Case Study: Public Sector

Integrated ‘digital first’ solution for international visa enquiry service increases self-service

HGS’s Digital Natural Assist solution proactively delivers information at the earliest touchpoint, minimizing contacts and elevating user experience

Overview

Every year, more than 2.8 million foreign nationals apply for a visa to holiday, work, or live in the UK. When they need information on the visa application process, they visit the Gov.UK website, which is supported by a ‘Digital Natural Assist’ solution developed by HGS. The turnkey solution intelligently assesses the citizen’s enquiry and pushes relevant information, driving problem resolution even before the first point of contact! For further assistance, the website is supported by an international telephone helpline, web chat, and email powered on the back end by an intuitive knowledgebase. This means individuals around the world have high-speed access to accurate visa information via multiple channels delivered through a single digital interface.

At a glance

1m+ interactions annually
2m visits in 1 year
222 countries
24 languages
80 FTE
Self-service, email, web chat, voice

Business challenge

UK V&I’s visa enquiry service was spread across 32 disparate contact centres globally. There was no consistency in service-level expectations or in the information available to visa applicants across different countries. Additionally, lack of a consolidated reporting system made it difficult to capture information to improve processes and performance levels. HGS was tasked with transforming the service delivery through:

Encouraging digital customer engagement
Eliminating contacts through intuitive self-service
Reducing cost to serve through consolidation and digitisation of services
Improving user experience through simplifying the customer journey

The solution

Introduced predictive problem solving

HGS implemented a turnkey technical solution that predictively solves customer enquiries at the earliest touchpoint. For customers requiring further assistance, the solution offers multichannel support based on a self-funding model, allowing applicants to contact UK VI through email, web chat, or voice helplines. At the heart of this multichannel interface lies a Dynamic Natural Assist solution, underpinned by a comprehensive knowledgebase, powered by ‘contextual search.’

Consolidated and centralised services

HGS consolidated 32 disparate visa enquiry services into one centralised solution providing consistent and reliable information to applicants.

Adopted best practices

HGS connected vital program stakeholders, such as the individual Visa Application Centres and Decision Making Centres, to champion the adoption of best practices and quality benchmarks.

Provided analytics-based insights

HGS influenced decision making by UK V&I regional managers through the provision of analytics-based insights on contact drivers.

Streamlined processes

HGS streamlined the complaint management process to reduce visa turnaround times and improve outcomes for applicants.

Results

For those applicants requiring assistance beyond the web portal, HGS helped create a global support desk that is capable of providing voice assistance in 22 languages. Within a year of deployment, over 2 million applicants accessed the Gov.uk website set up by HGS and over 125,000 self-served via the portal. HGS’s provision of smart self-service not only guaranteed personalised responses to any customer enquiry but also accelerated call avoidance.

20%increase in email CSAT

19%jump in voice CSAT

Calls to the helpline decreased by 19%

Average handling time reduced by 58%

£1Min cost savings passed directly to the applicants as a result of self-service

Standardisation provided a ‘single view of the service’ and drive first contact resolution.

Global locations

USA • UK • Canada • India • Philippines • Jamaica • Australia