We have just announced a relationship with AMS, which will strengthen our back-office capability. The reception so far has been universally positive. An even greater benefit is the savings the government agencies can achieve through productivity gains. It's difficult to pin organizations down on exactly how much they have saved by using e-commerce, but the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles estimates the cost of serving its customers has gone down 50 percent. More typical numbers are in the 20 percent to 30 percent range.
Few organizations can afford to pass up such an offer save big bucks at little or no cost.
While not a stampede, jurisdictions of all sizes have shown a great deal of interest. But that comes with a real concern about fraud and outsourcing what some say are inherently governmental functions. That may be a harder position to attack on taxes than it is on parking tickets. Ezgov and GovWorks Inc. appear to be addressing at least a few of those concerns by adding well-known and respected individuals to their boards as a mark of their quality and respectability. Some users object to the idea of paying a transaction fee, suggesting they are being charged twice for the same government service.