Lengthy queuing times alleviatedat the Passport Office

Case Study: Department of Foreign Affairs and Tourism

Background

Challenge

Passport services for Irish Citizens

Outdated ticketing system frustrates staffand customers alike

The Irish Passport Office, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs, issues passports to Irish

citizens. Services are provided by the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and by Irish Diplomatic and

Consular Missions overseas.

The passport office can be a very busy place, and due to space restrictions it was common for

large queues to form inside and outside the office as people waited to renew their passports. The

renewal process consisted of a ticketing system, with the customer’s place in the queue defined

by the number on their ticket, on a first come first served basis. The lack of a pre-defined wait

time, combined with last minute renewals, meant that wait times were often excessive and staff

struggled to meet service demands.

Solution

Result

Online booking system introduced viainnovative partnership

Action Point were swift & professional in implementing the system to spec & the resulting solution has delivered above & beyond expectations.

- David Miller, COO, Terminalfour

New online service alleviates wait time.Increases efficiency of service.

Action Point were approached by TERMINALFOUR, a web management company, and partnered with them to deliver an innovative solution which would enable the Passport Office to offer an online booking service. The service would be similar to the National Car Test system (NCT), allowing customers to pre-book their renewal online. Customers who visit www.passportappointments.ie can book their appointment, decide what type of passport service they need and select a time and date to visit the office that fits with their schedule. The system also tells them what hatch they will be served at.

The online booking system has not only alleviated the lengthy wait times faced by customers; it has also provided staff with a back-end system that allows them to pro-actively manage the booking process. Staff have full visibility of bookings in advance, allowing them to plan ahead for busy periods. Customers now receive an improved level of service and staff have a new level of control which has significantly eased the daily pressures they faced.

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