How might we ensure that people arriving at a Citizen Service office can successfully resolve their request (processing, procedures, information search, etc.)?

The challenge is entitled: How might we ensure that people arriving at a Citizen Service office can successfully resolve their request (processing, procedures, information search, etc.)?

Context:

This project is linked to the opening of a new office in San Vicente Square. However, the solution should ideally be applicable to other citizen contact points within the Citizen Service of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.

Currently, citizen service is delivered through several channels:

Web channel: Citizens use the website bizkaia.eus as an information point and the electronic office as an information and processing platform, from which they may also request assistance if needed.
In‑person channel: At physical offices (the central office in Bilbao or the Gertu offices located in various municipalities of Bizkaia), with or without an appointment previously booked via bizkaia.eus, by phone, or at the office itself.
Telephone channel: Through the contact number provided by the service.

When people request assistance by phone or in person, it is the Citizen Service staff who attend to them. To do so, the team relies on a set of information sheets covering all details about the service for which the person has questions or wishes to complete a procedure. However, if they do not have an answer to a specific question, Citizen Service staff contact the corresponding service area as second‑level support. At times, this contact may be delayed if the right person is not immediately available. In any case, Citizen Service always guarantees a response to the user, even if it requires contacting them later once the inquiry has been resolved.

Focusing on in‑person assistance specifically, several situations arise that represent opportunities for improvement in the service provided to citizens.

Currently, users may attend the Citizen Service offices either with or without an appointment. Upon arrival (with or without an appointment), they are redirected at the entrance—either with the help of a kiosk or by security personnel—to the appropriate service desk. It may even happen that a person arrives to carry out a procedure that does not correspond to the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, in which case security may direct them to the correct administration’s office. The new office will include a team of ushers responsible for managing this initial reception. With this project, the aim is to find a solution that enables this triage to be done in advance and without relying on security staff or ushers.

Additionally, even users who do arrive with an appointment have not always selected the correct procedure. This may occur for several reasons:

Not knowing how to find the correct procedure due to a lack of understanding of how the Provincial Council of Bizkaia is organized administratively.
Wanting to complete a procedure that requires substantial processing time and cannot be carried out on the desired date, leading them to select a different procedure or a
generic, shorter one simply to secure an appointment—although this may later slow down service for others.

All of this results in the in‑office service experiencing a heavier workload than planned.

With the opening of the new office, the objective is to address these issues by testing new innovative solutions that help users easily identify how to complete the procedure they need (requirements, documentation, representation, channel, etc.), while also optimizing and streamlining the work carried out by Citizen Services. Ultimately, the goal is to improve the user experience.

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GovTech Lab Bizkaia

How might we ensure that people arriving at a Citizen Service office can successfully resolve their request (processing, procedures, information search, etc.)?

Challenge