Bürgeramt der Zukunft

Whether it’s an ID card, a change of residence, or registering a business – Berlin faces the challenge of providing its citizens with efficient and user-friendly services. In citizen offices, the first point of contact for many administrative matters, there is clear potential for improvement. The “Bürgeramt der Zukunft” project tackles this challenge by optimizing internal workflows and improving citizen satisfaction.

How did it begin? With a commitment to open-ended results, leading to the first prototype of a check-in system:

• From the outset, input from staff at the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg training Bürgeramt as well as from citizens themselves was essential to identify both challenges and good practices in everyday administration.

• Using service design methods, the needs of citizens were analyzed, and solutions developed: a diary study and shadowing (observing staff at work and interviewing citizens on site) provided deep insights into workflows and challenges.

• It became clear that one major problem is “no-shows”: people who book appointments but do not show up. This wastes valuable resources – with each no-show costing 2–3 minutes and around 20% of appointments going unused. To address this, a check-in system prototype was developed and successfully tested.

How does the check-in system work?

Imagine the following: just like at a doctor’s office or the airport, the first step at the Bürgeramt is checking in with your appointment number. If someone fails to appear, this is registered in time, saving waiting periods and allowing the slot to be reassigned spontaneously.

During testing at the Yorkstraße Bürgeramt, data showed that the check-in system saved a total of 2,409 minutes in just five days. This demonstrates how prototyping can generate urgently needed time for new appointments and allow staff to use their time more flexibly, for example, to provide more in-depth consultations.

The system also provided insights into citizen behavior. The anonymized data made it possible to further optimize workflows and develop data-driven solutions. For instance, the test showed that citizens tend to arrive earlier than expected, which further improves efficiency.

A clear win-win: appointments are used more effectively, no-shows are minimized, citizens are served faster, satisfaction increases, and staff are relieved.

What’s next for the Bürgeramt der Zukunft?

In April 2024, the next project phase was launched at the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg training Bürgeramt: a digital checklist for documents was introduced to support citizens with appointments for registration and address changes. The goal is to better prepare citizens for their appointments and reduce cancellations.

The data collected during this phase will provide insights to further improve services and tailor them more closely to citizens’ needs. The test phase will be expanded in 2025.

In cooperation with the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg training Bürgeramt