(The Center Square) – Georgia Department of Driver Services Commissioner Spencer Moore is asking the state to invest money into self-service kiosks and telephone bots to address retention issues.
Moore urged the General Government Appropriations Subcommittee to consider adding nearly $1.4 million to the agency’s budget for the technological advances.
The commissioner said they could be more productive than a human employee and could come at a lower cost to the state. Over the past decade, the agency has faced low-retention rates, with an average worker employed for less than five years.
“Quite frankly, the talent and the veteran staff have moved on, and we as an agency have done as many things as we can in order to allow technology to assist us where we don’t have long-term employees,” More told the subcommittee Tuesday.
Appropriations leaders in the Georgia General Assembly must review and approve spending for the remainder of the current fiscal year and approve a budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Gov. Brian Kemp released his budget proposal Jan. 13 that included a $5,000 pay increase for workers. Moore expressed his gratitude for the proposal and is optimistic it will help with the agency’s retention issues. He said last legislative session lawmakers approved a $2,000 raise for employees who make less than $50,000, or 80% of the agency, but it did not curtail retention problems.
“Recruitment and retention is absolutely critical for our organization,” Moore said.
The Department of Driver Services provides driver’s licenses and personal identification cards to Georgians. Moore said the agency served 2.6 million customers face to face last year and 1.2 million were served online. There are 67 Driver Services centers across the state, and the agency plans to open two additional commercial driver license sites in early 2023.
Moore has recommended and the governor has proposed spending $1.26 million on 15 self-service kiosks for busiest centers across the state. He also would like to add Driver Services functions to 53 kiosks already being used by the Georgia Department of Revenue. Moore said the kiosks would be available for quick transactions such as renewals and only after a person has spoken to representatives and verified their identity.
“We want to be fast, but we want to be efficient, and, more importantly, we always want to be secure,” Moore said.
The commissioner estimated 361,000 renewal customers went to centers last year that did not need to speak to Driver Services staff. Moore said it would give staff more flexibility to assist customers who need additional help, and each kiosk costs the same as hiring a full-time employee with benefits.
“But unlike the examiner, there’s no break time. There’s no lunch. There is no sick leave usage,” Moore said. “This is an opportunity for us again to be even more efficient as an agency as we serve the citizens of Georgia.”
In addition to the annual salaries, state agencies also must bear the cost of training and offloading new hires, state agency leaders have said.
The telephone bots, which help assist the agency with its call center load, would cost the state $125,000. Kemp also has supported the recommendation to keep using the technology. Lawmakers approved $600,000 in fiscal year 2021 to implement the program last session.
Moore said about 91% of the 238,000 calls into the call center from Nov. 22 to Jan. 12 were answered by the bots. There are 19 vacancies in the call center that the bots substitute for.
Committee Chair Rep. Sam Watson, R-Moultrie, questioned Moore about public feedback about voice bots. Moore reassured the subcommittee that there had been minimal complaints about the bots and added that customers could opt to speak to a human representative if they want.
By Nyamekye Daniel | The Center Square
