Digital Government and the DMV
Digital
government does more than just provide information and service to the
public. It also helps to make government
agencies more efficient, empower government employees and empower the public. We
have all used digital government services at some point. Recently, as I stood in line at the Department
of Motor Vehicle (DMV), I witnessed five people be referred to the website for
online services instead of waiting in the line.
Some left, I am guessing, deciding to take advantage of the “line free”
digital government service, but others chose to wait it out. The DMV employee was empowered by the fact
that he/she could instruct the public to use the online services, therefore
reducing the strain on DMV employees and customer wait times. Those that left were empowered by the DMV
employee to save time and utilize the online services. They did not have to wait in long lines and
could process their request on their own schedule and not have to take time off
of work.
For those that stayed, previously,
I would not have thought anything of the phenomenon, but now, I thought of the
possibility of the “Digital Divide.” Did the individuals who stayed not have
access to the DMV’s digital service?
This would make utilizing the DMV office the only way to get these
public services. Until the “Digital
Divide” problem is resolved, government agencies, such as the DMV, will need to
provide brick and mortar services. Internet access is still expensive, and for
the most part so are computers, but probably the hardest issue to tackle is
lack of user experience. Some
individuals have no computer experience and/or are not tech savvy. Bridging
that gap is a difficult challenge and some individuals just do not want to
learn.
Personally, if I could have settled
my issue online, I would have done so, but alas there was no online DMV service
to assist me. So I waited and waited and
waited…..
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