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Accenture redesigned more than 30 of the agency's business processes and developed a customer relationship management approach.
Rather than the usual paperwork and long lines, professionals in the state of Florida now renew their business licenses quickly online or over the phone, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. By leveraging the Accenture eGovernment Accelerator and other Microsoft-based tools, the license renewal process is being streamlined and duplication eliminated.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation is a $1.5 billion state agency regulating 1 million professionals and businesses to ensure quality services for the health, safety and welfare of the people of Florida. The agency licenses one in 16 Floridians, ranging from electricians to real estate agents to professional boxers. The state has more than 200 licensee categories and nearly every resident and visitor to Florida is affected by a licensee every day.
The DBPR's management process for registering, renewing and receiving payment for licenses was handled by more than 60 antiquated and fragmented systems. Some transactions were done manually, while others used outdated software applications that couldn't be integrated with each other. As a result, restaurateurs, for example, would have to apply for separate licenses from both the agency's Division of Hotels and Restaurants and its Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco.
They would receive separate license renewal forms and be visited on separate occasions by different government inspectors from the same department.
More than 40 percent of DBPR's 1,700 employees handle customer inquiries, but they did not have access to accurate, timely information and there were no customer service management metrics. This cost the agency time and money, and resulted in unsatisfactory customer service.
"Like many state governments, we faced the huge challenge of providing basic customer service, let alone great service," said Diane Carr, DBPR secretary. "We simply did not have the right tools. CRM technology transformed more than just service delivery to consumers and our license holders; it renewed employee commitment."
Accenture was chosen to reengineer the DBPR's processes because of our innovative solutions, flexibility, leading-edge Siebel technologies, long-term application support and proven CRM experience. A joint DBPR-Accenture project team designed and developed the tailored CRM approach. Accenture first conducted a pilot with Siebel eBusiness Applications, consolidating operations and cross-training personnel. A detailed business case and value realization plan made the transformation smooth. Within eight months, the team redesigned more than 30 of the department's business processes, factoring in regulatory reform and improving customer service and cost effectiveness.
Approximately 30 percent (or 900,000) of the department's 3 million annual transactions occur in a self-service format, saving 60,000 hours of employee time annually. In combination, efficiency measures are expected to generate between $60 million and $90 million in cost savings for the state of Florida over the next nine years.
Benefits: Customer Satisfaction with Tangible Cost Savings
Applying for a professional license in Florida no longer will be characterized by long waits in line and lots of paperwork. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation is meeting customer demand for real-time access to information with a central point of contact. Processes have been streamlined, license renewal turnaround times are faster and there is less duplication of agency resources. There is a capability to share information and present an integrated interface to customers. And because people typically enter their own details correctly, the self-service component reduces the risk of error. All this results in tangible cost savings.
For DBPR employees, spending less time on data entry means they can spend more time providing direct support and guidance. They can follow up customer complaints, and conduct audits and research, such as making sure applicants are qualified for their licenses.
"Our No. 1 priority—providing great customer service—is easy now. Our new online options and contact center allow us to complete transactions quickly and know when peak demands are likely to occur so we can manage them efficiently," said Carr.
The protection of the public is also maximized with instant access to accurate information. For example, the DBPR can ensure that someone who is being disciplined for a license infraction in one area isn't able to receive a license in another area without correcting the first problem.
The system also dramatically improves the effectiveness of health and safety inspectors and compliance officers. With the elimination of their cumbersome paper process, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants, for example, can focus on their core mission to make sure hotels and restaurants are safe and clean.
Florida citizens can also go online and file complaints against license holders, check on the legitimacy of professionals before hiring them and view inspection reports for hotels and restaurants.
The Future: Building Stronger Relationships
The DBPR is undergoing a major business transformation and building stronger relationships with licensees and citizens in the process. It is fulfilling a vision to dramatically raise the bar for customer service by creating and sustaining customer confidence across the state of Florida.
"When you combine brilliant technology, user-friendly interfaces and time-saving options you produce not only real cost savings, but more importantly, satisfied customers," Carr said.
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