How to get wait times down to just 3 minutes

Many government agencies are currently dealing with swelling populations in urban centres and increased customer interactions. These agencies are being held back in their ability to provide efficient service due to outdated systems and technology.

In today’s digital-first world, customers are increasingly holding agencies accountable for their service delivery. Agencies need to undergo their own digital transformation to better manage customer flow, improve the quality of services, and boost their customer satisfaction rating.

In this article, we look at how Blacktown City Council transformed their service centre to achieve wait times of just three minutes. We’ll also look at how your council can follow their example, by using digital technology solutions to streamline and improve your customer satisfaction.

Blacktown City Council’s growing needs

At present, Blacktown has more people than any other city in New South Wales and is also one of the fastest growing urban centres. Over the next 20 years, Blacktown City’s population is expected to grow from 340,000 to 500,000.

As a result, Blacktown City Council was struggling to keep up with the growing demands of the city. Customers were reporting wait times of up to 20 minutes. Long lines would result in disgruntled customers taking their frustrations out on staff. The council knew that they needed to improve their customer service, meet the needs of a growing city, and reduce stress for their staff, which is why they called in NEXA to help.

Diagnosing issues and commencing transformation with NEXA

NEXA collaborated with Blacktown City Council, to understand their unique needs and prerequisites. The council were looking for a partnership that could provide a user-friendly system—for both customers and staff—and they wanted to see quick results.

NEXA identified the absence of data and customer feedback collection at Blacktown City Council. The need was recognised to collect data on how many customers the council was serving, the types of services required, and how long each interaction took. To NEXA, it was clear that Blacktown City Council needed to start capturing this data, along with customer feedback, to improve service efficiencies and customer satisfaction.

Becoming a better service centre

NEXA began transforming Blacktown City Council’s service centre by installing their internationally recognised technology with onsite support throughout. The solution was up and running within just three months, on schedule for the council’s ‘go live’ date.

Blacktown City Council underwent the following changes, which greatly improved customer satisfaction:

Reduced stress: Customers have a relaxing wait of just three minutes.
Increased customer confidence: Customers are directed to the correct counter the first time around.
Improved management: Management uses data and analytics to better allocate staff and resources.
Higher quality service: Staff collect anonymous customer feedback and respond in real time.

Transforming agencies to better meet customer needs

In just a matter of months, Blacktown City Council underwent a huge transformation, the benefits of which were felt by both customers and staff. It was a privilege to work with this government agency in providing their customers with exceptional service quality and helping them to prepare for the growth that inner Sydney is anticipating over the coming years.

While NEXA has worked with many government agencies, they also have a wealth of experience in other sectors, having collaborated with partners across health and education.