The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) sought to modernize its communication infrastructure by consolidating email and SMS systems under a single provider. With Granicus’ digital communications capabilities, the DMV obtained a streamlined, API-based solution to send secure, targeted notifications that enable Virginia drivers to get timely access to appointments and notifications. By leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS), the DMV achieved enhanced delivery reliability, improved speed of message deployment and increased efficiency.
SITUATION: OUTDATED INFRASTRUCTURE
Before adopting Granicus, the DMV used an in-house built notification system that couldn’t handle the volume of alerts it needed to send, nor did it have the flexibility to do SMS. This made the agency’s communication strategy fragmented, prone to delivery failures and required significant developer oversight on pain points.
The absence of a unified platform for email and SMS notifications created inefficiencies and limited the department’s ability to scale its communication efforts. Without a dependable and productive way to reach citizens, the DMV couldn’t connect with the people it serves. Residents could miss important information related to license renewals, appointments or other time-sensitive notifications — resulting in longer wait times for citizens, more phone calls to the DMV and repeat efforts from staff with already low bandwidths.
SOLUTION: COLLABORATIVE COMMUNICATION
The DMV selected Granicus for its ability to provide secure, targeted messaging through both email and SMS under one roof. Key factors in the decision included Granicus’ FedRAMP certification, its state contract and its U.S.-based infrastructure. Granicus’ digital communications capability also offered the flexibility to serve several distinct functions within the DMV — including e-notification, multifactor authentication (MFA) for staff and facilitating a more efficient appointment process through SMS.
With streamlined SMS services, users receive automated reminders to help minimize no-shows. SMS also serves as a reliable method for communicating urgent information — such as office closures or policy changes. This approach modernizes public service delivery, enhances customer satisfaction and builds trust through user-friendly communication.
An additional selling point was the ability to leverage the collaboration between AWS and Granicus, which was instrumental in accelerating the process of acquiring custom SMS short codes for the DMV’s multiple use cases.
RESULTS: IMPROVED EFFICIENCY AND FUTURE-READY CAPABILITIES
Thanks to the cooperation between digital communications and AWS, what could have taken months was accomplished in days — which was a huge win in efficiency for the DMV’s team.
Through the powerful combination of digital communications and AWS, the DMV is now empowered to use one tool to serve multiple purposes:
- License renewal emails: The DMV can now send targeted, secure e-notifications to residents about upcoming license renewals.
- Multifactor authentication: Secure MFA text messages from Okta to DMV staff is now a capability, creating a single sign-on process that simultaneously improves security and the employee experience.
- Appointment reminders and check-ins: Using SMS, the DMV can significantly enhance communication with the public by enabling real-time, interactive exchanges. It allows individuals to get in line for their appointment without having to check in in person.
Looking ahead, the DMV plans to expand its use of Granicus solutions by implementing two-way SMS capabilities across all of its agency communications. This evolution will further enhance the department’s ability to engage with citizens in real time and with greater personalization.
