BA staff make self-service portal a hit

Employee use of airline's online corporate services doubles after new system launch

British Airways has launched an updated staff portal that has doubled its number of users in the first two weeks.

The airline's Employee Self Service (ESS) system was introduced on 10 September and is attracting 8,000 workers every day, compared to 4,000 for the previous, less-functional application.

ESS offers staff worldwide internet access to a wide range of services, including 'ePay' payroll information, online learning, a corporate directory, electronic purchasing, staff travel and an intranet, all through a single sign-on. Cabin crew working overseas can also access rostering systems.

The company invested £1.5m this year to bring all the systems into the single portal. Some 80 per cent of self-service functions are now online, as part of an effort to eliminate duplication and cut down on paper-based processes.

Chief information officer Paul Coby told Computing that simplicity and flexibility were important factors in the successful introduction of ESS.

'Staff love it. It puts them in control,' he said.

'What's kicked it off is the killer applications, such as ePay, and pulling it all together in one place. We want to simplify processes. Once we get a critical mass of users we can start to reduce offline services.'

Coby says ESS is fundamental to BA's wider 'Future Size and Shape' programme to turn the company round after the financial difficulties caused by 11 September and the airline industry slump. The company's budget restrictions meant the system had to be developed as cost-effectively as possible.

'What we have to be about is putting it together smartly. There is a lot of commodity stuff behind it,' he said.

Future developments include providing access to BA's datawarehouse so employees can generate their own business reports.

* Three-quarters of IT directors in the airline sector expect to see investment in technology increase or at least remain the same next year, according to a survey.

Cost reductions and efficiency improvements are the key drivers for most IT projects, but outsourcing is playing a major role.

Half of the respondents say they are sharing check-in systems with alliance partners.

Nearly all airlines have adopted, or are planning to adopt, a company wide IP-based infrastructure for applications, including reservations, ticketing, human resources, check-in and cargo.

But budget constraints are a major obstacle.

The survey of over 100 airlines was conducted by NSM Research on behalf of Airline Business magazine and airline technology provider SITA.