ShareTomorrow Inc. – Enhancing MaaS Adoption Through Customer-Centric Support

ShareTomorrow Inc., whose mission is “strategically leveraging digital technology at the interface between individuals and businesses to enhance everyday life itself,” is developing three core services:

• &MOVE Nihonbashi – an on-demand ride-sharing transportation service
• HUBHUB – a community space offering sauna and lodging using repurposed containers
• &MIKKE! – a mobile commercial platform

Among these, &MOVE Nihonbashi is currently in operation as a pilot project in Tokyo.

The Challenge

Since fiscal year 2022, ShareTomorrow has been conducting a pilot of &MOVE Nihonbashi, now in its second phase. Several challenges emerged during the trial:

• Ease of Use: In phase one, some users unfamiliar with LINE struggled to complete ride requests smoothly. In phase two, the team focused on improving the interface and providing more detailed, user-friendly explanations.
• Accessibility for Seniors: With a relatively older local demographic, many users required a phone-based reservation option.
• Service Consistency: Service quality needed to be improved and standardized across both drivers and customer service representatives.
• First-Time User Intimidation: Because on-demand shared transport differs from conventional transportation, many first-time users found it intimidating.
• Awareness: Marketing in Nihonbashi required a grassroots approach – web ads, flyers, posters, and branded vehicles – while “constantly thinking about how to make more people aware of the service, whether they live nearby or are in Nihonbashi for work or shopping.”
• Operational Complexity: Inquiries and requests came through LINE and phone, driver communication took place on separate SNS platforms, and customers received information via the service website and social media. The customer center needed to be fluent in all of these.

The Solution

To meet these challenges, ShareTomorrow partnered with TMJ to manage customer service and reservation operations for &MOVE Nihonbashi.

TMJ’s role was multifaceted:

1. Multi-Channel Contact Center Support
   TMJ operated both phone and LINE-based channels. This included handling frequent questions such as “How long will it take before the vehicle arrives?” and “I’m not sure where I should be waiting.” When necessary, TMJ also communicated instructions directly to drivers to ensure passengers were picked up smoothly.
2. Accessibility Through Phone Reservations
   Recognizing that many local residents did not use LINE, TMJ introduced and managed a phone-based reservation system. This step was especially important in encouraging older adults in Nihonbashi to adopt the service.
3. User Experience Improvements
   Insights from TMJ’s direct interaction with customers helped ShareTomorrow refine the service in its second phase. Suggestions included clearer fare displays, better signage for pick-up and drop-off points, and simplifying the booking process with more user-friendly explanations. TMJ also proactively flagged potential issues from the customer’s perspective – anticipating questions before they arose.
4. Proof-of-Concept Flexibility
   TMJ brought prior experience from other MaaS pilot projects, enabling flexible staffing and workflow proposals suited to the iterative nature of demonstration trials. Their ability to accommodate different operational methods and adapt to changes mid-project gave ShareTomorrow confidence in scaling adjustments.
5. Complex Information Management
   With customer requests arriving from multiple channels and communication to drivers happening on separate platforms, the information environment was highly fragmented. TMJ’s specialized mobility center successfully managed this complexity, maintaining careful, attentive support throughout.

“Since this was our first time introducing phone-based reservations… TMJ already had a proven track record of handling phone reservations for other shared shuttle services, which gave us a sense of security and confidence.”
–  Fumi Miyauchi, Deputy Project Leader, MaaS Division, ShareTomorrow Inc.

Results

The partnership delivered significant improvements to the &MOVE Nihonbashi pilot:

• Broader Adoption: Phone reservations encouraged older residents to use the service.
• Simpler User Experience: Clearer instructions and improved UI reduced confusion and lowered the intimidation factor for first-time users.
• Better Responsiveness: TMJ’s operators ensured accurate, timely responses to customer inquiries, often relaying information directly to drivers to resolve issues.
• Market Insight: Customer voices collected through TMJ provided ShareTomorrow with valuable data to inform future service refinements.
• Operational Continuity: TMJ’s ability to manage multiple communication platforms allowed the service to run smoothly despite the complexity of the information environment.
• Motivation and Learning: The early results from outsourcing gave ShareTomorrow confidence that the MaaS model could be scaled and refined further.

“What we really appreciate is how TMJ proactively shares suggestions from the customer’s perspective – like saying, ‘You’ll probably get questions like this.’ Since their operators interact directly with customers so often, they have a real sense of what users are feeling.”
–  Fumi Miyauchi, Deputy Project Leader, MaaS Division, ShareTomorrow Inc.

Looking Ahead

Mobility challenges exist even in central Tokyo. Short trips between Hamacho, Tokyo Station, and Ginza may seem minor, but as Project Leader Masanori Kadokawa explains, “taking the train requires transfers that can add time. The situation becomes even more difficult for those traveling with children or carrying large luggage.”

By treating Nihonbashi as a model area, ShareTomorrow aims to package the learnings from &MOVE and expand to other urban regions across Japan, helping reduce everyday transport stress in cities nationwide.

“They’ve been very flexible in accommodating multiple operational methods and workflow changes… I really appreciate how the customer center team has been able to operate smoothly while maintaining such attentive and careful support.”
–  Masanori Kadokawa, Project Leader, MaaS Division, ShareTomorrow Inc.