Customers can stay home, run errands while they wait their turn

LANSING, Mich. – Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced that more than 500,000 customers now have used the new MI-TIME Line service that allows people to make office appointments and hold a place in line using their phones or computers.

The MI-TIME Line service, launched earlier this year in 10 of the busiest Secretary of State branch offices, even calls or sends a text message when the customer is about to be called and provides a wait-time estimate. Customers who don’t have a mobile phone can come to the office, check in at a special MI-TIME Line kiosk and head out of the office to run errands while they wait.

“MI-TIME Line has revolutionized how we serve customers at our busiest offices,” Johnson said. “For the first time, customers can make appointments and get in line from home. People can run errands or get a coffee while they wait, and they’ll get a call or text when they’re about to be called up.”

The service is offered at the SUPER!Centers in Clinton Township, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Livonia and Pontiac, as well as three PLUS offices in Southfield, Taylor and Troy. The offices collectively perform about two million transactions each year.

Customer response to the new line management technology, which helps to reduce wait times, has been overwhelmingly positive. Here are a few recent survey comments from customers:

• Used my phone to get in line. What a fabulous service! The updates kept me informed and by requesting an update I knew exactly how many people were in line ahead of me. I literally walked in, found a place to stand … and heard my phone digits called.
• Thank you! New to Michigan and really liked scheduling an appointment and the text number.
• I was very impressed! Great service and it was a snap using the new system. Nice job.
• Awesome system! My wait was less than expected even though the place was PACKED. Great job MI SOS.
• I think the ability to get in line via computer/smart phone is AWESOME.
• The MI-TIME Line service was the best. Thank you for making this available and easy enough so that even the not so tech smart people can use it. A very happy customer.

To offer this cutting-edge customer-service technology, the Secretary of State’s Office partnered with United States-based QLess, whose line-management service has been successfully used by other driver and motor vehicle agencies, amusement parks, shopping malls, health care and educational facilities to reduce wait times and improve how customers experience the wait.

The MI-TIME Line milestone comes shortly after the Secretary of State’s Office celebrated another landmark – the five millionth online transaction completed since the launch of the expanded online services at www.ExpressSOS.com. As part of ExpressSOS.com, customers can use the special Print ‘N  Go service that allows customers to print off a proof of purchase for tabs to carry until their tabs arrive in the mail.