Service operations in public sector agencies: evidence from NCDMV
by James B. Martin; Joyendu Bhadury; Kwasi Amoako-Gyampah; Steve Bert; Eugene Murray
International Journal of Services and Operations Management (IJSOM), Vol. 36, No. 2, 2020

Abstract: This paper studies customer service in public agencies within the context of vehicle titling and registration services in North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV). Over 17,000 observations were recorded from the operations of 27 offices in North Carolina and analysis performed on the same to delineate operational factors that impact service quality. Primary findings include: salient determinants of customer service and waiting times; benefits of process standardisation/automation; evidence that privately-operated offices with permanent contracts or those that are state owned and operated provide worse service than those operated by private contractors with time-limited contracts and; evidence that incomplete transactions represent a significant customer service problem. The study also provides evidence of the consistency of NCDMV's compensation rates, a surprising result given that these rates were not set by the legislature after adequate data-based analyses. Theoretical implications of the findings are discussed along with the legislative impact of this study.

Online publication date: Mon, 11-May-2020

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