Located in the heart of central London the New Zealand Embassy deals with varied enquiries. With numerous departments and services on offer the embassy experiences a high volume of visitor throughput throughout the year.
The Situation
Prior to its upgrade in 2005 the New Zealand Embassy operated a basic Queue Management System (Q.M.S)™. This included a number display that was connected to a push button, where once a visitor had had their enquiry resolved, the next visitor would be called out by a staff member.
The old system was self proclaimed as inhibiting visitor flow and reducing staff efficiency. Visitors would often complain about the waiting times and would often exacerbate the length of time they had been waiting. Confusion as to the queuing order was common as visitors could not see their number being displayed or hear their number being called out – because of this the staff would often have to absorb the frustration that was generated. The entire process was time consuming and the nature of calling out visitors added to the anxiety of the department.
The need for a more efficient and organised system was very much present. The process of calling out numbers lead to confusion and an absence of accurate statistical data lead to inefficiencies. Management could not ascertain the volume of visitor levels at particular times of the day or year so could not allocate their resources when demand dictated.
Why Lonsto?
At the beginning of 2005 the embassy in Haymarket Street began the process of refurbishment. With the layout and design of the offices to be completely overhauled, management decided to upgrade to a system that would better compliment its surroundings.
A solution was sought out to resolve the difficulties being witnessed and a decision was made to invest in a sophisticated Queue Management System (Q.M.S)™. Once refurbishment had commenced the architect behind the project conducted research via the internet and came across Lonsto® and the products it had on offer.
Upon exploration of the products the architect made further enquiries into the nature of the Queue Avoidance Systems (Q.A.S)™ that Lonsto® provided then came to the conclusion that the systems provided by Lonsto® met the requirements that were being sought.
Implementation
The new system, implemented in February of 2005 was to incorporate a fresh approach to the queuing process at the embassy.
Upon entrance to the visa department visitors were to be met by an Intelligent Ticket Dispenser (I.T.D). Visitors could now choose the service most suitable to their requirements, such as permanent or temporary visa applications. Upon receiving a ticket with their number on, visitors were to be directed to the waiting area. Here they could sit and read some of the literature provided by the embassy or relax until their ticket number was called.
In conjunction with the audio call forward system visitors could also now see their number appear on a plasma screen, strategically located so as to be clearly visible to those waiting. The supplementary benefit of this innovative communications media was to give the additional resource of displaying promotional video or alternatively live television so as to enhance the waiting experience for the visitors.
The processes had been planned and the system implemented by Lonsto's® qualified technicians, it was only a matter of time before the results were to be generated.
Going Live
There was a natural learning curve to encounter at first as management and staff explored the capabilities of the new system. As the learning curve gradually disappeared the benefits soon became evident.
Immediate Benefits
Visitors found the new environment significantly more appealing. Instead of protecting their position in the queue, visitors could now sit down in the waiting area and read some of the literature provided on behalf of the embassy.
As ticket numbers were now displayed on a plasma screen visitors could now assess the duration of their wait, thus removing the anxiety of an unexpected waiting time, evident within the previous system. With the plasma screen doubling up as slideshow regarding visiting New Zealand this provided a further distraction for visitors with regards to their wait.
The audio call out of ticket numbers assisted staff and visitors alike, ensuring that no one such as those who had visual impairments would miss their turn in the queuing process.
Employees could now easily see who was waiting and the removal of having to call out the next visitors significantly reduced the anxiety within the department, Ms. Thompson, Immigration Manager notes “If visitors are not paying attention the call forward button is pressed again as opposed to the previous system where employees would keep calling out a ticket number, it’s a much more relaxed environment to wait and work within.”
As Management now had access to visitor statistics further assistance could be provided to embassy employees. From analysing past trends management could predict the days and times when visitor throughput would intensify. Consequentially decisions could be made to alleviate the pressure on a particular service point via the allocation of staff members where demand dictated.
The Queue Management System (Q.M.S)™ was complemented by a welcoming environment, the open plan offices, modern lighting and classical music which was fed into the waiting area all combined to generate a warm welcome and a pleasant wait for visitors.
Management had with the assistance of Lonsto’s® Queue Management System (Q.M.S)™ and innovative design concepts created a relaxing environment in which visitors could wait within.
The New Zealand Service has, with the Assistance of Lonsto's® Queue Management Systems (Q.M.S)™Improved:
- The overall waiting environment for visitors
- Average waiting times
- Clarity and reduced anxiety through audio and visual ticket displays
- Increased efficiency as visitors are now seen to by the most
appropriate service
- Elevated productivity for embassy staff
- Accuracy of data levels for management
- Flexibility in the queuing process
- Resource distribution– the reallocation of staff when demand
dictated
An animated case study is also available on our new Interactive CD accompanied by our 1st Edition Newsletter 'The Cover Story'. So don't wait around and sign up today for a new queuing experince!
