SwissPass

Photo Collect is an important gathering channel for SwissPass photos. The customer-oriented upload without login and app installation, the automatic quality check, the integrated manual validation and fully automatic image adjustments offer a way to reduce the effort and costs for the end customer, the scan center and SBB and to ensure efficient processing.

Initial situation: Physical photos

Until 2016, the vast majority of photos for the SwissPass (or its predecessor products Halbtax and GA) were submitted as analog photos. After purchasing the products, customers had to visit a photo booth and send the photos printed by the machine by post. If the photos were insufficient, the customer was asked to submit a new photo by post again. The process was not only slow, but also expensive - both for the customer (photo booth) and for SBB (scanning, postage, multiple validation). Customers who did not have a printed passport photo at hand and were not near a photo booth had to allow for travel time to take a photo.

Solution: Photo upload via SMS

With Photo Collect, the photo booth is brought to the customer, using their smartphone's camera to take the photo. The sales application triggers an SMS with a personalized upload link via Photo Collect. The customer opens the link and is taken directly to the upload portal without installing an app, where they can take and upload a photo in less than a minute (median). The submitted photos are thus already digital and no longer need to be scanned. By sending an SMS, the upload link is exactly where the customer needs it: on their mobile phone.

Automatic quality check

The photo can be automatically checked for the most common errors during the upload process. The automatic quality check analyzes the photo and gives the customer real-time feedback about errors, such as an incorrect head position or wearing a hygiene mask. The quality check prevents the uploading of photos that would very likely fail during manual validation.

Image optimization and validation

The automatic background removal of Photo Collect enables the use of photos that would otherwise be rejected during validation. In addition, distracting shadows in the background are removed, which improves the image quality and recognizability. The cropping, centering and rotating of the face is fully automatic and based on passport standards. Before exporting, the photo is sharpened and provided in the required pixel size.

The final photo validation involves manually viewing and validating the photo. If the photo does not meet the requirements, a follow-up SMS can be triggered directly. The customer is informed in their respective language about the reason for the rejection and can start a new upload.

98% customer satisfaction

With a duration from SMS dispatch to upload of only eight minutes, customers react extremely quickly to receiving the SMS. The average time from opening the link to completing the upload is less than one minute. After uploading, customers are asked how they rate the upload process: 98% of customers rate the process positively. Capturing photos via smartphone is a win-win for both customers and SBB - financially, in terms of time and in terms of customer satisfaction. The photo booth in your pocket, without login and without an app - the simple upload process is well received and is an example of successful digitization.

Have we piqued your interest?

We would be happy to look at your individual case together - contact Co-Founder Nico Schefer for an initial discussion via nico.schefer@photocollect.io, phone +41 44 501 16 49 or book an appointment directly via Calendly.