When it comes to waiting in line to see a Milford building inspector, it seems that everyone has a story to tell, from arriving at 7 a.m. in hopes of being seen within the next few hours, to the time someone fainted in the hallway, to the Halloween prank when a skeleton was placed in a chair outside of the building office. 

Thanks to new efficiencies and a simple software program, these lines are now a thing of the past.  Instead, customers use their cell phones or a touch screen kiosk to get in line, and then are free to roam or work until they are alerted that it is their turn.  They can also monitor their status in line, and even ask for more time, by phone.

Jocelyn Mathiasen, Director of the Department of Permitting and Land Use, explained, “this system saves permit applicants hours of wasted time, reduces stress for everyone, and allows us to better monitor our performance.” 

When Mathiasen took over the Permitting and Land Use department last August, she inherited a department notorious for long lines and bureaucracy.   “A lot of the bad reputation was ancient history; we haven’t had huge lines for a couple of years.  Still, it is a hard reputation to live down and eliminating the physical line was an easy fix with big payoffs for our customers.”

The new Milford QLess service now presents a virtual line, where the public can call-in, text-in, go on-line, or use a touch-screen kiosk to get in line.  Once they join the “Virtual Queue”, they are free to roam until they receive a call that their turn is coming up.  The system is similar to those used by busy restaurants.

Charles Marrelli, Director of Experience Design at QLess and instructor, who installed the QLess system for Milford, said, “The system is very easy to use and does not require a great deal of upfront cost because QLess is software as a service. We use the Milford office’s own existing hardware and online services and the training is completed in just a couple of hours.”  According to Mathiasen, the system costs the city less than $4 per day, which is “a bargain when you compare it against the value of peoples’ time.”  The system could also be expanded to more city offices at no additional cost.

“Considering that the average person spends more than two waking years of their lives waiting in line, people have a lot more time doing other, more productive things,” Marrelli said.

The City of Milford now joins other government offices using QLess, including as the Department of Motor Vehicle offices in Kansas, Missouri and New Hampshire, and the government offices of the City of Austin, Texas.