Customers want to receive their license sooner and they want to avoid going to a number of different counters to complete their application. Staff identified problems with existing computer, filing and telephone systems. The current licensing computer system is a mainframe-based batch system which does not accommodate all licenses issued. It is over twenty years old and has a number of limitations in today's standard. For example, staff cannot issue a license on the spot because the current system prints licenses bi-weekly.
Staff maintain paper files because of the inadequacies of the system.
These files are growing in number and are creating logistical problems for access, as well as space problems for storage. The existing telephone system cannot handle the incoming traffic. Many calls are lost because the system does not have the capability to stack or distribute incoming calls. As an interim solution, voicemail applications have been implemented, but staff recognize this as suboptimal. The Core Team also identified that we may be missing a number of potential licensees because we do not actively create aware-ness regarding licensing requirements.