We had a minor emergency today: family members visiting us in London lost their passports and needed urgent replacements to travel.
The online application was submitted at 12:30, and by 14:30 the replacement passports were ready for collection from the New Zealand High Commission in London.
Not emergency paper passports, but the real deal.
To go from “lost” to “replaced” within 2 hours is astounding. Furthermore, the three customer service agents were knowledgable, empathetic, available, and unreasonably helpful throughout the ordeal.
Putting on my product management hat for a moment, the New Zealand High Commission’s passport replacement process exhibited a deep understanding of their user: frustrated, upset, and worried travellers, seeking a fast, simple, and easy solution to their lost document problems.
Government organisations have a reputation for being slow and complicated, with little regard for the user. This couldn’t have been further from the truth today.
Hats off to the New Zealand High Commission.