Latest / The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi / CSD Director Kim Hashiro on the new ID design and improving the customer experience for City services

Transcript

CSD Director Kim Hashiro on the new ID design and improving the customer experience for City services · The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi

• 0:15
  welcome to the One Oahu Podcast.
• 0:17
  I'm your host, Brandi Higa, and this week we're sitting down
• 0:20
  with the director for the city's Department of Customer Services,
• 0:22
  Kim Hashiro, director, thank you for making some time for it.
• 0:25
  Thank you. Thanks for having us.
• 0:27
  we've seen
• 0:27
  you on the evening news a lot lately because your department is in charge
• 0:31
  of rolling out our updated driver's licenses and state IDs here on Oahu.
• 0:36
  Can you talk about this new design and the updated features?
• 0:40
  So the reason why we did this primarily was, security features.
• 0:44
  This new card has many different, security features incorporated into it.
• 0:50
  And the first being just the the material itself.
• 0:54
  So currently, the card can separate appeals.
• 0:58
  The laminate comes apart.
• 1:00
  We've seen that many times.
• 1:02
  Customers come in for replacements,
• 1:03
  and the new cards are actually solid pieces of polycarbonate.
• 1:07
  So much more durable and built into that
• 1:10
  is laser engraving for the photo and the data.
• 1:14
  So instead of having a picture
• 1:17
  and data that's printed on on top of paper,
• 1:20
  you know, these are laser engraved types of security features
• 1:25
  that are very hard to modify or tamper with.
• 1:29
  So again, increasing, the not only the durability
• 1:33
  but also preventing any kind of modification to the card.
• 1:38
  So customers should feel very confident when they get new cards that it provides,
• 1:43
  a much higher layer of added protection.
• 1:47
  And I know that you weren't the one that made this decision, of course,
• 1:50
  but it is kind of getting hot on social media.
• 1:53
  But the actual design itself, how is that agreed upon?
• 1:56
  So each of the counties, so the four counties and the state
• 2:00
  got together over a period of time with our vendor and representatives
• 2:05
  from each of those entities worked on the card design.
• 2:09
  One of the things that we were looking for
• 2:13
  is continuity of the current rainbow design. And
• 2:17
  and that is a very iconic representation on our license plates, on our IDs.
• 2:22
  And just for the state as a whole.
• 2:24
  And so we thought, let's let's continue that tradition.
• 2:28
  But do a new spin or, you know, have a new spin on it.
• 2:32
  And that's what this group came up with.
• 2:34
  So it was over time, looking at various
• 2:38
  colors and, you know, as we explained earlier, the,
• 2:43
  the colors are not just solid blocks of color anymore.
• 2:47
  They are dots and lines and circles and different types
• 2:51
  of security techniques using to imprint that polycarbonate card.
• 2:57
  So you can't make it look identical to the current card.
• 3:01
  And I understand that some people either love it or hate it.
• 3:06
  But what we hope they look at
• 3:09
  is really the added security, the durability, that we were trying
• 3:14
  to carry over the theme that that has existed for a long time.
• 3:18
  But it is something, as Mia has said, as I have said, that people need to
• 3:22
  get used to because it doesn't look like what it used to look like.
• 3:26
  And there's no way that we could replicate the colors and the intensity.
• 3:31
  If you look at nationwide,
• 3:34
  there, there are things you can find online where you see
• 3:38
  all the cards for the different standard cards and across the board,
• 3:42
  it's really shifted towards this type of more muted color scheme.
• 3:48
  And that's due, I think, in part, largely
• 3:51
  in part to the technology of the card and putting it together.
• 3:55
  So the the previous design actually was,
• 3:59
  was it stood out and it wasn't, representing
• 4:03
  kind of the, the way that most card designs were moving towards.
• 4:07
  Yeah.
• 4:08
  And you know, another criticism of the design is folks are like,
• 4:11
  you know, well, where's the Hawaiian flag?
• 4:13
  Where are the Hawaiian Islands?
• 4:14
  And maybe we didn't do a good job in the show and tell,
• 4:16
  but those elements are actually still in the card.
• 4:19
  They are.
• 4:20
  And so actually, when we did the press conference and,
• 4:23
  use the UV lights to show where those are
• 4:27
  still incorporated into the card, it was a lot better.
• 4:32
  And I think that, you know, the public hopefully appreciated the,
• 4:37
  the time and energy and the thought that went
• 4:39
  into incorporating those features into the card.
• 4:41
  But yes, they are still there.
• 4:43
  The state still is is representative and a hologram.
• 4:47
  The state flag also,
• 4:50
  but the back also shows different kinds of, you know, the state fish
• 4:55
  and the coral reef that's supposed to represent the islands.
• 4:59
  And I think it did a really good job at that.
• 5:01
  I've had people tell me they appreciate how the back looks
• 5:04
  because it used to be plain and, but it is really intended.
