In an exclusive chat with BOTT, Yummi Talwar, Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, VFS Global discusses how the company is adapting to India’s booming outbound travel market with enhanced visa services, digital innovation, and customer-centric solutions. She also highlights the role of AI and technology in streamlining the visa application process for today’s travellers.
Gunjan Sabikhi
How is VFS Global in South Asia adapting its services to meet the increasing demand for visa processing?
Outbound travel has been on the rise over the last couple of years, and our core focus has always been to make the applicant journey seamless, secure, and convenient.
We have augmented capacity at our Visa Application Centres and opened 13 Premium Application centres for UK Visa customers from Tier 2 and 3 cities.
Our Visa At Your Doorstep (VAYD) service for 19 client governments allows applicants to complete their visa process, including biometric enrolment, from their preferred location. We have also introduced Prime Time, our exclusive after-hours visa application service.
Could you elaborate on the digital innovations VFS Global has introduced to enhance customer convenience and reduce turnaround times?
We have consistently invested in technology, and innovation has been a key strength of ours. We launched a new, generative AI-powered chatbot to enhance customer support for travellers to the UK.
The AI-powered chatbot, developed internally, utilises advanced Generative AI technology to offer human-like, conversational support through both voice and text commands, providing instant, accurate, and accessible information for customers travelling to the UK.
How is VFS Global working with governments to keep pace of the changing needs of clients?
As a trusted partner to client governments, we handle the front-end administrative tasks in the visa application process. We aim to ensure that we follow the guidelines laid down by the client government in a transparent manner. Our services align with local requirements, with dedicated teams in each region collaborating with consulates and embassies to ensure compliance and implement best practices.
What advice would you give to the travel trade community to ensure smoother visa journeys?
We work closely with most of the travel associations in India. In India, travellers rely on the advice of the travel trade when planning their holidays and applying for a visa is an essential component of the travellers’ journey. We advise travellers to book in advance during peak season. Visa appointments can only be booked on www.vfsglobal.com. Finally, we have introduced a referral programme that will incentivise them to offer value-added services.
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