California DMV offices are scheduled to be shut down for a half-day on July 24 to retrain employees on customer service and prepare them for REAL ID transactions, officials announced Monday.
“Our employees are at the heart of every transaction we perform,” said Kathleen Webb, DMV acting director. “With this commitment to training, we can ensure they have the proper tools, knowledge, and experience to provide excellent customer service to the people of California.”
All DMV offices statewide will remain closed until 1 p.m. that day as part of the training dubbed "Operation Excellence" which will reinforce customer service training while giving employees the tools they'll need to handle the expected volume of REAL ID applications ahead of the October 2020 compliance deadline, according to the statement.
Call centers will remain open during the half-day closure, officials said. People who need to renew their vehicle registration, change their address, or request a copy of their driving record can call the DMV at (800-777-0133) or go online to dmv.ca.gov. DMV Now self-service kiosks will also be available at some grocery stores and select libraries.
More than 5,000 DMV employees are expected to take part in the training.
“The unprecedented complexity of the REAL ID requirements is what led to the idea that we needed to take the extraordinary step of closing DMV offices for a short time to make sure all employees have consistent information in order to complete the transactions successfully,” said Government Operations Agency Secretary Marybel Batjer, who is leading the DMV Strike Team. “It is a complicated transaction and we want customers to be well prepared in order to receive their REAL ID efficiently.”
Operation Excellence came about as part of the DMV Reinvention Strike Team, which was created by Gov. Gavin Newsom in January after complaints about long wait times at field offices across California. Demand for appointments has spiked in California as residents get their federally compliant REAL ID driver's license or identification cards which will be needed by passengers who wish to board an airplane after Oct. 1, 2020.
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