• 5:09
  Some of the security features really are intended for either
• 5:13
  looking at it under a microscope or with certain kind of lighting
• 5:17
  and and that is to get through TSA quickly.
• 5:20
  We have tested these cards at TSA, and, been able to verify
• 5:26
  that all the security features are working are valid,
• 5:29
  and getting through TSA should not be a problem with these cards.
• 5:35
  They've started to roll out now since early July.
• 5:38
  And, you know, the reception has been positive
• 5:42
  because customers are coming and,
• 5:45
  they don't need to replace their cards until the expiration date.
• 5:49
  So if that is two, three, seven, eight years out into the future,
• 5:54
  their card is still valid.
• 5:55
  But if they choose, to to request a card, a duplicate with the
• 6:00
  the new card design, same data, same photo, they can do that online.
• 6:05
  It's $7.
• 6:06
  It's very it's very quick, easy process.
• 6:09
  And they will have their card delivered to them within five weeks.
• 6:13
  And and that's another benefit to this new card design being implemented
• 6:19
  is in the past with the old technology the production time was much slower.
• 6:24
  So we are looking at 6 to 8 weeks to get the plastic delivered to customers.
• 6:29
  And now we're looking at less than five weeks.
• 6:31
  And it has been all the feedback that I've gotten.
• 6:34
  My own duplicate that I requested came in three weeks.
• 6:37
  So I know that the card delivery time has definitely
• 6:42
  been shortened and and customers will be happy about that.
• 6:45
  I mean, we still want them to make an appointment
• 6:48
  and try to renew ahead of time.
• 6:51
  They can do it up to six months
• 6:52
  ahead of time and not wait till the last minute because
• 6:55
  as we have communicated to the public, it's on our website,
• 6:59
  it's in our social media post, it's on TSA website.
• 7:03
  TSA will not accept the temporary any temporary card as valid.
• 7:08
  Going through security.
• 7:09
  You need to bring some kind of backup,
• 7:12
  a passport, another type of ID, government ID,
• 7:16
  and customers can do that and get through TSA successfully.
• 7:20
  But the best thing to do, of course, would be to renew in advance
• 7:25
  and get your plastic in the mail before you travel.
• 7:29
  We do have Saturday appointments at some of our locations.
• 7:33
  We have specifically opened up on Saturdays now for deal renewals,
• 7:37
  because we know that there is a higher demand for that, and we're expecting that
• 7:42
  demand to continue through the end of next year.
• 7:46
  The the most concentrated spike is, is occurring now,
• 7:50
  and it'll continue through the end of this calendar year.
• 7:53
  But we're actually, projecting this increase through the end of next year.
• 7:58
  In 2028, it should drop down.
• 8:01
  But this is why we are doing as much online as we can.
• 8:05
  We have permit tests online.
• 8:07
  And we actually just announced that permit tests were scaling
• 8:11
  back on the in-office permit test appointments,
• 8:14
  because we're using that time for renewals.
• 8:17
  That's where the demand is.
• 8:18
  And so we're shifting our services based on need.
• 8:22
  And that way we can provide the best service possible.
• 8:26
  And so there's going to be more and more that we're going to work
• 8:29
  towards in terms of online services.
• 8:32
  One of the questions that I've gotten is online renewals.
• 8:36
  So yes, we've been authorized.
• 8:38
  The counties have been authorized to do online renewals or offer
• 8:42
  online renewals since last year, but it has not.
• 8:45
  It's not available yet.
• 8:47
  DIT is actually working on working on it for us,
• 8:51
  and we hope to announce that sometime next year.
• 8:54
  But that would be another type of service that can be done online.
• 8:58
  And I know that you've gotten a bunch of these questions lately,
• 9:01
  and sorry to keep harping on this, but that design, there's also micro text.
• 9:06
  And for those who aren't familiar, this is almost like, you know,
• 9:09
  when folks are like, well, you didn't keep it, you know, Hawaii enough.
• 9:13
  There's not enough Hawaiian culture.
• 9:14
  It's actually more than the previous ID had.
• 9:17
  And so if you can explain the micro text that's included in this new update.
• 9:21
  So some of our pictures that that we've been able to post
• 9:25
  and share with the public show that there's very, very small microscopic
• 9:29
  micro text is actually, conveying,
• 9:34
  Hawaiian words and Hawaiian culture in the design.
• 9:39
  And so for every county that's represented, we have text
• 9:43
  that represents each county in Hawaiian, in the Hawaiian language,
• 9:48
  it is very difficult to see with the naked eye, but under a microscope
• 9:53
  or even a magnifying glass, you're able to see it.
• 9:56
  And so that that was very deliberate.
• 9:58
  We wanted to incorporate that.
• 10:00
  And, and also I think to show it's a statewide card design.
