Applying for visas can be a pain point for many travelers. To address it, Sherpa came up with a solution for travel providers that guides their customers through the whole process. Given the fact that the success metric for such a service is application approval rates by governments, effective identity document processing was key.
The challenge was that the users submitted documents and headshots of varying quality and formats. This naturally created an extra burden for the support team, who had to review and verify everything and contact the user if there were any issues. The company was looking for an effective way to ensure that the uploaded assets were accurate and of high quality to be submitted to the immigration authorities. Also, they wanted to cut the need for manual interventions during this process to the minimum.
One of the reasons why Sherpa chose Regula Document SDK to solve this challenge was its flexible cross-platform capabilities. The fact that most solutions on the market are mobile-only was an unexpected roadblock. This might have jeopardized the whole process, since being able to deliver on any platform, including desktops, was crucial.
The final Regula-based solution was a web API integration, resulting in a microservice that automated data entry, identity document verification, and headshot quality assessment. It is now used during the travelers’ application process to analyze the uploads and provide feedback about the quality and eligibility of the documents for applying for a travel visa.
Thanks to the fact that the new solution provides feedback to users, in most cases, they now upload the correct documents on their initial attempt. As a result, orders are processed more rapidly, and the customer service team no longer needs to contact travelers for additional document submissions. This has reduced traveler frustration caused by repeated requests for document resubmission.
The increased automation success rate helped Sherpa cut operational costs by 15% per year. This allowed them to scale volume without hiring additional staff, and also freed up the operations team to focus on more strategic items.
“Without Regula, we’d likely have to grow our team size in order to keep up with scaling volume while building an in-house solution. This would create a large amount of overhead in addition to being expensive and error-prone. The cost savings by not having to go this route can be looked at as a larger team with 2-3 people needed to manage them, available 7 days a week. This easily pushes into low- to mid-six figures of additional costs,” says Andrew Dias, COO at Sherpa.
“We’re thrilled to have partnered with Sherpa, as their commitment to enhancing the travel experience aligns perfectly with our vision at Regula. Not only has Sherpa achieved remarkable cost savings, but also revolutionized how travelers navigate the often cumbersome visa application process. This success story underscores the power of technology to simplify and improve the lives of people worldwide,” says Ihar Kliashchou, Chief Technology Officer at Regula.
About Sherpa
Founded in 2015 by Max Tremaine and Ivan Sharko, sherpa° is the leading global provider of travel requirements and documentation for the travel industry. Sherpa’s vision is to provide every traveler with the information they need and the documentation they require to move confidently and securely across borders. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, sherpa° partners with the world’s leading travel providers in over 50 countries and is trusted by brands such as American Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways, Expedia, TripActions, Turkish Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air France–KLM, and Flight Centre. Sherpa° is backed by True Ventures, Narrative Fund, Relay Ventures, Globalive Capital, N49P, TSVC, Golden Ventures, Plug and Play Ventures, Stuart MacDonald, and LP Maurice.
To learn more, visit joinsherpa.com.
About Regula
With our 30+ years of experience in forensic research and the largest library of document templates in the world, we create breakthrough technologies in document and biometric verification. Our hardware and software solutions allow over 1,000 organizations and 80 border control authorities globally to provide top-notch client service without compromising safety, security, or speed.
Regula was named a Representative Vendor in the Gartner® Market Guide for Identity Proofing and Affirmation in 2022. Learn more at regulaforensics.com.
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