A new chat-bot named Miles, and other changes the California DMV is making in a pandemic

From credit card support to an online field office, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles has made a swath of changes to its customer experience in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s strike team uncovered critical problems in the department’s command structure and customer service capabilities.

Now, after working through a pandemic that closed all of its offices for more than two months, DMV Director Steve Gordon said the department has made some necessary changes.

The department’s new Virtual Field Office can now field a number of issues that previously could only be resolved during an in-person visit. Its revamped website — announced last week — features a number of changes, including a simplified layout and a chat-bot assistant named Miles.

Gordon said these efforts are aimed at streamlining the customer service process and beating down wait times — a consistent thorn in the sides of state representatives and their constituents.

“There are better ways to spend your time than going to the DMV,” he said.

Now that field offices across the state have reopened, the department is able to test the results of the changes it’s made. The first few days of reopening were a “little challenging,” Gordon said, but now that crowds have settled, wait times are down.

In the meantime, online transactions per week have roughly doubled, he said. That’s because routine business with the DMV, like replacing a lost driver license or renewing vehicle registration, can be done through the department’s Virtual Field Office — another new addition. For those who need to stop by an in-person location, the website can also help customers make sure they come prepared.

Newsom’s strike team laid out recommended changes in a 110-page report last April, as some lawmakers criticized the department for long wait times and other customer complaints.

One of the outspoken critics, Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, said this week that the department is taking steps in the right direction.

“The DMV’s job during the pandemic wasn’t easy, balancing health and safety with the public’s needs,” he said in a statement. “But new leadership also saw these challenging times as an opportunity to implement some improvements, such a redesigned website that’s more user-friendly and the creation of a virtual office. These changes have led us toward a department of the future that better serves Californians.”

Others are not yet convinced.

Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, has long criticized the department for its “outdated” technology and for a consumer experience that seems stuck in the previous century. His office gets regular calls from constituents about the troubles they face with the department, he said, and they haven’t stopped.

He said the department’s latest improvements are “long overdue,” but he’s holding his applause until the DMV can handle the surge in demand that will come once the pandemic ends.

“I think it’s too early for anyone to pat themselves on the back until the real test comes,” he said. “Can the DMV staff deal with the anomalies that are absolutely certainly going to pop up? When we get to that time, that’s going to be the real stress test. That’ll tell.”

Patterson pictures an “Amazon-like” DMV, with quick turnaround and agile technology. It’s a standard he said all Californians should expect — and one the department hasn’t yet reached. “I really want to see the improvement [be] remarkable.”

All but one DMV office has reopened as of Thursday. The one that didn’t — the San Bernardino field office in Southern California —suffered water and fire damage from protesters last week.

This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A new chat-bot named Miles, and other changes the California DMV is making in a pandemic."