Making an error when entering an address in an online form might not seem like a big deal, but if you’ve been on the receiving end, you know a small inaccuracy can have a big impact.
Customer Experience and Design Operations Manager at Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government, Vladislav Munteanu, explained, “When address data is wrong, what it really costs us is time.
“Take the example of ‘Fix My Street’. If someone enters the wrong address when reporting an issue or requesting a service, it can trigger a chain of consequences.
“Instead of taking 30 minutes to go to the place and find an issue, it could take maintenance crew several days.”
The delay could result in dissatisfied customers and further calls to the contact centre.
“It means additional work for the contact centre, as well as for the teams who need to identify if it’s a new or a duplicate job.”
It was clear that small address inaccuracies were resulting in hours of wasted time and effort, leading the ACT Government to explore options for an address verification solution.
It built address verification Application Programming Interface(APIs) into its online forms. Address matches are suggested as people type. Customers don’t need to complete the full address. They simply choose from the ‘Do you mean this address?’ suggestions.
Before implementing Geoscape APIs, the ACT Government tried other address validation services, but found they weren’t updated frequently enough.
The solution helps the government streamline planning and improve service delivery.
“If you have a pothole on a busy street, you can expect that more than one person is going to complain about it. Sometimes we’ll have dozens of reports.
“Now we have accurate address information, we can understand straightaway if it’s the same job or a duplication. We know whether our crew will need to spend one hour or a few days there.
“It’s really helped improve our operations in that respect.”
The ACT Government plans to widen the use of the APIs across multiple directorates.
To find out how address verification can increase efficiency and improve service delivery in local government, contact sales@geoscape.com.au.
*Copy supplied by Geoscape
