Visitors to Home Affairs may soon be pleasantly surprised by shorter waiting times due to an automated queuing system that is being implemented.
Emerge Queue, in partnership with V&N Solutions, is implementing the Qmatic electronic customer flow management solution following a pilot in Khayelitsha. Eugene Swanepoel, CEO of Emerge Queue, said they were delighted with the pilot site where “the average waiting time has come down from 45 minutes to about 25 minutes”.
He felt the change was a direct consequence of the branch having better information at its disposal. “Because Home Affairs is now measuring exactly how much time passes from the time a customer enters the door to the time they are seen at a counter, they could identify the bottlenecks in the process and eliminate them.”
The Qmatic electronic queuing system reduces the time spent at each counter by having customers enter their ID numbers as they arrive at the branch. A numbered ticket is generated that secures their place in the queue. When a transaction is finished, the counter staff push a button that automatically calls the next ticket in the queue and displays their details on the counter screen. There is no waiting time for information screens to load and the customer can be greeted by his or her name.
“It's not just about giving out queue numbers, it's about managing the customer's entire experience from the moment they enter the door.” Swanepoel also states that the system can communicate important information. “For example, at Home Affairs, the system is linked to public display boards. When people get their ticket, they need to say what the purpose of their visit is - to apply for a passport, collect a birth certificate, or collect an ID book. The boards can then display information that's directly relevant to those who are waiting, for example reminding them what documents they need to have ready.”
“It's also easy to display average waiting times so people know how long they will have to wait,” says Swanepoel. “Simply having that information makes the experience more pleasant.”
Emerge Queue and V&N Solutions are also rolling out Qmatic customer flow systems in organisations such as MultiChoice, MTN, Standard Bank and other government departments.
Customer flow management is a fairly recent concept in South Africa. “Managers can now see exactly how long customers are waiting, and allocate staff accordingly,” says Swanepoel. “It also makes it easier to plan for future demand, for example if you release a new product or need to decide where to open a new branch.”
The customer flow management systems were developed in Sweden by Qmatic and are installed in more than 50 000 locations in 122 countries. It is estimated that 1.8 billion users pass through their systems worldwide every year.
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