformation and innovation as key elements. Moreover, this is in line with what other companies are doing, using Big Data and the analysis of collected data as an opportunity to understand the profile and needs of customers, and establishing response guidelines.

AN ENVIRONMENT OF SERVICES WITH ADDED VALUE

Saba was incorporated in May 2017 into SEAT’s digital ecosystem with the aim of developing services that facilitate mobility for drivers, such as the mobile booking and payment of car park spaces. In addition, both companies are jointly studying additional services associated with the period during which vehicles are parked, leading to initiatives such as the launch of the “Droppit” App, refuelling and the installation of charging stations in the Barcelona car park network.

Moreover, the growth of online shopping is forcing delivery companies to look for sustainable alternatives to the continual journeys made by couriers in polluting motorbikes or vans. In Barcelona, Saba is collaborating with companies such as Pudo (Pick up, drop off) and Geever to find solutions to what is an environmental and mobility problem. In the first case, through the installation of lockers in its car parks designed for the collection, or return, of purchases made online. And in the second one, taking advantage of the car parks as microdistribution points using sustainable means. These two initiatives make Saba facilities a key element in the last mile of distribution. This is proof of the role of the car park as a service hub.

Saba has always wanted to be something more than just car parks. In recent years, the company has endeavoured to incorporate different mobility models, aware that adapting to the times means committing to change. The progressive burst of the electric vehicle is reflected in a greater number of adapted car park spaces, which anticipates the demand. With this in mind, Saba expects to double the number of charging stations in its car parks in 2018, taking advantage of subsidies from the Alternative Mobility Support Plan of the Ministry of Energy.