April 6, 2007 By News Report
The number of Michigan customers choosing Self-Service Stations to renew their license plate tabs has more than doubled in the second year since Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land first announced them in March 2005, confirming their popularity with motorists.
The stations, which are similar to cash machines, logged almost 30,000 transactions and $3 million in revenue in their first 12 months. Since then, the stations have become even more popular, racking up more than 75,000 transactions totaling $7.5 million in revenue in the second year. Since their inception, there have been more than 105,000 transactions and $10.6 million in revenue.
"Today's consumers expect service when it's convenient for them, not when it's convenient for state government," Land said. "Self-Service Stations offer that convenience to Michigan motorists as one more easy way to renew your license plate tabs. They're as simple as 'Scan. Pay. Go!'"
Many of the stations are accessible day and night with two already operating outside of a branch office at city halls. The added convenience of the stations also benefits branch office staff because they have more time to help customers with more complex service needs.
The stand-alone stations feature simple touch-screen instructions, dispense new license tabs in just moments and accept Discover, Visa and MasterCard branded debit and credit cards. Customers simply scan the bar code on a renewal notice with their correct name, address, vehicle information and personal identification number before paying.
Customers still can renew their tabs online, by phone or mail, or from a branch office customer service representative.
This Digital Communities white paper highlights discussions with IT officials in four counties that have adopted shared services models. Our aim was to learn about the obstacles these governments have faced when it comes to shared services and what it takes to overcome those roadblocks. We also spoke with several members of the IT industry who have thought long and hard about these issues. The paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.
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