State of Delaware Department of Public Safety

Need:

With more than 500,000 customers a year, the 300 employees of Delaware Department of Public Safety Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) faced long lines and short tempers. Verbal confrontations were common, and customer service surveys revealed that 70 percent of Delaware’s citizens rated the DMV service as poor or fair.

Solution:

Clearly the DMV employees needed some help with new service skills. DDI partnered with the DMV to provide Service Plus®, DDI’s customer service program, to the DMV employees. The goal was give employees the skills to:

  • Meet customer personal and practical needs.
  • Make customers feel valued, understood, and involved.
  • Conduct smooth interactions and handle difficult and emotionally charged situations.

In so doing, the DMV also hoped to increase employee job satisfaction.

Results:

The results speak for themselves. In one year:

  • “Good” or “Excellent” customer service ratings jumped from 26 percent to 74 percent.
  • “Fair” or “Poor” customer service ratings declined from 70 percent to 30 percent.