Cost cutting with a twist

COLUMBIA — In a time when companies are outsourcing the handling of customer calls to India or Ireland to save a buck, the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles is rerouting its calls to, well, here.

The agency began a pilot program three months ago to cut down on call costs and time and to improve the quality of the exchanges. MV Solutions Inc.'s employees have been brought into the DMV call center, working side by side with the government workers in Blythewood.

The move will cut the cost per call from $3.75 to $1.88 each and the time down from an average of 3 minutes and 26 seconds to 1 minute and 50 seconds, which in turn means that the wait time drops to less than 60 seconds for 70 percent of callers.

"We are always looking at innovative partnerships and solutions that will help us provide better services to our customers," DMV Director Marcia Adams said in a statement. "This is just one way we are exploring our options."

The agency receives 630,000 calls a year, according to DMV Communications Director Beth Parks. General calls, which account for about 137,000 of the inquiries, will be handled by MV Solutions, with the more complex calls remaining with DMV workers.

MV Solutions is a Columbia-based company.

The decision to "insource" a portion of the service was made because of a high turnover rate in the agency's call center and difficulty attracting the right employees, Parks said. The agency could not keep pace with training because of the turnover rate, and there was a high "abandon call" rate, meaning calls went unanswered, she said.

Insourcing means that MV Solutions' employees are on site, a feature that Parks said gives the DMV better management and oversight and helps alleviate concerns about whether sensitive information is protected.

The agency employs 43 people in the call center, and six more work for MV Solutions.

The pilot program is still being evaluated and no date has been set for a transition, although Adams reported at Gov. Mark Sanford's Cabinet meeting this month that the program has been a success and could be something other agencies might want to consider.

"We're very pleased with what Marcia has done, and think it's a model worth examining for every agency out there," Sanford's Press Secretary Joel Sawyer said.

"During these tough budget times, all agencies need to be looking for innovative solutions aimed at saving taxpayer dollars while maintaining customer service."

Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.