Crowded rooms, long lines and wait times are just some of the reasons why the DMV has had a pretty bad reputation for a very long time. But nowadays, when each state DMV has its own website, these problems are starting to go away. Websites are a crucial tool for improving customer satisfaction at the DMV, increasing its efficiency and ensuring better customer service. With so many DMV services available online, allowing motorists to complete DMV-related transactions and find any information regarding licensing and registration issues over the Internet, without having to go to a DMV office in person, the long lines are set to become a thing of the past.
In order to determine how functional each state DMV website is, and how they compare against each other, DMV.com has conducted a survey and ranked the websites, based on four main categories: design, usability, service and content. Drivers were asked to rate their state’s DMV website, and express their level of satisfaction with how the website meets their needs.
According to the survey, the Washington DMV has the best website in the country, with a total of 95 points for all four categories. Washington’s DMV website got the best score in the services category, getting 38 points in the survey. This means that motorists were satisfied with the amount of services offered through the site, such as making appointments online, as well as availability of forms for off-line services, and availability of the ten most important online services.
Washington DMV’s website was followed by New York, with 94 points, Virginia (93), Wisconsin (92), Maryland (90), Indiana (89), Massachusetts (86), New Mexico (85), Arizona (84), with California rounding out the Top Ten State DMV Websites list, with a total of 83 points.
Like Washington’s website, almost every other website on the top ten list got the best results in the services category, with the exception of New York, which received most points for its content. The content category takes a few key areas into account, such as the way the content is written and whether it is concise and easily understandable, whether the content provides enough information that explains which steps the user needs to take in order to complete the transaction as fast as possible, and whether there are links to in-site or outbound content that are relevant to the topic the user is interested in.
On the other hand, almost all websites were rated worst for their usability, meaning they should work on improving the visibility of the menus, add a clearly labeled FAQ section or make it more easily accessible, and try to make content reachable within 3 or less clicks from the homepage.
In conclusion, the Top Ten State DMV Websites list underscores each website’s strongest suits, and shows which areas need to be improved in order to be able to meet drivers’ needs. The list can serve as an example for the states that received low ratings in the survey and determine which aspects of their websites they need to focus on in an effort to ensure better customer satisfaction.