The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted businesses globally and had an even greater effect on government agencies. Agencies realized the need to enhance their capacity to digitize public services, bolster cybersecurity and broaden digital inclusion. Like many others, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) faced difficulties in meeting customer demands in 2020 and recognized the need for a digital transformation to better serve constituents and prepare for future challenges.

“We had no online presence for first-time products,” says Molly Lennon, administrator, research and project management at the Nevada DMV. “Coming out of the pandemic, we knew that we needed to do something different to support our customers who we were unable to serve when we were shut down.”

Reputation for Success

Nevada DMV leadership learned about the partnership between the California DMV and Slalom, a Seattle-based professional services company that creates value at the intersection of business, technology and humanity. The Nevada DMV selected Slalom to develop a platform aimed at improving the customer experience, reducing wait times and streamlining employee processes. Slalom had successfully virtualized some strategic services for the California DMV’s field offices, the largest in the nation, proving its capabilities to Nevada’s leadership.

“Jurisdictions often collaborate and share ideas,” says Rekha Madiraju, senior director for public and social impact delivery at Slalom. “Initially, we expected our work with Nevada to resemble our engagement with California, but the Nevada DMV had a broader vision—to transform their entire organization across people, processes and technology.”

Transforming the Customer Experience

To kickstart the transformation, Slalom conducted an in-depth analysis of the DMV’s internal operations to identify what was functioning well and what needed improvement.

“Recognizing that this would be a program rather than a single project, we allocated the necessary time for a comprehensive discovery phase, ensuring our teams were well-prepared for a successful modernization journey,” Madiraju says.

Slalom designed and implemented the DMV’s new system on the Salesforce platform, a configurable customer relationship management tool.

“We allocated the necessary time for a comprehensive discovery phase, ensuring our teams were well-prepared for a successful modernization journey.”

Rekha Madiraju
Senior Director for Public and Social Impact Delivery at Slalom

“Given that the DMV was moving toward a customer-dominant paradigm, having a platform that also works with that same approach was paramount,” Madiraju says.

Since the partnership began three years ago, the Nevada DMV has seen significant results. Most recently, in August 2024, the DMV launched Rapid Registration offering Nevadans an online option for vehicle registration to decrease DMV office congestion. Within the first six weeks, the DMV saw a 10% adoption rate, with over 11,000 accounts created at two pilot locations.

Another key development was implementing an online solution for title clerks for the DMV’s Dealer Titles process. This digital enhancement cut down the document processing time for new dealer car titles from 40 days to 14 days.

Slalom’s implementation of a Salesforce-based chatbot also improved customer service. This feature allows customers to get answers to routine questions without the need for direct staff intervention, reducing the workload on customer service teams.

Building Trust Through Security

The main challenge thus far, Lennon says, has been helping staff and customers adjust to the culture shift from manual to digital.

“In some rural areas, there are folks who don’t want to use online services. And that’s OK. We’re going to keep our brick-and-mortar stores,” she says. “But we are anticipating needing to help train the public and build trust with them through security.”

Fortunately, Slalom has prioritized security in every phase of the program. In addition to its proven track record, it’s a big part of why Nevada chose Slalom for the job.

“Select a partner that has expertise and has proven that they can deliver the types of products and services you need that are focused both on the public and your department,” Lennon says.