Challenges

As part of its Strategy 2020 Campus experience developments, The University is committed to putting students at the center of its activities. 

This includes providing a high standard of student support from the moment you apply to the University up to and after you graduate from the University. In line with its vision for 2020, the University of Nottingham launched a brand new student service center, “The Hub”- a one-stop solution for student inquiries and access to campus services.

Located in Room 120 in the Portland Building, close to Starbucks, The Hub provides services to all available undergraduate and taught Masters's Students. Considering the campus facilitates more than 6,000 students each year, the university wanted to streamline, improve, monitor, and create seamless student experiences at the service center.

Some of the challenges the
University wanted to overcome were:

Minimize long and un-explained waiting times.

Streamline heavy student flow at the service center by routing students to the right university representative.

In order to make the experience more coherent with the changing mobile user, the University also required a solution that enabled its students to reserve their spot in the queue via a mobile application.

Allow university representatives to see the number of students in wait and waiting times of each student from the computer screen located at their consultation desk.

Alert management when waiting times exceed predetermined thresholds.

Getting real-time student feedback on the services offered, and measuring the quality of support provided by university staff was also one of the key aspects of improving the overall student experience.

Wavetec’s Solution

Wavetec designed and implemented a complete WaveSphere solution – a combination of queue management systems with real-time monitoring, Mobile-Q, Donatello digital signage, and on-the-spot student feedback through Opinion Plus.

Organize

Upon entering The Hub, students select one of the service categories from a 17-inch Self Service Kiosk (near the entrance to Starbucks) and click the screen. There are a  set of pre-defined services that The Hub offers.

Another way of entering the queue is via Mobile-Q. Students can get a virtual ticket from the App (applicable for both Android and IOS users). The ticket printer in the self-service kiosk issues the student a ticket number and also provides information on which service has been selected

For someone using Mobile-Q, they also have the option of postponing and canceling the ticket.

Engage

In The Hub, chairs and sofas are provided in the waiting areas. Once the student service area representative is ready for the next student they click a button on their computer screen which initiates both an audible and visual call-up of the student’s ticket number over the speaker system and waiting room screen.

During the waiting period, students pay attention to the rolling numbers indicated on the two TV screens powered by Donatello Digital Signage which shows the ticket and counter information.

Donatello Signage solution also enables the University of Nottingham to play various internal content such as videos and images to engage & inform students about the latest happenings while they wait.

Measure

Creating an exceptional service experience does not end by just making the retail space more informed and engaged.

The final stage is to measure all activities and uncover detailed student insights which will then allow the University of Nottingham to increase operational efficiency and serve students better.

At The Hub, Wavetec installed 12 Opinion Plus- customer feedback units which were then integrated with the queuing system and mobile app. Enabling this integration allows senior management to directly identify which students were not served properly, therefore, making sure employees and university staff are properly trained to meet student expectations.

Results

The automated customer flow management system has freed up the reception for general inquiries and other student service matters.

University staff is now able to monitor student volumes and their waiting times.

Managers are able to view queue and customer feedback reports to solve any excessive delays to students as they occur in real-time.