The following individuals, teams and agencies have been recognized by their peers as providing customer service excellence. Congratulations on a job well done!
Region I International Award Winners
Individual International Award
Jessica Meyer, Support Services Representative, Bureau of Licensing Services, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
Jessica is the first point of contact for walk-in customers who visit the Bureau of Licensing Services counter at the Trenton Office Complex. She provides general assistance with applications as well as conducts a thorough review of supporting documents and has been a tremendous aid to those facing what is sometimes a complicated process. She goes the “extra mile” by working beyond her daily shift to ensure that those customers who sometimes seek service after closing are provided with the information and attention they need. Jessica’s complete service to BLS walk-in customers has significantly reduced the number of applications that have been rejected for missing information; thereby saving both the MVC and customer time and expense that might otherwise be incurred by mistakes in the process. Jessica’s work ethic, patience and attention to detail shows she lives up to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s vision of becoming a model of excellence.
Team International Award
Walter Read Medical Center Charity Team, Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles
Walter Reed Medical Center is the largest military treatment facility in the Department of Defense. In 2010, they will be celebrating 100 years of continuous service. “It is my pleasure and honor to service this country” was the response of most of the warriors who benefited by Delaware’s Division of Motor Vehicles charity drive. The entire Delaware DMV community worked together to raise $8,000 in three months, far exceeding their goal of $4,000, to provide military regulation backpacks filled will personal care items, games, pillows, blankets, gift cards and other such items. DMV raised enough to provide more than 40 backpacks and personally delivered them to the wounded warriors at Walter Reed Medical Center. The best moment of the day a soldier’s wife indicated that they took the bag to the room to explore the contents and “just wanted to say thanks because that was the best thing we have ever received since we have been here.” This worthwhile effort to aid the military personnel injured in combat shows the power of teamwork.
Agency International Award
District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles
The District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles “brought sexy back!” Armed with a quest to make online services “more attractive, friendlier and more sexy,” DC DMV focused on a plan to provide customers a last minute, online renewal service for expiring driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations. For the license and ID, this solution resulted in a certification that extended the expired credential for 45 days. For vehicle registration, the certification allowed a customer to renew online for up to 60 days after expiration. Customers are notified in advance of expiration of credentials by personalized emails – even including birthday wishes! Simultaneously, DC DMV launched a PSA to inform the public of the new program hoping to reduce the lines and wait times caused by last minute renewals. As a result, online renewals increased by 26 percent for vehicle registrations, 50 percent for driver’s licenses and 28 percent for renewals and duplicate credentials. Wait times in DMV offices had decreased by 5 percent in some locations to as much as 29 percent in others.
Region II International Award Winners
Individual International Award
Dee Dee Holley, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
With the current economic situation, Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles encourages staff members to look for efficiencies in their day to day operations. Dee Dee Holley did just that. She facilitated the movement of paper forms which had to be mailed or picked up by the customer to having all the forms placed on the Internet. Having the forms available via Internet has allowed customers to print the forms at their own convenience and as allowed Florida to save approximately $41,000 annually.
Team International Award
Getting It Right the First Time, Every Time Team, Correspondence Services Branch, Texas Vehicle Titles and Registration Division
The objective was clear: Find ways to improve – not just maintain – customer service in the face of a state population boom and staff reductions. Texas’ new households bring an average of almost 2 vehicles each, which has caused the state’s vehicle registrations to show a growth trend of almost 1 million additional registrations each year. The Correspondence Services Branch team took the initiative to develop and implement a plan to address the crushing number of customer inquiries – a 500 percent increase in internet inquiries and 62 percent increase in mail in the past three years – and evaluate how they could do this with a necessary government-imposed belt tightening that resulted in staff reductions. Being willing to take a good look at themselves, the team evaluated what they were doing and identify key areas for improvement. Three issues rose to the top: customers are unsure of what they need; too much government language and legalese in communication and the number of repeat questions. The Correspondence Services Branch team was empowered to solve these issues together. They attended seminars, rewrote correspondence, created FAQs, topic pages, new Web links, etc. In only one month, the team realized a 37 percent drop in emails and letters. During the calendar year, routine emails decreased by 35 percent and letters decreased by 40 percent. The Correspondence Services Branch really got it right the first time!
