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Just-in-Time : the proven blueprint for Superior Reception Performance

Just-in-Time
(J.I.T) Reception

If correctly implemented, in a consistent fashion, applying the principles of the J.I.T. philosophy to Receptions, can result in :

R.O.I. < 1 year
Manpower Savings up to 80%
Visitor Satisfaction Rating : 10/10

About J.I.T.

JIT is a management philosophy which has been applied since the 1970s in Japanese manufacturing organizations and which was adopted worldwide. Giants like Toyota, McDonalds, Apple, Domino's, Federal Express are just a few of the many examples. The benefits are paramount : boosted productivity, slashed costs and exceptional quality. JIT also applies to services and thus also to Reception Services.

JIT is a lot more than 'on time delivery'. JIT (sometimes also referred to as BIG JIT) is defined as an operating philosophy which has its basic objective in elimination of waste. Waste is anything other than the minimum amount of equipment and time which are absolutely essential to add value to the service. 'Value' is the functionality, usefulness or importance as perceived by the customer.

about

J.I.T. for Reception Service

The two key-words are 'elimination of waste' and 'value to the Guest'. The former is all about avoiding time spent for non essential interaction and the latter is all about creating personal and personalized service for the Guest. Teleportel has incorporated the mechanics of this successful philosophy into the JIT Reception. In short :

Value

When the guest arrives, the reception service is available instantly. Always. No guest will be left unattended. No one has to wait. The reception service is warm and personal. The guest feels that he/she is expected and welcome. The experience could not be made simpler; the guest does not even have to think. Based upon the type of visitor or visit, a tailored reception service is provided. Satisfaction levels of the guests are measured for continuous improvement.

Elimination of Waste

The aim is to use time of the receptionist only when that is absolutely essential. When there is no visitor in the lobby, there will be no receptionist behind the desk : the idle time is eliminated. For pre-selected types of visitors (for instance own staff or deliveries) an automated, self-service process is in place.

Synchronization
and Simplicity

Consistent Reception Service at the lowest cost and with highest level of service to the Guest is achieved by synchronization, balance and simplicity.

'Synchronization and balance' refers to the ability to match the reception service delivery cycle to the reception service requests by the visitors; in real-time.

'Simplicity': the aim is to make it so that your visitor does not even have to think : the process must be very simple. Simplicity is also key for control by the receptionists over the reception process. That is why the user interface is limited to only a few buttons, very intuitive and self-explanatory. No special training is required. Self-control improves the performance and reliability of the Reception service. Both Visitor and Employee participation will be more successful if the process is simple.

The 10 areas of
J.I.T. improvement

These are 10 areas with the potential to eliminate waste :

Elimination of idle time i.e. no receptionist when there is no visitor
Minimize 'inventory' whereby 'inventory' means manpower (i.e. available hours for live reception service must be reduced to the bare minimum).
Avoid transport / motion i.e. the receptionist stays in one place
Utilize all the talents within the organization i.e. involve other co-workers, if appropriate
Deploy only available resources that do not add bottom line costs
Avoid over-production i.e. do not offer live receptionist service to all types of visits
Minimize response times i.e. a visitor in need of service should be dealt with instantly
Eliminate defects. An unhappy visitor is a defect because it costs business in the end.The objective is a visitor satisfaction level of 100%.
Parallel processing i.e. involving secondary resources (avatar, self service, other co-workers, automation and integration)
Workplace re-organization i.e. the agent(s) work from any location : this could be from an existing, physical reception desk but could also be from home. It is about a virtual workplace without physical constraints.

The 3 Process 'Strategies'

These three grand strategies are used within the Teleportel framework:

Real Time Manpower Sharing

When a visitor is in need of service (and is 'an important guest' and thus entitled to a live service by a Receptionist), the system routes to and connects with the most appropriate agent. The system takes into account who is currently available and the skills of those available agents (for instance knowledge of a specific language or other skill, access to certain databases and sub processes, etc.. ), the location of the agent and the equipment used (at workstation, on laptop, mobile, telephone, etc..). The system balances the 'demand' for live service with the available resources; in real-time. The system 'cascades' until a suitable resource has been identified to assist the visitor : no guest should ever be left unattended.

Self-Service

For those visitors for whom you have decided that no live manpower should be spent (for instance your own staff members who have forgotten their badge, deliveries, etc…), a Self-Service process can be put in place. A customized process allows the visitor to be processed without any human involvement. There are different options available to achieve this. The 'Humanoid Avatar' is one of those options : this is an intelligent, interactive program featuring pre-recorded video. The 'avatar' interacts with the visitor, without human involvement.

Automation and Integration

For all types of visitors, a certain level of automation can be integrated within the process : for instance upon scanning the QR code (received at time of invitation) the system will open the door, print the badge, notify the host by email and SMS text message, the Avatar informs the guest on what to do and where facilities can be found, etc.. Moreover, the Reception Service (both live and automatic) can be integrated with legacy systems and other database, for instance : existing Visitor Management Systems, Access Control Systems, ERP, CRM, etc… This ensures that the JIT Reception is not an 'island' of technology but becomes fully integrated within the IT System. This eliminates waste by avoiding double entries and overlapping functionalities and the associated risks of errors.

Watch this video clip to understand how the above works in a real life application

Continuous Improvement

A key element of J.I.T. for Receptions is to continuously improve the quality of service and the effectiveness of the process. As of day-1 the process of continuous improvement starts. The system provides raw data to be imported into your own spreadsheets. This data provides insight on all the critical success factors and key aspects of the reception process : number of visitors, type of visitors, time of arrival, distribution throughout the day/week/month/year, locations, waiting times, connection times, satisfaction of the visitors, utilization rate of the Kiosk, occupancy of the agents etc...

There is no finish line. There is always room for improvement.

Custom-Built

Teleportel (since 2001) developed 54 specialized Building Blocks for Receptions over Distance, Digital Receptions and Virtual Receptions. Depending on the specific requirements, approximately ten (10) of these Building Blocks are used for the JIT Reception. It is not possible to explain everything in this short article. Contact Teleportel to learn what JIT can do for your Reception.

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