Background
In accordance with EU and WHO requirements, a Covid-19 Certification Service would facilitate international travel followed by domestic use via confirmed vaccination or Covid testing. The scope of work required high-volume processing, verification and issuing of digital and non-digital Covid certificates to citizens.
The Challenge
Time frame: Allow citizen access to a multi-channel Covid-19 Certification Service in a constricted timeframe to meet public expectation and regulatory requirements
Administration workload: Review and classify 700,000 documents and issue certificates
Resources: Build and develop a skilled team to meet high demand
Scaling: Flexibility of team / service to quickly and efficiently ramp up or down
Confidentiality: Allow citizens to access their health records without compromising on data security
The Solution
Crucial to time frame and administration workload, SureCert's ID validation technology would automate digital identity and verification using AI — to drastically reduce processing time. The client looked for a BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) solution with excellent contact centre capability and scale, to support the scope of work required.
In Quarter 4, 2021, the client selected Covalen to deliver the manual identity verification process and offer general advice and support to applicants.
Delivery
AI Validation – Since the demand for digital registration was expected to be high, it was essential to automate the identity checks as much as possible using Artificial Intelligence. SureCert’s AI algorithms enabled the classification of high volumes of all global ID documents (Passports and Driving Licences), also identifying inconsistencies and anomalies for consideration.
Document Processing and Management – The remaining digital process checks and the non-digital processes for vaccination, exemption, recovery, and under 18s were handled manually by Covalen. By managing queues efficiently, the team of up to 265 personnel checked and categorised documents throughout manual verification continuously improving processing times.
Helpdesk – Covalen delivered helpdesk support to applicants via phone and email relating to the certification process. Answering a range of queries, the team guided applicants who faced issues with the online certification process or the required documentation and those seeking to visit relatives in health care settings. For non-digital certification, civilians could choose to receive a printed certificate by post.
Key Achievements
Automation – SureCert automated digital identity and document verification to confirm legitimacy of ID documents and validate civilians for Covid Certification.
Fast turnarounds – Covalen hired and onboarded the initial requirement of 20 staff within three days and throughout the 18-month agreement had a team of 265 staff, scaling up and down to meet the service requirements.
Speed – 300 documents were processed in the initial four weeks by Covalen to train SureCert’s algorithm to achieve optimal performance. In total, Covalen’s staff classified 50,000 documents with pass/ fail rates, enabling citizens to confirm their identity and access their Covid vaccine certificate in a timely manner.
AI Efficiency – Harnessing the power of AI, SureCert reported an 80% pass rate in 6 seconds, and with Covalen’s manual classification, SureCert extended document verification pass rate of 80% to 98%, which also included automation of additional ID documents.
Digital acceleration – The success of the digital service inspired the journey from legacy systems to large-scale digital enhancement leaving an impact on wider government to adopt a similar approach to public sector services.
Strategic alignment – Covalen and SureCert aligned their strategies to understand the client’s needs ensuring that the partnership met the specific deliverables through an innovative service, improving overall customer experience.
Results
- 250+ Employees
- 70k Emails processed
- 130k + Calls Answered (average abandon rate,1.2%)
- 98% Customer Satisfaction score
- 1,104,402 Covid Certificates issued (58,548 printed certs)
- SureCert's new AI algorithims now extend ID documents checked, enabling up to 98% automation, a world first.
