Yesterday I visited the office of the Department of Home Affairs in Randburg yesterday with an old lady in her 70’s after her ID was stolen.

It eventually took someone in one of the queues to help me in the right direction. There were no one in the Information Office. No seating for old people.

No directions. A Simple Flowchart on the wall explaining where to go or what procedure to follow could have helped. Staff behind counter helpful, but so busy with tasks that there is no chance for reflection and strategic thinking.

Simply too busy to stop and rethink the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic experience of the customer.

To be blunt, the photographer in the parking lot was more helpful and customer orientated.

What the Department of Home Affairs need to do is is to run a strategic workshop and retrace the customer’s experience when they come for help and assistance. Working backward, then design their systems around the experience. We all know that there is fraud and corruption in the Department, and I know why!

To facilitate the process, you have to know the ins and outs. I was offered that service in the parking lot at a cost. So what eventually happens is that it takes money to cut away red tape and speed up a process.

And to think that maybe a simple flowchart can aid the anti- corruption process!