DMV institutes customer service training

Sessions underway for staff at State's 45 Agencies

An aggressive schedule ensures all DMV employees undergo the first phase of the training by the end of the year. The comprehensive program was recommended in the Fix DMV Commission’s Final Report last week as part of Governor McGreevey’s plan to overhaul the troubled agency.

The training coincides with improvements to the DMV website this week and the introduction of legislation that will fund the Governor’s $2 billion reform package.

“DMV cannot be fixed without basic customer service training,” said Governor McGreevey. “While the DMV overhaul is a long-term effort, this training will ensure that customers will begin to notice an improvement right away.”

“Years of neglect have made shoddy customer service the norm, not the exception at most DMV agencies,” said Commissioner Fox. “This training is long overdue and only the beginning of our commitment to ongoing customer service training.”

Trainers are visiting the agencies and presenting the specially designed curriculum in shifts to all employees who interact with the public. All employees will receive Phase I training by Dec. 20 while a Phase II curriculum is being developed.

Trainers update staff on Governor McGreevey’s goals for overhauling the agency and the various technological and security improvements that will help them work more efficiently, safely and help them protect valuable documents.

To improve their customer service skills, employees are walked through a series of exercises, including role-playing, which helps them grade their current performance and improve it. Employees also learn a series of steps in how to successfully deal with unhappy or frustrated customers.

Staff from the New Jersey Human Resource Development Institute, the training arm of the Department of Personnel, developed the course and are administering it. Trainers are also surveying front-line employees for recommendations on how to improve service.

Governor McGreevey appointed Commissioner Fox to lead the commission and develop lasting and meaningful reforms to address customer service and document security concerns. Other customer service initiatives include nametags for all DMV employees, Saturday hours, creation of a new phone center to reduce wait times and expanded online DMV services.

Many of the improvements will be funded by fee increases proposed in legislation introduced Monday in the State Senate -- $8 for registration annually and $6 for driver’s licenses.

In an effort to make DMV’s website more customer-friendly, today a page of Frequently Asked Questions was added to assist online customers. The questions are the ones most frequently asked of DMV’s Phone Center staff.