Project: North Shore Scenic Railroad

Problem

Among North Shore Scenic Railroad excursions, there was little tour consistency in the passenger experience. Narration, provided by volunteer guides, varied based on their life experience, knowledge and subject matter expertise. Although tours were pre-scripted, tour guides often added their own colourful commentary, making it a challenge to provide passengers with the same engaging, high quality tours on every excursion.

The company needed a solution to standardize its tours while providing a superior level of passenger engagement. The answer: leverage the Listen Technologies GPS commentary solution to produce entertaining tours that incorporated layers of local voices sharing stories about key points of interest along routes.

Solution

North Shore Scenic Railroad evaluated the market for a GPS commentary solution that would fit its needs and budget. Selecting Listen Technologies as its vendor of choice, the organization redesigned its sightseeing tour to include celebrity talent and authentic commentators as a key part of the experience. Included in the tour is the mayor of Duluth sharing a story with guests about one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations, the historic Glensheen Mansion. The tour also features the settlers of a fishing village retelling their history as the train goes by.

Result

By leveraging GPS commentary solutions to reduce consistency issues, Listen Technologies helped North Shore Scenic Railroad meet its goal of delivering reliable, passenger- friendly experiences that are repeatable and scalable. The organization plans on creating new tour experiences with layers of celebrity and home-grown talent to provide passengers with engaging and entertaining tours for years to come. By controlling the message, North Shore Scenic Railroad is delivering on its promise of fully narrated tours where “history comes alive,” building trust with unrelenting brand consistency.