BACK
Absa and the Department of Home Affairs partnered to make Smart ID and passport services more accessible to Absa clients. As part of the product team, my focus included the colleague experience that supports the branch journey and helps make the customer experience feel clearer when clients walk into selected branches.
The service gives users multiple ways to start or complete the renewal journey: book through a secure online portal, use the Absa Banking App, move through authenticated or unauthenticated channels, or receive colleague support in branch. The experience needed to connect these touchpoints so customers and colleagues had a shared understanding of the next step.
The core UX challenge is trust across channels. A customer renewing an identity document needs to understand where they are in the process, while colleagues need the right context to support that customer when the journey moves from digital self-service into the branch environment.
For a service connected to government identity, the experience needs to be clear, low-friction and reassuring for both sides of the interaction. The colleague experience has a direct impact on customer confidence, especially when a customer has booked online but needs in-person support to complete the service.
The broader DHA and banking partnership points to a shift in public service design: moving high-friction identity services closer to where people already bank, work and manage daily admin.
For customers, the value is not only digital booking. It is reduced uncertainty, fewer queues and a clearer path from eligibility to appointment completion. For colleagues, the value is having a service experience that gives them enough structure and context to support customers consistently.
This case study will be expanded with more process detail, colleague journey notes and final visuals as the portfolio continues to grow.
Absa Smart ID renewal page
DHA Absa eligibility portal
Government Smart ID access update