Cross-sell Platform
From a single product to a cross-sell platform
One in three users who finished a passport application went on to buy an additional service from their private area.
Versus the previous monolithic version, achieved through a progressive, segmented form architecture.
Users rated the experience 89/100, citing process clarity as the primary advantage over official state sites.
New users who entered directly via TSA PreCheck without needing the initial passport pathway.
The problem
The product began as an easier way to fill in a US passport application. Users completed a simplified form on our platform, and we turned it into the official PDF. After that, the process happened offline. It worked, but the business depended on a single service, in a category where the government was a direct competitor and similar products kept appearing.
Why it mattered
Demand for related services was clear: TSA PreCheck first, then birth certificates, Social Security cards, name and address changes. The product couldn’t carry them. Its architecture and experience were built entirely around passport applications, and a user had no place to manage several services from one account.
What I did
I worked on the experience and on how the new platform and its services should be structured. I kept the simplicity of the original passport flow and added a private area where users manage, organize and track every application in one place.
The cross-sell decision
Many of the design decisions were product strategy as much as interface. Someone applying for a passport is a likely TSA PreCheck customer, and may need a birth certificate or a Social Security card too. The platform had to bring those services up at the right moment, not just support them technically.
Impact
Going from a single-service product to a multi-service platform removed entry friction and opened the door to cross-selling.
- +34% cross-selling take rate. One in three users who finished a passport application went on to buy an additional service (TSA PreCheck or birth certificate) from their private area.
- +22% form completion rate versus the previous version, from a simpler, progressive form.
- 89% CSAT. Users rated the experience 89 out of 100 and named clarity as the main advantage over official government platforms.
- +18% direct acquisition for TSA PreCheck. New users who came straight to TSA PreCheck without going through the passport flow.
Figures come from internal data.
Takeaways
Information architecture sets the ceiling for the business.
Moving from one monolithic product to a modular platform separated acquisition from retention and made room to add services without fragmenting the brand.
Cross-selling works when it follows a real need.
The services are related (passport, TSA PreCheck, birth certificate), so the job was to suggest them at the right point in the journey, not to push a sale.
Against bureaucracy, clarity wins.
The simplified form mattered, but so did the private area, which gave users control and visibility over their applications.