Recently I flew into Amsterdam airport and on entering the country discovered that someone has thought about new technology AND process.
Quick example. On entering the UK as a British Citizen we can register for the IRIS scan facility. Once registered it’s easy to avoid the queue for Immigration, you simply join a separate line, far away from the main manual queue, and look into the machine, if your recognised, then the door opens are your in. Great, very quick and convenient. when it works.(all too often the machines are not working!) When the machine fails or needs to be re-set, you have a major problem with the process (as happened when I entered the UK from the US). You have to leave that area, walk back to the main manual queue and go to the back of the queue and wait your turn. Not so good.
Now think process and technology, and fly into Amsterdam. If you’re registered there, you go up to the machine, sitting next to the manual queue of people (not miles away). Let the machine scan your eye, and if it likes you, the bar opens and you’re in. If it rejects you, then bar opens in another direction and you’re added to the front of the manual line. Ah, I hear you say, what if I’ve never registered, and use this to jump the queue? You can’t, the only way to gain access to their machine before you have your eye scanned is to enter/swipe your ID card, when recognised you get towards the scanner, if not registered you have to join the manual queue at the back (fair). So this shows someone thought not only about the technology and the advantages of it in secure recognition and speed of entry, but also about the process if it fails or people try to cheat the system.
The lesson is obvious. Don’t just implement technology for the sake of it, or to achieve a single goal, look at how it will actually work for the customer and think through the full process, for success and failure, thus ensuring that the customer is fully and appropriately served. So British Airports Authority (BAA) take note and check out the competition in Amsterdam – they thought through the process when adding their new technology!
Any feedback and comments are always welcome!!
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