You'll want to get this DMV ticket

Getting a ticket at the Carson City Department of Motor Vehicles will be a good thing.

The Department of Motor Vehicles has installed a number ticket system for customers using its Carson City office.

Spokesman Tom Jacobs said the Keymatic system will give managers the information necessary to improve service and reduce waiting times for those who have business at DMV.

He said the same system has been in use both in Las Vegas and Reno offices for a few years.

The system was approved for Carson City by the 2003 Legislature and installed this month.

"It gives the office manager a way to look at who's waiting and for how long and to move resources around to meet that need," he said.

Jacobs said when the help desk directs visitors to a certain line and hands them their ticket, the ticket is assigned to the DMV employees handling that issue.

He said the customer then waits for the number to be called.

Jacobs said the real change is what happens behind the scenes because the system allows managers to keep tabs on how many people are waiting for what kinds of service, the average wait time and how long it takes for each transaction once the person gets to the window.

"It's, for lack of a better description, computerized the office," he said. "It allows us to plan better."

He said, for example, if 15 people suddenly showed up to get driver's license renewals but almost no one was waiting for a new vehicle registration, the manager would know that almost instantly and be able to move people over to processing licenses.

"It will make service more efficient and quicker," Jacobs said.

It also gives DMV managers much better data about customers' needs for long-term planning and staffing.