Gladsaxe Municipality has once again offered their annual 68 different summer holiday activities for the municipality's children, and recorded over 1200 registrations and 3000 active browsers on the first day. A queue system and automatic administration made this year's registration process efficient and smooth.
Gladsaxe Municipality - Automatic administration of holiday activities brings joy
Frustration leads to new system
In Gladsaxe Municipality, the Glad Summer concept has been a longstanding tradition. An initiative that offers a wide range of activities for children during the summer holidays. It is a concept that the municipality takes great pride in and that many citizens look forward to every year.
"We have put together these summer activities for many years now. I would even dare to say that we are one of the leading municipalities in that area. We hold a very large number of activities, and our citizens have also begun to expect them from us. Therefore, it is important that the entire process proceeds as smoothly as possible" says Hanne Allesø, administrative employee in Gladsaxe Municipality.
I still remember the vast amount of time I used to spend cleaning up the old system. I also had to talk to disgruntled citizens on the phone, simply because so much went wrong. It has been a huge advantage to have a system that just works as it should, and employees in plan2learn who are always willing to listen and help. Now I'm just waiting excitedly for next year's registrations - Hanne Allesø, administrative employee in Gladsaxe Municipality.
The original system used to process the registrations, did not work as intended, which made the municipality turn its attention to plan2learn.
"Our first system created a lot of problems and dissatisfaction from the citizens, so we sat down and decided what requirements a new system should fulfill. We already used plan2learn to some degree, and after a long conversation with the relevant people, we chose to conduct the entire process in plan2learn going forward. We felt that there was an understanding of our situation and challenges at plan2learn, which we did not get anywhere else" elaborates Hanne Allesø.
Collaboration ensures complete solution
An ongoing collaboration was started, and an annual meeting discussing experiences and opportunities for improvement was agreed upon. At the time of writing, the municipality has just completed another registration round, and Hanne Allesø is satisfied with the result.
"We have just completed another round of registration, and it was an incredibly good experience. We had no unexpected challenges, as is usually the case when so many elements have to function together. There are perhaps some who will think that we play it too safe with both the queue system and an employee from plan2learn who is ready to provide assistance. But we have learned from experience that it's best to be prepared" says Hanne Allesø.
A queuing system and random draws ensure fair registration
The municipality had set up 68 teams in plan2learn divided into different activities, which included everything from volleyball, basketball and badminton to circus activities. Registration was handled through several rounds, where in the first round a limit of one activity per person was set. This should help ensure that everyone got a chance at an activity.
Additionally, a queuing system was created which opened 2 hours before registration started. This was accomplished by using the well-known Queue-It system, which many will have become familiar with from websites such as coronaproever.dk. Here, all the waiting citizens were assigned a number, and the system then created a random order, so that not only the fastest would be rewarded.
"We have always had a queue system, as it helps handle the great pressure of several hundred citizens who log in at the same time via several devices. At 4 pm we open the queue, and at 6 pm the system distributes random places to everyone in the queue. We believe that a random selection is fairest, as the parents have very different working hours, and should not be penalized for logging in a little later." details Hanne Allesø.
Citizens start by visiting Gladsaxe Municipality's website, after which they sign up and are placed in the queue system. When the system has randomly selected the citizen's number, they will be included in a hidden directory of activities. Then, they choose from the wide range of activities, as long as there are still places on the specific team.
Excitement for next year
With a successful round of registrations in the bag, Hanne Allesø is now looking forward to next year.
"I think we have reached a really good place right now, where the system works as it should. I can't think of more functionality that should be added. I still remember the vast amount of time I used to spend cleaning up the old system. I also had to talk to disgruntled citizens on the phone, simply because so much went wrong. It has been a huge advantage to have a system that just works as it should, and employees in plan2learn who are always willing to listen and help. Now I'm just waiting excitedly for next year's registrations ends Hanne Allesø.