2024 Winners 

International and Region 2

Georgia Department of Driver Services

Customer Service Center in a Suitcase: DDS Offers Mobile DL Issuances at Veterans Retirement Homes

Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) incorporated a mobile issuance unit into their customer service plan: a Customer Service Center in a Suitcase. The case includes a laptop, printer, backdrop, camera tripod, biometric reader, hotspot/Wi-Fi, and everything needed to process customers including taking a new photo. Customers are provided an interim/temporary license or ID the same day just as they would if they visited an in-person center and the permanent one is mailed to them in 2-4 weeks. This technology is primarily used for visiting immobile customers at their homes who are medically unable to visit a DDS Customer Service Center (CSC). DDS has served the bedridden, agoraphobic as well as customers with multiple sclerosis and chronic pain by issuing a total of 73 credentials with this mobile issuance program. Two recent visits to the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home in Augusta, Georgia, and in Milledgeville, Georgia, proved successful and inspiring, especially for the DDS veterans who met them. The DDS Mobile Issuance Team enabled two groups of veterans to receive free services without leaving their home. The Team processed 74 veterans between two separate events in July and August. It was a great event, and all service members were extremely happy to be issued a veterans ID.

Region 1

Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles

The Online Citizen Portal: Driving Convenient Service Delivery

In an era where digital transformation is pivotal, the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles has emerged as a leader in revolutionizing customer service and customer convenience. Gone are the days of interminable lines and the frustrations of outdated systems. RI DMV foresaw a future where such inconveniences were obsolete and brought this future to life with the introduction of an online customer portal. The portal heralds a new chapter in customer interaction, offering a seamless digital experience for checking license status or vehicle registration with unparalleled simplicity. Far from being just a query system, the platform meticulously maintains updated personal records, ensuring flawless communication between the DMV and residents. The portal allows customers to ensure personal information is correct and allows them to check the status and expiration dates for their licenses and registrations. The impact of this initiative is evident in quantifiable achievements such as reductions in wait times and reduced phone calls about personal records, enhanced precision in the management of personal data, and a noteworthy boost in customer satisfaction, credited to the portal's ease of use and accessibility. RI DMV's vision extends beyond the current state of affairs, with ongoing plans to incorporate more comprehensive services within the portal and throughout the agency.

Region 3

Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

Ohio BMV "Chat with Charlie" Virtual Assistant

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) administration began looking at ways to improve customer convenience by creating a chat Virtual Assistant. The main goals of the chat Virtual Assistant were assisting customers outside of normal business hours and providing comprehensive automated responses to customers with inquiries considered to be “routine” or “frequently asked.” This resulted in the BMV and application developers working in tandem to create what has now become the Chat with Charlie Virtual Assistant. The Chat with Charlie Virtual Assistant went live on May 16, 2023. The Contact Center is now able to assist more customers by phones because less agents are needed on chat, saving the BMV time and ultimately resulting in lower customer call wait times. Pre-Virtual Assistant, the Contact Center staffed approximately 15 agents to chat each day. Post-Virtual Assistant chat staffing levels average 10 agents, resulting in an additional 38 hours of available talk time each day, when fully staffed. The daily average of chats offered to an agent is down 39% after the launch of the Virtual Assistant. Average wait times for customers on the phones have drastically decreased, almost 25% when fully staffed, due to having more agents on the phones. Since inception, over 401,000 customers have utilized the Virtual Assistant, 147,000 of which were able to take advantage of this enhanced feature after normal business hours.

Region 4

California Department of Motor Vehicles

Disabled Person Parking Placard Modernization

To comply with a new legislative mandate, which required customers who held a permanent placard for six years to verify their information, the California DMV embraced the opportunity to highlight its Disabled Person Parking Placard (DPP) program as the first program to be modernized in its new platform. Implemented in two phases, the modernized process first offered a robust online option for the newly mandated DPP renewal requirement and then offered a wholly redesigned DPP system, for its customers and staff. Both phases involved significant user experience testing with development based on customer-centered design principles. Launched December 12, 2022, the first phase impacted nearly 2 million customers. To manage this significant new renewal workload, the California DMV created an online attestation and e-signature process and augmented its traditional mail-based processes. As of September 28, 2023, the California DMV processed 1,319,299 DPP renewal applications (709,626 (53.8%) mailed and 609,673 (46.2%) online). Launched August 21, 2023, phase two of the DPP modernization effort involved the implementation of a wholly redesigned DPP system. The new DPP system modernizes disabled placard issuance and replacement. The successes achieved through the new DPP program created a model for the California DMV as it continues its modernization journey to create a more efficient, customer-centric organization.