OPINION
Effortless travel experiences courtesy tech How technology to enable seamless customer journey
BENJAMIN BOESCH C H I E F D I G I TA L O F F I C E R , V F S G L O B A L
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hen we look back at the way global mobility has evolved since the turn of the century, it appears like tales of two different eras. Once just a buzzword, digital technology is now an essential part of our lives. Our preferences are evolving fast, and we are all adopting new behaviours, becoming more agile and technology-savvy. The pandemic has even further accelerated the transformation of business models and markets. This change also applies to government services, including the visa application processing space that VFS serves. In many ways, it is different from traditional outsourced segments given its reach, paired with high standards for security and privacy. The potential of tech-enabled business models in supporting visa application operations and enhancing customer experience is enormous.
ENSURING A HOLISTIC CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Considering the uncertainty engulfing customers during the visa process, the key purpose of a digital experience is to provide assurance, and a secure and seamless submission process. This is the overarching vision that drives our digital experience offerings. Keeping technology at the core since inception, VFS Global has continuously adapted and upgraded its product portfolio. We have designed a new customer journey OCTOBER 2021
based on four key pillars – website In line with our ‘Customer First’ approach, transformation, document review, online we have also upgraded more than 1,500 payment, and convenient biometric multilingual mission websites with industryenrolment – with the main objective to leading, responsive design and incorporating enhance customer experience with insights from our global operations. Customers self-service. navigate easily with an intuitive and seamless At the core of this new customer journey experience, ensuring that important is a digital appointment booking and information is available in a structured format. submission module, allowing customers to Similarly, our scanning and document upload opt for Digital Document solutions are helping Check (DDC) or Digital decision-makers to drive Application Submission operational efficiency and A sharp focus (DAS), and Visa At Your providing convenience to on innovation, Doorstep (VAYD). While customers. We are also proud therefore, is the only DDC allows customers to to offer the fastest e-visa way to regain preupload their documents application globally, powered for pre-submission review, by a machine-learning Covid momentum in ensuring accuracy and time enabled data extraction global mobility savings, through DAS, module. Our portfolio customers can submit constantly keeps evolving, their applications with and we are already our assistance on video chat. I personally planning the next series of consider VAYD as a key milestone product launches. because it empowers our Given the potential of the customers to submit their travel sector as an economic visa applications like calling driver, seamless adoption of digital in food or groceries from the technologies by the entire ecosystem comforts of their homes. Even is pivotal. These technologies enable critical information such as frictionless solutions for health and safety biometric enrolment could be needs of travellers and provide the muchfed from the locations of their needed fillip to local businesses and economies. choice in a complete secure manner. These A sharp focus oninnovation, therefore, is the innovations have gained in relevance, given only way to regain pre-Covid momentum in the times we are in. global mobility. BTI business traveller india