• 10:04
  So it's identical throughout the counties,
• 10:06
  but the counties are much more represented now with the county CEOs.
• 10:10
  You know, the, the language that represents each county.
• 10:15
  And that was important to this group.
• 10:18
  That is what makes the card special.
• 10:20
  And, we're we're glad that it's being shared
• 10:24
  through, media and through, our own communications.
• 10:29
  It's something that we're proud of and this group was proud of.
• 10:32
  So while yes, I did, go to Poland and have to go through a process
• 10:38
  in Minnesota, to approve a card, the design itself
• 10:42
  was a very collaborative effort amongst all counties and, and the state.
• 10:48
  So it is it is good that you're asking about that
• 10:51
  because the the public should know that that is what happened.
• 10:55
  Yeah.
• 10:55
  I mean I it it's hard because I know
• 10:56
  that you did a press conference mayor did a press conference.
• 10:59
  And so it seems as if Oahu made this decision.
• 11:03
  But like you said, it's a statewide card.
• 11:05
  There was a group of people from each county.
• 11:07
  He talk about the process, like who was asked to give input.
• 11:11
  You know, the the public have a say.
• 11:13
  How did that process work?
• 11:14
  So it was administrative.
• 11:17
  It was not a public process because we had to stick
• 11:20
  to a very specific and, and, condensed timeframe.
• 11:25
  So what occurred last year?
• 11:27
  And the design is just part of our bigger upgrade project.
• 11:32
  So, when I came to the back to the city in 2021, one of the biggest concerns
• 11:37
  was the hardware and the software that is used to generate these cards.
• 11:42
  And that technology is from
• 11:45
  2009, and it's very old.
• 11:49
  And so we knew that we needed to upgrade the system.
• 11:52
  Well, we had to go through a contract administration process.
• 11:56
  Honolulu is the contract administrator for this contract.
• 11:59
  Although it's statewide.
• 12:00
  And each of the counties then participate in this statewide offered contract.
• 12:06
  But, there was a lot that went into,
• 12:10
  laying out and controlling the outcome
• 12:14
  because it was part of this larger timeline and time frame.
• 12:19
  For a card upgrade.
• 12:20
  And if I can talk a little bit about that, because it's not something that,
• 12:24
  the public is probably very aware of at this point, but we will be sharing more.
• 12:29
  I'm hoping to do it in the very near future.
• 12:33
  Certainly.
• 12:34
  Hopefully by the end of this year where we go live with our new upgraded system.
• 12:39
  So that means the customer experience at our location statewide is going to change.
• 12:44
  So right now there are processing windows and there are photo windows.
• 12:49
  And so at couple for example, we have ten
• 12:52
  processing windows and two photo windows.
• 12:55
  That's going to change where each window becomes a full service start to finish
• 13:00
  processing window including photo signature and fingerprint.
• 13:04
  So that means customers don't have to stand in multiple lines anymore.
• 13:08
  They will be able to do everything at one window with one clerk servicing them,
• 13:14
  and there'll be no questions as far as am I done or, you know, do
• 13:17
  I have to go somewhere else?
• 13:19
  Because that brings some, confusion customers right now.
• 13:23
  So we're also increasing our capacity tremendously when we do that,
• 13:27
  because right now all those processing windows channel down into two photo
• 13:32
  windows, and that's where you can now have an additional weight.
• 13:36
  So this way, right.
• 13:38
  We're doing everything at this one window.
• 13:40
  There's two things that customers, will hopefully, really appreciate.
• 13:45
  So right now the photo is manually taken cropped brightened.
• 13:51
  The background has to be a certain blue background.
• 13:55
  So there's a lot that goes into generating this this photo.
• 13:59
  With the new system it'll be one click.
• 14:02
  And so it doesn't matter.
• 14:03
  This is why we can now expand to all of our windows,
• 14:06
  where it doesn't matter what is behind, because the technology can remove
• 14:11
  those kinds of, items in the background and it will crop,
• 14:17
  brighten, center the photo
• 14:20
  for us instead of us manually doing it.
• 14:24
  The other thing is all the documents that you bring with you to an appointment,
• 14:28
  we're still going to have to scan those for real ID, but what's going to happen
• 14:32
  is the system is going to do a first pass at identifying.
• 14:36
  Is this a birth certificate? Is this a passport?
• 14:39
  Is this a, a bank statement.
• 14:42
  And so that with, the employee is actually verifying
• 14:46
  that information can override if it needs to, needs that.
• 14:50
  But that's going to save time also because now they're not right now
• 14:55
  they manually have to identify each document.
• 14:58
  So, looking forward to those kinds of technology improvements
• 15:02
  and, and ways to streamline the customer's experience
• 15:06
  so that the goal I know for every customer that comes into one of our locations
• 15:11
  is they want to be serviced
• 15:12
  quickly, professionally with courtesy, and then they want to leave.
• 15:16
  that's our goal.
