E-Pass: Is it Electronic Pass or Exam Pass or Entry Pass?

 Hi Everyone --

 

Hope you, family, relatives and friends are doing well.

 

In this blog, I will mention about my experience with e-pass. https://tnepass.tnega.org/   (We have a rule or system in place within TamilNadu - India, where you need to get e-pass in this system, if you would like to travel between districts within the state)

 

I am really confused whether it is electronic pass, or entry pass or exam pass!.   I really mean it, because the happiness is so much after getting the e-pass. :). You feel like, you passed exam.

 

First of all, I really want to THANK the folks behind every approval and every rejection. They have been doing good job for sure.  Also, the system (https://tnepass.tnega.org/) has improved a lot in last few weeks. It was very rough when it was launched. Thanks to the technical team as well.  The system is in place, to control corona spread and also to help the needy people.

 

However, e-pass is becoming a business as highlighted in newspapers. The actual purpose is being abused and started affecting the needy people, like me. :(.  Hence, I am sharing my experience as a resident of this state. Yes, I had good and bad experiences too.

 

In last few months, I submitted my application few times. Most of the times, it is failure or rejected without any reasons. Please see my attempts below:

 

Every time, I reached out the call center after submitting my request. Call center team had no idea about my requests, whenever I called. It is completely disconnected.

I work on Customer Experience Domain, call center products and I try to experiment this every time to get an experience. I have no comments to say, but people whoever called the call center can comment on that. Everyone in this state is a customer of this e-pass system, they have to be served better and helped on needy times.

 

I see in news articles about opposing this e-pass system.  Instead of opposing, we could suggest them to improve the system: 

 

My comments are:

 

1. Turn around this e-pass system into an easy pass system. i.e. Make it in proper Tamil so that everyone can easily fill. It is not easy to fill, not easy to understand and error messages are cryptic. Why everyone is going to browsing center or DTP center to fill?  Can't we use voice or simple local language to submit the requests?

 

2. Make it mobile friendly and paper-less.  Too much of paper work in every check-post. Currently the system is built for desktops.  Bots are the way to handle the requests 24/7.

 

3. For every submitted request, give response on-time, ask for more details and give proper response. Because only the needy people are applying. Yes, gate-keeping is required to stop abuse, however, actual purpose has to be solved. Instead of simply rejecting all requests, please help them by asking correct questions or by calling them.

 

4. Everyone says, if we know someone in collector office or in political level, we can easily get e-pass.  Government is for the people by the people. Please help each other.

 

5. If we go to "district border" or check-post, politely request the officers there, they are supporting and allowing the needy people. I really appreciate their humanity. However, we have to spend lot of time there.  Too much of paper work everywhere.

 

6. Please collect the actual feedback from every applicant so that we know the real situation. :)

 

• Let us use the system in correct ways using correct technologies, to help people. 
• Let us give healthy. happy life to everyone.  Let us give best customer experience to everyone.
• Let us help each other during this covid crisis with Humanity. :)

 

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy.