Limerick-based technology firm ActionPoint, which employs almost 90 IT and software staff nationally, took home the title of ‘IT Architect of the Year’ at the Tech Excellence Awards which took place at Citywest Hotel on Thursday the 21^st of May. The winning project was undertaken on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and has to date reduced passport processing times for hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens, as well as making significant financial savings for the Irish taxpayer.

The passport renewal system was delivered by ActionPoint after an intensive user-centric design thinking process where the team worked directly with Irish citizens aged 18-80 to better understand their needs. This focus on user experience (UX) has been attributed to the rapid adoption of the system with an average uptake of 42% far outstripping the target of 30% set out in the project brief.

The system which went live in March 2017 has removed significant roadblocks in the processing of passports. Application turnaround time (at peak) has been reduced by 5 days or 42% from 12 to 7 days for adults within the state. Furthermore, the processing efficiency for online applications is now 3 times faster than the traditional paper application channel.   

Another significant result has been the 77% reduction in turnaround time for Irish diaspora abroad seeking passports. The then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan TD said the system was “one of the most significant improvements in public customer experience.

John Savage said “The passport renewals systems is nothing short of a technical marvel; to securely manage citizen’s data while delivering a highly responsive customer experience is a huge credit to the dedicated and hard-working team we team we here have at ActionPoint. The Department of Foreign Affairs also deserve huge kudos, it was their vision to totally transform customer experience in the public sector that ultimately drove the success of this project.”

Learn more about the Online Passport Renewal System, here.