A functional and clear service process is an important part of handling everyday matters for every citizen, whether it is related to employment services, education guidance or city environment customer service. Although contact has increasingly shifted to the online sphere over the years, visiting an expert in a physical service point is still the most natural and reliable way for many to handle their affairs.
Customer service at municipal service points traditionally takes place in two ways. Citizens can reserve appointments for meetings with public services offered by different departments in municipalities and arrive at the appointed time. Alternatively, they can also speak to a professional with short notice by simply walking into the service point and waiting for their turn.
How can a customer visiting a public service point in the municipality handle their affairs in the clearest way?
Electronic self-registration systems can further facilitate the handling of affairs at municipal service points. Self-registration by citizens can easily be done at a kiosk located typically near the entrance and reception area. Customers arriving at the service point can see their assigned queue number on the information screen installed in the area.
If a citizen wishes to book an appointment with, for example, employment services regarding their work situation, they can reserve an appointment in advance online. After making the reservation, the customer will receive a confirmation message containing the location and time of the appointment.
Upon arrival at the service point, the customer can register their arrival and authenticate themselves with their ID card or social security number at the self-registration kiosk. After registration, the receiving party can also see the arrival on their own workstation. This way, professionals can view the customers who have arrived and call them to their workstation or move them to another queue if necessary to smooth out the reception process.
In many municipal public services such as counseling services or city-related information points, customers are often directed to wait for their turn with a queue number.
If a citizen wants to, for example, purchase a monthly pass for public transportation or a swimming pool, they can go to the service point provided by the municipality. The same process works in many other places: physical contact is common in daily services related to culture, education or exercise that can be handled quickly.
Queuing with a queue number can be done with the same self-registration system and the same terminal as for appointment booking customers. If there are both appointment booking customers and queue number customers at the same service point, the latter will register to their own queue. The queue is displayed on a shared information screen, and receiving customer service representatives can adjust the queue according to the situation on their own terminals.
The ultimate purpose of the self-registration system is to clarify the registration process for both parties. With the kiosk, citizens arriving at the service can register effortlessly and follow the progress of the reception clearly, while professionals can conveniently manage the customer queue on their own terminals.