New system could reduce wait times in line at Sedgwick County tag offices

Shorter wait times and lines at the Sedgwick County tag office could become a reality – possibly later this year – if the agency implements the virtual line system that county treasurer Linda Kizzire wants.

The system, called QLess, would alleviate much of the in-house waiting that plagues those who head to the county’s four tag office locations for vehicle tags and title work, Kizzire said. Instead, they would use an interactive, virtual method to get and hold a spot in line.

“This would be a good alternative to people taking off a half a day to go down to the tag office and waiting in line,” she said.

It’s the same system the Kansas Department of Revenue uses at driver’s licensing bureaus. It also is used at tag offices in Johnson County, she said.

Under the system, customers would get in line in one of three ways: by going to a website and entering information about themselves and the services they need, by phoning or sending a text message or by entering information at a kiosk at the tag office. They would then receive text message notifications updating them on their progress and an estimated wait time.

Now, customers who need new tags or title work and some who need to renew tags must go to a tag office, grab a paper number and wait until they are called.

The virtual system would give people the freedom to get in line before arriving at the tag office or to run errands while they wait, Kizzire said.

She added that it might alleviate some of the congestion the tag offices typically see at the end of the month.

“It’s not going to solve the end-of-month issues. I think it will make it a lot less congested, but we’re still going to be busy. It just won’t be quite as bad,” she said.

Kizzire said she received a quote of $47,400 on Monday for the cost of the system, which includes the software, kiosks and printers but not the large TV monitors that would hang in the tag offices and provide updates on how the line is moving.

There would also be a one-time set-up, configuration and training fee of $1,500, according to information provided by Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell at a staff meeting Tuesday. Kizzire also expects fees to run data lines to the kiosks as well as a yearly maintenance fee for the system.

The tag office would have the option to have the kiosks display information and instructions in languages other than English, at a cost of $1,000 per language per kiosk, she said.

Commissioners told Kizzire on Tuesday to take her request to the county’s technology review committee for consideration. If it’s approved, she would put out a request for proposals.

The current quote for the QLess system is significantly lower – a little more than $104,000 lower – than it was when she last checked the price in January 2014, she said. The cost has kept the tag office from implementing the system in the past.

Sedgwick County Manager William Buchanan said Tuesday that alternatives to that specific system haven’t been explored.

If the process goes well, Kizzire said, a virtual system could be active in the county’s four tag office locations by late summer. She said she expects to pay for it using tag revenue. Howell, who said he likes “the idea of the QLess system,” has suggested the cost could be covered using monthly and quarterly fees paid to the county by the tag office.

For the average person, “it is not a fun experience to go to the tag office. It’s a painful experience,” Howell said. “And a lot of that deals with time.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 10:02 PM with the headline "New system could reduce wait times in line at Sedgwick County tag offices."