Agency International Award
Georgia Department of Driver Services
DDS’ mission statement is “to continuously be the most customer-focused, results driven, best managed organization by instilling values and demonstrating that “We C.A.R.E.” while ensuring public trust and safeguarding the integrity of service.” The program’s values are: Communication, Accountability, Respect, Ethics.
Georgia DDS developed the C.A.R.E. model as the path to achieve the customer service initiative. Training has been made available to every DDS team member to underscore the importance and the direction of the model and to unite all team members in the passion for both internal and external customer service. Rapid Process Improvements were put into place to reduce wait times for customers and streamline the issuance procedures. A bottom-up empowerment strategy was executed to gain knowledge from all team members, including front line examiners. Team members from every department in the agency serve on focus groups and project teams to develop improved work processes. Standard Operating Procedures were developed and are updated as changes to processes and laws are made. Senior DDS leaders each spend a minimum of two days per quarter on the front line in the service centers, working and talking to front line employees. To date, Georgia has had four DDS team members awarded the Governor’s Customer Service Award after being nominated by their fellow team members for outstanding service.
Region III International Award Winners
Individual International Award
Gary Patterman, Supervisor Mentor Coordinator, Bureau of Field Services, Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles
At least part of Gary’s responsibilities are to provide guidance and director to the training and mentoring of newly hired DMV Area Supervisors. Gary was selected to coordinate the efforts of all mentors to assure consistency and to eliminate redundant or repetitive training and efforts. Gary meets periodically with the mentors and with the new supervisors to gauge their progress and to provide training and discussion that applies to all. He services to reinforce the work done by individual mentors. He also provides feedback to new supervisors’ managers and mentors to help determine emphasis or additional focus areas. Gary has brought organization and efficiencies to the process. He began planning the program early and implemented the mentoring efforts much earlier than normal. Through his coordination and oversight, the new supervisors are performing well and at levels of accomplishments beyond what was expected. Gary has developed a network for both mentors and new supervisors filling the void felt in the past. Gary also initiated a “Supervisor Boot Camp”, a collaborative effort that brought together supervisors from two other bureaus in the Division of Motor Vehicles. The boot camp provides training and addresses issues that are common to all DMV managers. The boot camp provides efficiencies and consistency to training that was otherwise lacking. The managers of the new supervisors have provided positive feedback about the program, the results and Gary’s efforts.
Agency International Award
Kansas Division of Motor Vehicles, Johnson County Kansas Treasurer
The Motor Vehicle Payment Processing Program was implemented in 2008 and automates the payment process for motor vehicle plate renewals. The Kansas DMV collaborated with Johnson County to allow the electronic “reading” of fields on the vehicle registration application, process the payment and immediate deposit funds. The automation of payment processing has provided a more efficient and cost effective service to taxpayers. Prior to this automation, there was a massive backlog of payments which were not processed before plates expired, causing taxpayers to be in noncompliance. The cost savings amount to almost $40,000 annually on this process alone.
Region IV International Award Winners
Team International Award
Tab on Demand Team, Arizona Motor Vehicle Division
Arizona’s Tab on Demand program was designed to improve the license plate tab process. Arizona distributes approximately 3.5 million license plate tabs annually and the old, pre-printed tables were individually numbered and stapled to the registration form for customer delivery. The Tab on Demand team designed blank tabs that are embedded into the registration form and the tabs are printed “on demand” in real time when registrations are process. Customers receive one sheet of paper that has their tab and registration. The new process is saving Arizona more than $200,000 annually in materials and labor and has dramatically simplified inventory management.
Agency International Award
Utah Highway Patrol, Department of Public Safety
The Department of Public Safety launched the Utah Highway Patrol Safety Inspection online program which streamlines Utah’s motor vehicle inspection process and helps keep highways safe. The online program is a simple Web-based application to record and process PMVI information. The Inspection Module allows the technician at local safety and emission stations to enter VIN/plate and retrieve vehicle information from official records. There is a check to see if the inspection is a new one or a re-inspection. The technician is prompted to enter the results for each system test and the application applies business rules to PASS or FAIL a vehicle. The results are recorded in a central database. The database allows citizens to immediately register their vehicle online from the station saving valuable time. The automation of PMVI information has allowed Utah to increase their annual inspections to more than 1.5 million and train 11,000 inspectors. The program has been expanded to include heavy trucks and buses, motorcycles and ATVs. The DPS anticipants a significant impact to the safety of Utah’s citizens by reducing the number of vehicles being driven with mechanical defects and/or worn equipment.