If correctly implemented, in a consistent fashion, applying the principles of the J.I.T. philosophy to Receptions, can result in :
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. This Video Kiosk Software 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.
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 :
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.
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.
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.
Watch this video clip to understand how the above works in a real life application
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.
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.
