Yuma MVD to open earlier

After a month-long trial period proved beneficial to customers, the Arizona Department of Transportation has announced that it’s Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) office in Yuma is among 11 locations that will be opening an half hour earlier on a permanent basis now.

The new change in opening time also includes the MVD offices in Apache Junction, Bullhead City, Casa Grande, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Nogales, Prescott, and Show Low.

“It works. Because the doors open at 7:30 instead of 8 o’clock, we have fewer people lined up to be the first in line,’’ said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “Our employees’ schedules can be more flexible, which means we have more people available to serve customers at the busiest times such as the lunch hour.”

Jorgenson added opening up earlier allows employees to process their paperwork faster, which significantly lowers overtime hours and saves taxpayer dollars because it cuts down on the need for workers to catch up on those tasks at the end of the day.

The change in opening time was first tested in Tucson beginning in mid2016 and resulted in shorter customer wait times and lower overtime costs, leading the program to be expanded to the Phoenix area as well.

These initiatives stem from the implementation of the Arizona Management System, which empowers employees at every level of state agencies to come up with new innovations to help government serve customers more efficiently.

The added daily hours also allow MVD to proceed with a program to continually train Customer Service Representatives as the agency modernizes its infrastructure. On the second Wednesday of each month, MVD offices will open at noon to allow time for employee continuing education programs.