• 15:17
  And this system is going to enable us to to provide better service in that manner.
• 15:23
  I want to go back to something you mentioned, you know, all these upgrades.
• 15:27
  That's not what people are complaining about.
• 15:28
  I think it's great that, you know,
• 15:30
  when you hear, okay, this is more secure, this is, you know, less chances of fraud.
• 15:33
  What are the rates that we were seeing when it comes to things
• 15:37
  like ID fraud or, you know, even creating a duplicate state ID?
• 15:41
  And is it more something that we saw or something we were anticipating?
• 15:45
  Because I know that you folks have eyes on that as well.
• 15:47
  So it's something that we know exists that has been out there.
• 15:51
  It's it's available especially online.
• 15:54
  We obviously want to do our part to try to prevent it as much as possible.
• 15:59
  And, and this card enables us to do this.
• 16:02
  The, the type of design elements that go into this card and the type of the
• 16:07
  multiple types of security features makes it much more difficult to duplicate,
• 16:14
  you know, duplicate or replicate or tamper with this, this type of card.
• 16:19
  It doesn't mean that eventually someone's, you know,
• 16:22
  not going to be able to to generate a fraudulent card.
• 16:27
  But it's going to make it a lot more difficult.
• 16:30
  I mean, the investment that they would need to to put into
• 16:33
  this is going to create a lot more cost and and effort.
• 16:39
  Right now, you could duplicate our cards
• 16:43
  with our home printer and with a computer.
• 16:46
  And so that is something the technology at that time.
• 16:50
  And we do have security features built into the card and applied
• 16:53
  to the card, the current card or the old card.
• 16:56
  But this new card just elevates that to the next level.
• 17:01
  So, we're hoping that it definitely deters
• 17:05
  any, any of that from increasing.
• 17:08
  Yeah, but but there's no way to completely prevent it.
• 17:11
  We're just doing our part to try to make it more difficult
• 17:16
  and make the card in the most secure as possible.
• 17:20
  Yeah.
• 17:21
  And so, you know, as you go through all of these elements, it's super impressive
• 17:24
  the things that you were able to do, you know, in the first update.
• 17:28
  And what is it, 17 years or whatever it is.
• 17:30
  But for those around you, you know, your friends, your family, people online,
• 17:34
  how do you respond to, you know, these questions about, wait, what?
• 17:38
  Why did you guys make the picture of black and white?
• 17:39
  Or why does it look like, you know, a child colored it with a rainbow?
• 17:42
  Because I'm sure that your even
• 17:43
  your friends ask you might they know that you know this is an upgrade?
• 17:47
  right. So my kids are in their 20s.
• 17:50
  Everything that they learn or, you know, how they communicate
• 17:53
  is online through social media.
• 17:55
  They tell me they don't watch the news.
• 17:58
  They they learn things through social media.
• 18:00
  So worse. Yeah.
• 18:01
  So that is that is what they rely on.
• 18:04
  And so, what I've explained to them is that if you think about for those
• 18:09
  that they get to travel internationally and you look at your passport,
• 18:14
  I think everyone views on passport as, just a government identification,
• 18:19
  something necessary and secure to travel internationally.
• 18:23
  You look at that picture.
• 18:25
  That picture is in black and white.
• 18:27
  It's also laser engraved.
• 18:29
  You can't even smile, right?
• 18:31
  For us, we will continue to allow customers to smile in their pictures.
• 18:36
  But, What what I ask and what I explain to my
• 18:40
  my family friends is that it's a government ID.
• 18:43
  This is not, intended to represent
• 18:47
  something like a family photo or Christmas card.
• 18:50
  Right?
• 18:50
  It is a government idea.
• 18:51
  And so we're trying to make that as secure as possible.
• 18:54
  So the black and white photo is the way that technology has moved
• 18:59
  and that government IDs have moved in that direction.
• 19:02
  There are a number of other states that have implemented this.
• 19:06
  The passport has been like that for some time now, and it is a way that
• 19:11
  we can, securely capture someone's photo and then make it very difficult.
• 19:17
  No, you'd have to break the card to change the photo
• 19:20
  or to modify the photo, and then you destroy the card that way.
• 19:24
  Same thing with the data.
• 19:25
  So like a birth date, to change the birth date, right.
• 19:28
  You'd have to actually break the card to be able to modify that.
• 19:32
  So it is something that, that I have shared with everyone that,
• 19:36
  that, that technology and those advancements
• 19:40
  are what we focused on and what's important.
• 19:43
  I understand that some people really don't like the design
• 19:47
  and and the technology that creates the colors.
• 19:50
  As I mentioned earlier,
• 19:51
  we can't replicate the the old card, but this is us moving forward.
• 19:56
  This is us advancing into a new type of environment
• 20:01
  where this is what the public should expect of the city.
• 20:04
  This is something that the Department of Customer Services is very committed to.
