We live in an era of increasingly high customer expectations, both in the private and public sectors. Indeed, customer experience is an increasing focus for governments, particularly in an area such as visas, where the visa application experience can have a profound impact on a country’s reputation, attractiveness and, ultimately, on its economic growth. In this article, we explore why governments are right to prioritise customer experience in visa services and why adopting a customer-centric approach benefits them and not just the people applying to visit their country.
Digitalisation has transformed customer experience – and expectations – over the past decade and there is no turning back. In their daily lives, customers can order goods online in one click, access AI chatbots and customer service hotlines 24/7 and get almost instantaneous answers to their questions and complaints. If they don’t, they can quickly resort to social media to express their discontent, and are doing so in increasing numbers.
Expectations are similarly high when it comes to the public sector, including visa and consular services. People applying for a visa expect a clear, transparent process, rapid decision-making and value for money. That can be difficult to ensure when legacy systems, cost constraints and the sheer volume of applications can hinder improvements. However, making the application process more customer-centric offers genuine opportunities for governments. Here are some of the reasons why:
1. A smooth visa application process helps countries to compete for visitors, investors and talent
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism represented 9.1% of the world’s GDP in 2023, and significantly more than that in many countries. International travel enables families to reconnect and brings tourists, students and businesspeople to a country, all of whom will boost consumption and investment, supporting economic growth.
Visa applicants often form their first impressions of a country based on their visa application experience. A well-managed and customer-friendly visa process enhances a nation’s image as welcoming, efficient, and progressive. Conversely, a bureaucratic, slow, or frustrating process can lead to negative perceptions, encouraging people to take their tourist money, talent and investment elsewhere.
2. A satisfied customer is likely to make multiple visa applications
Increasingly, governments are realising that a visa application is not just a ‘one-shot’, but potentially the start of a years-long customer lifecycle. A young traveller might begin with a short-stay tourist visa to a particular country before deciding to study there and applying for a student visa. That person might then be offered employment in the country, decide to stay for a few years, and perhaps ultimately apply for citizenship. Their interactions with the country’s immigration authorities could span many years, rather than the few weeks initially required for a tourist visa application. Retail and many other sectors know the value of repeat custom. Getting the initial visa experience right first time will help to ensure applicants become loyal customers over a prolonged period.
3. Customer satisfaction drives improvements and efficiencies elsewhere
Focusing on CX in the visa sector is not just a ‘nice-to-have’ that can encourage international visitors. It can also produce short-term, concrete benefits to government departments that are increasingly having to do ‘less with more’, managing an increasing number of visa applications while at the same time needing to reduce operating costs. Governments that invest in a simple, user-friendly visa process will reap the benefits elsewhere, through lower volumes of calls and complaints to contact centres, for example, or fewer errors or incomplete visa applications for their visa staff to deal with.
Governments are increasingly seeking the support of external service providers to help them manage visa processing and drive improvements. At TLScontact, we are able to bring a wealth of CX experience, developed over two decades of supporting customers through their international journeys. We can also harness the expertise of our parent company TP Group, that manages customer service for some of the world’s best-known brands. We help governments to harness customer insights to develop more customer-centric processes, assist them with more meaningful customer segmentation and create the right services for specific customer types. All of these actions can help our client countries to attract visitors and become ever more effective in the global competition for international travellers and the economic benefits they bring.
Article written by Arnaud Lefebvre,
Chief Operating Officer