When a Cook Strait sailing is cancelled because of the weather, Charlotte (a voice assistant) phones the affected customers, finds them a suitable alternative sailing, and books them on. Anything she should not handle on her own she passes to the right Bluebridge team: dangerous goods and freight go to the Bluebridge freight desk, and passenger matters such as a change of plans, no suitable capacity, or a customer who simply wants a person go to a Bluebridge passenger specialist.
This page shows you how to place a test call to yourself, play the part of a customer, and watch what happens on the live board in real time.
Before you start
Open the board on a laptop or desktop (it works on a phone too, but there is more to see on a larger screen):
Access code
You will need this once, to unlock the demo controls at the bottom of the board.
nzstrait-demo-2026Have your mobile handy. When you start a test, Charlotte will ring you so you can talk to her.
▶ Quick start
- Open the board at bb-board.pages.dev. You will see the affected customers, the alternative sailings, and the live outcomes.
- Unlock the controls. At the bottom, under Demo controls, type the access code above into the box and click Save. You should see “Admin code accepted”.
- Reset the demo. Click Reset. This puts the sample customers back to Waiting and refills the sailings, so you begin from a clean slate.
- Choose who you want to be. Under Test calls, tick your name (or type your mobile number in the spare row), then pick a customer from the dropdown. For example, choose Giles · foot for a simple rebooking, Dave · freight to watch Charlotte hand a dangerous-goods booking straight to the Bluebridge freight desk, or Steve · car · dog to hear her flag which sailing carries the dog-friendly cabin.
- Place the call. Click Test Outbound. Your phone will ring. Answer it and chat to Charlotte as that customer. She will explain the cancellation and offer to rebook you.
- Watch the board. Your customer’s tile updates as the call runs. When it ends, you will see the outcome, the customer’s mood, and a new line in the live feed.
- Try the other direction. Click Test Inbound instead. Your phone rings, but Charlotte runs the conversation as though you had called Bluebridge back.
Tip
Change the customer in the dropdown and run it again to see how Charlotte copes with different situations. Click Reset whenever you want a fresh run.
What you are looking at
The board updates by itself every few seconds. Here is what each part means.
Crossing progress
A Wellington to Picton strip showing how many of the affected customers have been dealt with. The ferry slides across as you work through them.
Affected customers
One tile per customer, showing who they are (on foot, car, campervan, horse float, or freight), their live status, and the result once the call ends. After a call, each tile also shows how that customer felt and a short note on why.
Alternative sailings
The replacement sailings on the Livia and Connemara, and how many seats are left on each, dropping live as Charlotte books people on.
Outcomes
A running tally: Rebooked (Charlotte handled it on her own), Escalated (handed to a person), On call, and Waiting.
Customer mood LIVE
After each call, Charlotte reads the customer’s overall mood from the conversation. The gauge swings towards happy or unhappy as calls land, and the bar tallies how many ended positive, neutral, or negative. It is a quick read on how people felt, even though their sailing had been cancelled.
Live feed
The most recently completed calls, newest at the top. Open one to read the full transcript and hear the recording.
Results (appears after you place a test)
A quick confirmation of each test call you started, so you know it went out.
Good to know
- Give it a moment. The mood read and the call outcome are worked out once the call finishes, so they land on the board a few seconds after you hang up.
- Escalations are on purpose. If you pick the freight booking with dangerous goods, say you have changed your plans, or ask to speak to someone, Charlotte will hand you to a person. That is her working as intended, not a fault. Freight and dangerous goods go to the Bluebridge freight desk, everything else to a passenger specialist.
- Travelling with a dog. On the car booking with a dog, Charlotte will reassure you the dog always travels, and tell you which sailing carries the dog-friendly cabin. That is by design.
- The number that calls you is the Bluebridge line, so that is what your phone will show.
- Start fresh any time by clicking Reset before a new run.