• 20:08
  We know that there are manual processes that we need to address and replace.
• 20:14
  And with the help of Brian McKee and the Department of of it
• 20:19
  for the city, we're able to do that now.
• 20:22
  And so the public should be, should welcome
• 20:26
  any kind of new advancement
• 20:29
  or new service that we offer, be it online, be it new technology,
• 20:34
  you know, expedited way of doing a manual of formerly manual process.
• 20:40
  I'm trying to really embrace, moving towards
• 20:44
  a paperless, even cashless kind of environment.
• 20:48
  And, and even mail getting away from mail because there should be electronic ways
• 20:54
  of doing the same type of process and not inconveniencing the public,
• 20:59
  but just a different way of doing it.
• 21:01
  So, we've strived to do things
• 21:04
  like for, we're in the middle of real property
• 21:07
  tax collections right now at our satellite city halls.
• 21:10
  This is a big time for us.
• 21:12
  We do it twice a year, January to February and July to August.
• 21:17
  And one of the changes
• 21:18
  that we introduced this past January was adding credit card payments.
• 21:23
  We had only been doing cash and check for a long time,
• 21:26
  and so we added credit cards and it was well-received.
• 21:30
  I think customers realized that their points,
• 21:33
  their miles, or whatever benefits they're getting from their credit cards,
• 21:37
  they can now apply to their real property tax payments.
• 21:40
  And what that was all, lined up to do was this July,
• 21:44
  we stopped cash payments because crazy in 2026 in July.
• 21:48
  Yeah, it was when this changes it. Yes. Yes.
• 21:50
  And so cash payments is it's not a safe way to pay for large amounts
• 21:56
  even though where my checkbook is, if I had to write a check. Yes.
• 21:59
  Because you probably just tap with your phone for almost everything.
• 22:02
  Yeah.
• 22:03
  So we're trying to get to that place, and, we, we understand
• 22:07
  we did a really good job
• 22:08
  of trying to communicate this multiple times to the public.
• 22:12
  We still had experiences of customers coming to some of our locations and going,
• 22:17
  why can't I cash?
• 22:19
  And so we explained to them, you know, why we're making this change.
• 22:22
  This is beneficial from a security standpoint also, right,
• 22:26
  that our locations are not handling large amounts of cash,
• 22:30
  that we don't have to have large change funds.
• 22:33
  We're still providing convenience.
• 22:35
  So if customers don't want to, use their credit card, get their miles
• 22:40
  or their or their points, because there is a credit card
• 22:43
  fee that the banks charge that the city needs to charge.
• 22:46
  And then we pass that back to, to the financial institutions.
• 22:51
  But you know, they could still pay by check.
• 22:55
  And so we have had customers, either choose or opt to use a credit card
• 23:01
  or they have, if they forgot their checkbook,
• 23:04
  they go home and they get a check and they come back.
• 23:05
  So that's one of the things
• 23:07
  about a satellite city hall is that we have nine across the islands.
• 23:11
  Ten if you include Joint Base Pearl Harbor.
• 23:14
  So we're trying to make it as convenient as possible to do transactions.
• 23:19
  And, what this affords now is convenience.
• 23:22
  So if you have to go home and get something because you're
• 23:25
  missing a document or you need to pay another way, you can do that.
• 23:29
  And it's not a huge inconvenience.
• 23:32
  What other bill payments
• 23:33
  can be taken care of by your department just for those who aren't familiar?
• 23:36
  So they, you know, and where do they go to?
• 23:38
  They go to a satellite city hall. Do they have to come here?
• 23:40
  So satellite city halls,
• 23:43
  we offer at all of our locations, paying your water bill, paying your sewer
• 23:49
  bill, as as well as the real property tax payments that I mentioned.
• 23:54
  You can also get a hall of card, at our satellite city halls,
• 23:59
  you can obtain information about different kinds of citywide services.
• 24:04
  So not only do we have forms and,
• 24:08
  we play videos actually in our locations to educate the public
• 24:12
  while they're waiting.
• 24:13
  If they're waiting, what else can be offered?
• 24:17
  a lot of what customers come to our satellite city is those kinds
• 24:20
  of, you know, monthly types of payments, water bills, sewer,
• 24:24
  and then the, the twice a year, real property tax payment.
• 24:28
  I did want to mention, too, that for cash payments, the, the BFS
• 24:32
  treasury office downstairs at Honolulu still accepts cash,
• 24:36
  but they are set up for that.
• 24:38
  I mean, it is a very secure cashier's office, and so,
• 24:42
  they have been accepting cash payments all this time,
• 24:45
  and they continue to do that.
• 24:46
  So for customers who continue to want to be in cash, that is still an option.
• 24:51
  On getting back to the satellite.
• 24:53
  You know, we're always looking for ways
• 24:57
  to expand and increase convenience to the public.
