The National Tax Service (NTS) is responsible for collecting taxes as the main source of national finance and providing taxpayers with tax-related information and services to facilitate tax payments.

Business Challenges

The year-end tax refund, often referred to as the "December bonus" by all employees. . Consequently, interest in the year-end settlement service has reached explosive levels. Each year, upon the service's opening, the system is inundated with access requests to check refund details, ultimately leading to system crashes. Individuals unable to use the service and receiving White Pages have lodged complaints not only with the National Tax Service's complaint desk but also with other departments within the organization.

Considering that this service serves the entire country, the IT department has considerably intensified its efforts to develop and enlarge the system. Year after year, they have implemented further expansions. However, service disruptions persist, and they are still unable to identify the precise root causes. Consequently, they continued expanding the entire system. This approach not only raises concerns regarding construction, operation, and maintenance costs but also results in inefficiency since such a large-scale system is necessary for only the 15-day year-end settlement service, leaving the remaining 350 days with excessive infrastructure.

Above all, since various services operate within the same single system, disruptions in the year-end settlement service adversely affect other services, leading to limitations in overall service accessibility. This, in turn, has affected performance evaluations, including those related to the IT department's rebuilding efforts. In light of these recurring service disruptions, the National Tax Service explored alternatives and became interested in NetFUNNEL. Following a successful proof of concept (POC), we confirmed its effectiveness and proceeded with its implementation.

How NTS exceeded expectations for +18 million taxpayers

NetFUNNEL is a virtual waiting room solution that assists in real-time management of high-volume access requests, ensuring optimal service delivery with available IT resources. It operates independently of the existing IT environment, communicating solely with users' browsers while monitoring factors such as user request volume and processing times. When issues arise, such as processing delays due to access requests exceeding resource capacity, it dynamically adjusts the rate of entry for incoming requests to enhance system stability. If there is surplus system capacity, it can increase the entry rate to ensure efficiency.

Reducing the entry rate in comparison to access requests results in a queue of users waiting for their turn. NetFunnel manages this queue by assigning each user a position in the queue, automatically granting access based on their request's order in the queue. This approach ensures fair and orderly access to services.

NetFUNNEL has been implemented for the login and query buttons of the year-end settlement service. To prevent a sudden influx of access requests from numerous users seeking the service from causing system overload, NetFUNNEL only allows access up to the system's concurrent processing capacity. Users who cannot immediately access the service are placed in a queue, and they are automatically granted access in the order they joined, ensuring a fair and orderly user experience.

During this period, users no longer face White Page errors but receive real-time information about their queue and estimated waiting time. This alteration has notably elevated user satisfaction and confidence in the service. Users who previously experienced indefinite wait times or repeated connection attempts due to service disruptions now enjoy a fair and orderly virtual waiting solution. As a result, complaints and grievances stemming from site usage anxieties and dissatisfaction have significantly declined.

The implementation of NetFUNNEL has yielded remarkable benefits, not only from a user's point of view but also for the IT team. Most notably, it has enabled the delivery of a consistently stable service even during peak traffic periods, completely avoiding downtime. This accomplishment is highly significant, showcasing the efficient utilization of existing resources, without the need for system resizing or additional expansions. It effectively handles and processes a substantial influx of access requests while upholding system stability.

NetFUNNEL extends control over individual services, ensuring that users seeking other services, such as value-added tax reporting or invoice issuance, remain unaffected by the typical high volume of access requests associated with year-end settlement services. It guarantees uninterrupted access to these services, regardless of traffic size. By managing access requests at the level of specific checkout processes, such as login and query buttons, and by monitoring WEB, WAS, and DB, operators can identify delays and define precise pathways for future performance improvements. This is yet another significant advantage that NetFUNNEL provides to the IT team.

Results

• Effective Traffic Management: We have implemented robust traffic management mechanisms to handle high volumes of concurrent users during the year-end settlement service. This ensures a stable and responsive service for all users.
• Mitigating Impact on Other Services: Our efforts in traffic management also extend to minimizing any adverse effects on other services within our system. This ensures that the reliability and performance of these services remain intact.
• Improved User Experience: Instead of displaying White Page errors, we now provide waiting room to users during peak times. This not only enhances customer satisfaction by keeping them informed but also contributes to increased trust and a reduction in customer complaints.
• Cost Savings: By optimizing our systems for efficiency and stability rather than solely relying on additional system expansion, we are able to achieve cost savings in terms of infrastructure and maintenance.

Run public services without disruptions using NetFUNNEL

NetFUNNEL is the virtual waiting room for massive online traffic. Clients can protect your service from traffic spike and ensure seamless service. NetFUNNEL enables cost savings by reducing potential expenses caused by downtime and enhance the customer service experience.

To explain our virtual waiting room solution, effectively preventing downtime caused by unexpected traffic spike, resulting in potential cost savings of up to $300,000 per hour. Successfully defending against traffic surges and ensuring smooth service even during high-demand periods. Improving user experience and enhancing brand reliability by maintaining service availability.

We're STCLab, building a VWR solution called NetFUNNEL. NetFUNNEL has provided VWR solutions to 450 enterprise clients in the South Korean market and currently holds the largest market share. Stay tuned for more information on NetFUNNEL.

‍