DAHLGREN, Va. –
Thanks in part to COVID-19 distancing and mitigation efforts, the time lost sitting idle in a waiting room may be a thing of the past – at least at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Common Access Card (CAC) Office.
First announced spring 2021, NSWCDD has adopted the use of a commercial application – QLess Mobile Queuing – which allows users to remotely monitor and adjust their place in the CAC office queue from their cellphone, tablet or computer.
What’s more, the CAC office has also reestablished a device that enables the front desk attendant to reset CAC PINs without the need for waiting in line behind customers with more complex issues.
Customers with a simple CAC PIN reset issue can be in and out of the NSWCDD CAC Office in just a few short minutes.
Those customers with issues other than a simple CAC PIN reset may now download the QLess Mobile Queuing app on their personal device and track their position in line and estimated wait time. All the while, CAC office personnel can message and update the customer directly via the app.
“It’s like a bit of grease on a good machine,” said Special Programs Branch Head Daniel Contrerasgastelum. “[The CAC office] is one of our most appreciated services and QLess is just one of those components that helps smooth things out for a better overall experience.”
At a time when the organization was looking to reduce any unnecessary direct human contact, QLess presented a unique solution to keep customers out of a waiting room. Instead, QLess users can wait in their vehicle or run errands while they wait until a customer service representative is ready to see them.
If a user were to realize they were running late for their appointment, the app also allows the user to bump themselves further down the queue to ensure their appointment is not canceled if they arrive past their designated time.
Although the QLess app was implemented with the hopes of minimizing an in-person waiting room, NSWCDD plans to continue using the app to manage lines and track appointment status after the pandemic.
Users with a prescheduled appointment at the NSWCDD CAC Office may take advantage of the QLess Application by visiting the following link on their cellphone, tablet or computers: https://kiosk.na3.qless.com/kiosk/app/home/139