• 25:00
  So if you're a few years ago, we started offering
• 25:03
  passport, intake processing.
• 25:06
  So that was something.
• 25:08
  At that time, it was very difficult to get a passport intake appointment
• 25:13
  at either a post office or a library.
• 25:17
  And so we were approached by the federal government to offer that service.
• 25:22
  And even though it's not a city service, we know that most customers, they can't
• 25:26
  they don't differentiate
• 25:27
  between federal, state and county level, government services.
• 25:30
  So we were able to open up our first, our Olive Monroe
• 25:35
  and then, Kapolei and Wahiawa locations to do this.
• 25:41
  So by appointment,
• 25:42
  customers can come in and they can do their, their new passports.
• 25:46
  Time to. Yes.
• 25:47
  So renewal is still done through the mail.
• 25:49
  I think the Federal Passport Office is working towards,
• 25:53
  you know, other technologies to, to renew.
• 25:57
  But right now that's that's the process.
• 25:59
  But for new, passports. Yes.
• 26:03
  Customers can come in.
• 26:04
  And it's been very, very popular, especially at Ala moana and Kapolei.
• 26:09
  Those are our busiest locations.
• 26:11
  And we, we, have appointments through Aloha queue, the same system
• 26:16
  that we ask our customers to make either their driver's license renewal.
• 26:20
  We have four locations for driver's license renewal
• 26:23
  or at any of our satellite city halls for motor vehicle types transaction.
• 26:28
  So, motor vehicle renewal is something that,
• 26:32
  customers do all the time at our locations.
• 26:36
  One of the things that we're really trying to get the word out is when you buy
• 26:40
  or sell a vehicle, the safest way to do it is to make an appointment
• 26:44
  at one of our satellites, and buyers and sellers should come down together,
• 26:48
  especially if you don't know each other and you're now,
• 26:51
  you know, changing hands with money and with documents for ownership,
• 26:56
  legal ownership of that vehicle, just get it done all on time.
• 27:00
  Not only will the seller feel reassured that title has now transferred
• 27:05
  and registration is transferred to the buyer,
• 27:08
  but the buyer can feel very confident because we will lock up
• 27:12
  if there are any outstanding taxes and fees that are have not been paid
• 27:18
  on the vehicle, and all of that will need to be, cleared before the transaction.
• 27:23
  Change in ownership or transfer of ownership can occur.
• 27:27
  So we've been we've been promoting this now for a number of years,
• 27:31
  but we still have situations where people will buy cars,
• 27:35
  buy and sell cars from strangers, and then they will run into issues.
• 27:39
  So we really hope that the public is, concerned about their own safety
• 27:46
  and, accountability for the transactions and coming to our satellites.
• 27:51
  We welcome that.
• 27:52
  We have a lot of information on our website,
• 27:55
  as well as videos that customers can watch.
• 27:58
  If you're the buyer or the seller,
• 28:00
  you can watch a video you didn't even have to read.
• 28:03
  And we'll tell you what you need to do.
• 28:05
  And the safest way to complete a transaction like that
• 28:09
  on also in for us, because, you know, you're the head that was the crown
• 28:13
  for this department that handles, you know, these new driver's licenses
• 28:16
  and Saturdays that have been getting a lot of heat, property tax payments.
• 28:20
  You don't work for BFS. That's a different department.
• 28:22
  You take care of the payments, water bills.
• 28:24
  You don't work for the board of water supply, but you take care of those bills.
• 28:27
  Feral chickens, dog, cat and spay neuter program, personalized license plates.
• 28:32
  I mean, it's and people don't understand you.
• 28:35
  The customer services is kind of
• 28:36
  the umbrella that takes care of a lot of the other departments in the city.
• 28:40
  So for you personally, how do you find center the other day?
• 28:44
  How do you you know, because you're
• 28:45
  you get a lot of complaints and people don't even realize it.
• 28:48
  It's not even under your kuleana, but you you know, you handle it for the city.
• 28:52
  Right?
• 28:53
  So one of the groups that we have in our public communications
• 28:56
  division is we do citywide, response to complaints and inquiries.
• 29:01
  And we have a call center group that has expanded.
• 29:06
  They used to be just three people.
• 29:08
  They've expanded to eight because we have now, incorporated
• 29:13
  DMV calls and inquiries into this call center
• 29:17
  in addition to citywide complaints, inquiries and concerns.
• 29:21
  But this group is amazing.
• 29:23
  So what they do is they have learned so much about the city and citywide
• 29:28
  services.
• 29:29
  They're able to answer a lot of general information to the public,
• 29:34
  at, at that initial contact, if it becomes more specific,
• 29:39
  then we actually generate a law element, which is the same thing as the 311 up
• 29:44
  and it goes to the responsible respective department to to answer.
• 29:50
  But this group actually makes me feel so much better because they,
• 29:56
  they are an excellent representation
• 29:59
  for the city and for customer services.
