Services Australia to bring digital kiosks, wait tracking to service centres

Services Australia is moving closer towards its Service NSW-inspired customer service vision, with plans afoot to introduce self-service kiosks and wait time tracking at its services centres.

After spending the past year designing the way forward for government services, the agency has put out the call for one or more service providers to deliver the two end-to-end solutions.

Customers will use the self-service check-in solution - a kiosk at the entry of service centres - to join a walk-in queue or check into a pre-booked appointment.

The sign-in process would be able to be completed using a customer's biometric, as well as other traditional identifiers such as a customer reference number (CRN) or Medicare number.

Customers will then be able to view their wait time, which will be calculated and displayed on the self-service kiosk and callboards using the wait time solution.

Both solutions aim to improve service delivery at service centres, in line with government plans to replicate Service NSW, the one-stop-shop for NSW government services.

Services Australia has been working to “design a new way of delivering face-to-face services” under its ‘contemporary connected face-to-face services’ project since September 2019.

Service providers that are shortlisted for the request for tender will develop and trial a proof-of-concept in service centres specified by Services Australia during December 2020.

Under the tender, the providers will be required to furnish all hardware, software and system integration services related to the solutions.

Services Australia is also working to improve its online services by building a new government digital experience platform (GOVDXP) to eventually replace myGov.

The facebook-inspired platform - the cost of which is now $28 million, and expected to climb further - will provide a single, tailored view of the citizen’s interactions with the government.

The Digital Transformation Agency has been testing a beta of its new-look platform since June.

During a media briefing on Monday, government services minister Stuart Robert said "there would soon be a second myGov beta on the 20th of this month".

Submissions to the tender will close on October 12.