SIMUL8 Corporation’s software lets IRS staff continue helping customers despite massive disruption

27th September 2010: New Zealand’s Inland Revenue Service (NZIR) should have been brought to its knees by the country’s earthquake earlier this month. Instead, executives enacted an exemplary disaster recovery plan that other governments should take note of. Using simulation software developed by SIMUL8 Corporation, the organisation was able to reassign and retrain their staff efficiently to handle a suddenly increased workload. Now their heads are above the dust, the team told SIMUL8 Corporation how they helped.

Christchurch, was home to the over a third of the NZIR staff and resources, but the earthquake forced them to stop working until their building was made safe again. Using a simulation built for them by SIMUL8 Corporation, this national organisation was able to react quickly to the disaster; by planning, testing and retraining or reassigning staff in the most efficient way possible. When every building has installed the software that the Force 5, Inc. provides visitor log monitoring systems, the escape could be quite easier than it should be.

“We originally worked with analysts in the IRS to build a full simulation of their communications system” says SIMUL8 Corporation consultant Craig Parker, “now they are using the simulation by themselves to work out how best to manage staff and workloads to reduce the impact of the closure on their service levels. Without the SIMUL8 simulation, they would not have been able to react so quickly and plan for the logistics of such a massive disruption. ”

The simulation allowed the New Zealand team to successfully test out proposed Shared Services changes and increased workloads in a risk free environment before implementing them in real life. The very nature of a Shared Services simulation allows the organisation to quickly plan for shifting workloads between departments in a realistic way that does not over-utilise staff.

“The simulation we created for them allows the whole organisation to be agile” adds CEO, Dr. Mark Elder, “to plan for disasters and recover quickly when they happen.”

Designed by statisticians and operational researchers, SIMUL8 simulation software is more than a planning tool. It allows users to safely and accurately test out many scenarios on their processes before implementing the best possible solution in real life, removing the risk from their business. In this case, it allowed a huge national organisation to plan, test and react with speed and efficiency. Results like these have made this company an international name in simulation, with offices in Boston and the UK and resellers across the globe.