• 30:03
  In addition to that, that's the human side of it, right?
• 30:07
  But what also helps is that we have now
• 30:11
  really built solid,
• 30:14
  reliance on AI and on technology
• 30:17
  so that we still get 600 to 800 calls a day, a day, a day.
• 30:22
  And when those calls come in, they are all now answered
• 30:25
  by a voice activated system.
• 30:29
  This system, it's been set up and
• 30:32
  and tested and programed
• 30:35
  and trained essentially to scour our website for information
• 30:40
  and then in a voice response, respond to a customer.
• 30:44
  And customers should be used to this because if you call an airline.
• 30:47
  Yeah a bank. Yeah, yeah.
• 30:49
  And you're not getting a human being, you know, at first contact.
• 30:54
  So we, we've done the same.
• 30:55
  And we, we actually got a lot of positive
• 30:59
  feedback and, and the way we design it is not a lot.
• 31:03
  Complaints about switching to the system.
• 31:06
  But what happens is, after an attempt to use our AI system,
• 31:09
  if a customer is not answered or not satisfied,
• 31:13
  they are able to escalate to a live agent quickly.
• 31:17
  And so we just ask them to please work with us
• 31:20
  and utilize this system first for basic information.
• 31:23
  Because a lot of our calls are basic.
• 31:26
  It's, you know, what do I need to bring for my appointment?
• 31:29
  How do I make an appointment?
• 31:31
  Where are your locations?
• 31:33
  Things like that.
• 31:34
  And the system can actually easily answer those questions
• 31:37
  when it escalates to one of our customer service representatives.
• 31:41
  So, I mean, they are very trained
• 31:44
  and very knowledgeable in terms of being able to help and respond.
• 31:48
  And if they don't have the the information, like I said,
• 31:53
  not only will they escalate or, send a request to another department,
• 31:57
  but it occurs internally within our own department too.
• 32:01
  And so the right person is responding to the customer.
• 32:05
  And, you know, we we really try hard to stay on top of the turnaround time
• 32:10
  so that customers are not waiting for information.
• 32:12
  I mean, hopefully with that first call they get their information,
• 32:15
  but if not, you know, very soon after that.
• 32:19
  And so that kind of process,
• 32:21
  the the employees in our department, we have about 300 employees.
• 32:25
  And the technology that we can rely on is what makes,
• 32:28
  being able to manage a department like ours,
• 32:32
  which is very public facing, very diverse, gets a lot of complaints.
• 32:37
  As you mentioned.
• 32:38
  Very, very manageable.
• 32:40
  I'm not saying it's easy.
• 32:42
  It's not easy.
• 32:43
  But, you know,
• 32:44
  I feel like we're at a good place now and that the, the public has seen
• 32:49
  and will continue to see the improvements that we are working on
• 32:52
  even during this spike, where it is taking longer to get an appointment,
• 32:57
  we are still doing, at our driver's license locations at 415 every day.
• 33:02
  We do.
• 33:02
  We release next day appointments wherever possible.
• 33:06
  So and customers know this.
• 33:07
  We still also take walk in customers,
• 33:10
  so it's going to likely result in a longer wait time.
• 33:14
  That's why we always encourage appointments wherever possible.
• 33:17
  But if someone can't can't do it, then they can come in and be placed,
• 33:22
  asked to be placed on our standby list and we do everything we can.
• 33:26
  I've never heard of a day that goes by
• 33:30
  where our locations have to turn away customers.
• 33:33
  Not for that, not for waiting for service.
• 33:35
  If they don't have the right documents or, you know, there's something else
• 33:39
  that's missing us, then we're not going to be able to complete, their transaction.
• 33:43
  They will have to come back.
• 33:44
  But as far as just capacity, we do everything possible
• 33:48
  to make sure that the customer experience is still very positive.
• 33:54
  And, you know, we don't want it to be something that customers dread.
• 33:59
  So, shifting things online like I mentioned.
• 34:02
  So the duplicates for this new card design, that needs to be done online
• 34:07
  because that is something that we do offer online and customers can do online.
• 34:12
  Other things can't be done online.
• 34:14
  And so that's what we want to reserve our appointment times for.
• 34:18
  And we hope that we communicate that clearly to the public.
• 34:23
  And they understand why we make these shifts in
• 34:26
  in our scheduling, in the services that we offer.
• 34:29
  But, we also try to work very closely
• 34:32
  with, our fellow city departments.
• 34:35
  And whenever they reach out and ask for, can you help us with this?
• 34:38
  Can you, you know, do these things the last couple of years now for,
• 34:43
  during the holiday season, we've done these, so these special holiday cards
• 34:47
  because we're trying to increase ridership, right.
• 34:50
  And support DTS and, Skyline and Hart in that effort.
