Mt. Lebanon, home to 34,000 residents across six square miles just outside Pittsburgh, PA, was facing an increasingly unsustainable challenge at its customer service center (CSC). The staffing issues were putting a strain on day-to-day operations. They needed a dependable way to keep services running without overloading their staff.
“Our Municipality needed a new approach to managing a central reception area, where visitors to various departments were welcomed daily, without having to relocate employees or pay for additional staff.”
Mt. Lebanon faced a staffing challenge at its front desk. It relied heavily on one dedicated employee for staffing the CSC. When that person was absent, staff from other departments had to step in, leaving their own teams short-handed. These temporary replacements were often unfamiliar with front desk duties, making the process inconsistent and inefficient. This approach led to frustration and burnout among staff.
Mt. Lebanon implemented a WelcomeWare kiosk to create a virtual front desk supported by multiple department administrators.
Now, when residents visit the customer service center, they connect directly with knowledgeable staff from the right department—without needing a physical person stationed at the desk. This setup has allowed Mt. Lebanon to:
The implementation of WelcomeWare at Mt. Lebanon included onboarding and training from WelcomeWare’s Customer Success Team, followed by a trial period. During the trial, minor adjustments were made to reduce the echo caused by the building’s acoustics at the initial kiosk location.
WelcomeWare’s team provided hands-on support, helping the staff quickly adopt the platform and assisting the municipality in resolving internal infrastructure challenges like WiFi reliability and audio quality.
“WelcomeWare is incredibly attentive to our needs, both during the implementation, and on an ongoing basis. They check in frequently to see if our requirements are being met, and if we do have a question or issue, they are handled quickly and with the utmost courtesy.
Implementing WelcomeWare has allowed us to better serve our visitors, increase efficiency and enhance security. With a simple tap on the kiosk, visitors get a quick response from an expert agent. It has also improved employee experience—staff who used to cover reception can now greet visitors directly from their desks.”
Average guest wait time
Average duration of check-in
Patient check-ins done through WelcomeWare
Operational Efficiency: Mt. Lebanon managers no longer worry about daily front desk staffing or last-minute absences. Each department continues to focus on its core responsibilities while providing timely support to front desk inquiries.
Cost Savings: By not rehiring the CSC position, Mt. Lebanon redirected resources to hire a full-time employee in the tax department.
Improved Resident Experience: Residents appreciate the quick, direct access to the right department and the personal connection retained through video interaction with familiar municipal staff.
Enhanced Security & Wayfinding: Staff can now track who enters the building and where they’re going, reducing confusion and increasing accountability.
Spooner Physical Therapy has increased employee satisfaction thanks to the flexibility of front desk staff being able to work from home. Spooner uses the remote front desk position with WelcomeWare as a promotion opportunity. When employees want more responsibility but being a lead PSC is unavailable, they now have the opportunity of being a remote PSC. Overall, WelcomeWare provides Spooner more options for promotion within their current operation.
Mt. Lebanon is considering placing additional WelcomeWare kiosks in locations like the library or other government offices. With features like document scanning and broader departmental coverage on the horizon, the municipality sees long-term value in the platform.
As Michelle noted, “WelcomeWare is different—you get a human right away. You’re not giving up service; you’re improving it!”
“WelcomeWare’s virtual kiosk has been an excellent addition to our resident service experience. Connecting residents with specific departments makes the experience more efficient. I highly recommend WelcomeWare to any company looking to integrate technology into the customer experience.”
