A Moment of Truth – Applying For My India Visa

11/09/2009 by admin.

I have applied for my India visa on-line and even got an appointment time for dropping off my passport and application.  This seemed very different from my last visa application a few years ago.

When I arrived at the office, I was given a number like at the cheese counter in the local supermarket, though because I had an appointment, my number was the next one out.  Within 5 minutes of parking the car, I was getting back in, because the process is so efficient.  I was given a receipt for my passport and a reference so I could check on the internet when my passport was ready for collection.  Again, brilliant.  Two days later, my passport was ready.  I had time the next morning to pop in and pick it up.  Knowing how efficient they are I knew I’d be in and out in minutes.

I arrived at 10am and was then told the collection time was from 1pm!  What?  Why wasn’t I told?  I had to get a general ticket to get a better explanation and now waited.  Finally I was seen and the lady said it says on the internet under the procedure guide.  I explained that I would have come for 1pm if I had been told when I dropped the passport off, or when I checked the screen.  I didn’t look at the ‘procedures guide’.

I was referred to the manager.  Again, another wait.  Finally he agreed to give me my passport, though he said it in such a way he was doing me a favor, which he repeated a number of times.  I’m thinking this is not my problem.

I came away disappointed by the experience and yet I said how impressed I was.  Customer service and the whole customer experience is so important to get right.  I drove to my next meeting thinking what experiences, however small, could be disappointing my customers and potential prospects.  What do I need to fix them?  It could be the smallest thing and yet it has a huge impact.  If I was told to collect my passport after 1pm, then I would have arrived at the right time and I would now be saying, the whole experience was very impressive.  As it turned out, I’m not!

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