• 34:55
  So, we do things like that and very
• 34:58
  I can't think of a situation where we've said, no, we can't help.
• 35:02
  So we always try to accommodate, our staff is very, very focused in
• 35:07
  that way that they know that that is the, the basic value for our department.
• 35:13
  And they're always willing to help us with that.
• 35:16
  I'm amazed.
• 35:17
  I am truly amazed.
• 35:19
  We have some employees in our department,
• 35:22
  that have been with us 30 plus years working in our department
• 35:28
  in a specific area.
• 35:30
  We have some very new employees also,
• 35:33
  but we're trying to make the even working in customer services
• 35:38
  a very positive, supported type of experience.
• 35:44
  But it's not easy and it's not something that just anyone can do.
• 35:49
  So we're also trying to support our employees in that way by doing reorg
• 35:53
  and reclassifying and and trying to represent
• 35:57
  and compensate them from a appropriate classification and compensation
• 36:01
  standpoint for the work that they do and the complexity of the work that they do.
• 36:05
  Because it is not just simple transactions, it actually takes a very
• 36:11
  in-depth knowledge of federal, state and county rules and regulations,
• 36:17
  comprehension of that, and being able to apply it in a transaction.
• 36:21
  And you do all of this with the customer standing right in front of us.
• 36:24
  Our service element here. Yes.
• 36:25
  And so they're frustrated and they're frustrated.
• 36:28
  They want to get out there and so,
• 36:30
  you know, it is not something that is easy to do.
• 36:32
  I give our employees a lot of credit.
• 36:34
  And yet whenever we go out to visit our locations,
• 36:38
  get a lot of, constructive, you know, feedback.
• 36:42
  But at the same time, they're, they're I'm seeing a turn that there's
• 36:47
  a lot of appreciation for what is happening
• 36:50
  and the changes that are occurring, because I know our employees
• 36:53
  do not want to continue to work in a very manual, slow manner.
• 36:58
  They they want to embrace the changes that are coming.
• 37:03
  And so it's, it's our job to really support that.
• 37:06
  And, and that's what we're doing.
• 37:08
  So but yeah.
• 37:10
  So it is back to your original question.
• 37:12
  I mean this is definitely
• 37:14
  a very demanding, challenging job, but also very rewarding.
• 37:19
  And I look at it as the next few years, you know, through Mayor Blangiardi
• 37:24
  end of term, we are just going to continue to,
• 37:28
  work as, as hard and as quickly
• 37:31
  as we can to improve service and to improve
• 37:35
  the work experience for our employees so that we can retain them.
• 37:38
  Also, there's a lot of time and energy that goes into recruitment.
• 37:42
  And so we are investing also in retention because we want to keep them.
• 37:46
  Yeah. Well said.
• 37:48
  Well director is there anything that we missed
• 37:50
  I think the one thing that I just really like the,
• 37:56
  the public to take to heart is that for the services
• 38:01
  that customer services provides, when we ask for cooperation.
• 38:07
  So for example, make an appointment on a local queue, it'll save you time.
• 38:13
  You don't need us to manage our, our workload.
• 38:16
  The best we can.
• 38:18
  We have information on not only our website.
• 38:21
  We push it out through social media, through, you know, traditional media
• 38:25
  outlets.
• 38:26
  We have information all over the place, with posters.
• 38:31
  So, for example, road tests.
• 38:33
  I would really like to have
• 38:36
  the road test experience be much more, streamlined,
• 38:42
  where when we say that you need your registration, your insurance and your
• 38:46
  certificate for your safety check, not just your emblem on your car,
• 38:51
  but the certificate that you get from the safety inspection station,
• 38:54
  those three pieces of information you must have with you,
• 38:57
  as well as a licensed driver with a license,
• 39:00
  and that will make your road test experience much more streamlined.
• 39:04
  I still get feedback from our staff that customers come unprepared
• 39:09
  and they don't have all the documents that they need,
• 39:11
  and so we're doing everything possible to reinforce.
• 39:15
  We have checklists, we have brochures, we have information that is readily
• 39:19
  available, in multiple locations so that when they come,
• 39:24
  we can service them as quickly as possible because they have all their documents.
• 39:28
  And that can be said for a motor vehicle transaction, a driver's license renewal.
• 39:33
  But, if if we can just get that cooperation,
• 39:38
  that will make the experience for the public and, and us much more seamless.
• 39:43
  And if there's questions about that, then they can also
• 39:47
  go to our website, get information or call us.
• 39:50
  Well, thank you so much for your time.
• 39:52
  Thank you.
• 39:53
  And that website that she mentioned.
• 39:55
  Again, if you want additional information on
• 39:56
  anything that we talked about today is honolulu.gov XD.
• 40:01
  And next week
• 40:01
  we'll be back with Mayor Blangiardi right here on the One Oahu Podcast.
• 40:05
  Mahalo for listening. And until next time, Aloha.