In the wake of the public health crisis caused by COVID-19, many businesses have had to make some quick adjustments by moving what were once in-person services into a virtual space. Some of those changes could be here to stay.
If you’ve ever dreaded the potential time suck of a trip to your local branch of the RMV, Jamey Tesler — acting Registrar of Motor Vehicles for the Commonwealth — has some good news for you.
"We’re running a very different business than we were in February," Tesler said. "The wait time and the concept of being in the center, on a bench, doesn’t work anymore. For all of us."
Some RMV branches have remained open through the shutdown for essential services like commercial licensing. But the deli-counter-style, pick-a-number-and-wait experience has been replaced by an appointment system that you book online.
"We are having people come in at the time of their appointment," he explained. "We take in that group, they go direct to the counter, they execute their transaction and then we take in the next group."
Tesler said the appointment system has been such a success that he hopes to keep it in some fashion. The RMV is now also doing some hearings remotely that used to happen in person. And online transactions — long a part of their business — could be expanding.
"We are rebuilding and rethinking each transaction type and if it can be done online we will," Tesler said.
Tesler pointed out that some transactions will always require an in-person visit. And in-person used to be the only way Massachusetts residents could get documents notarized — until recently.
"I suppose there could be no hijinks in having someone sign on a Zoom call rather than in my office," said Jeff Garmel, a WGBH lawyer and notary public.
In April, Massachusetts authorized virtual notarization as a temporary measure. Garmel said he remains somewhat ambivalent about the practice in the long-term. Still, he’s open to it.
"In terms whether we should keep it, I don’t know yet," he said. "Maybe it’s old-school, but I like to see people, I like to see people sign things."
Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu said she likes to see people, too. But she understands sometimes it’s hard for people to get to City Hall to see her. One recent change she wants to see kept is the ability for residents to testify live during City Council meetings — virtually.
"Previously, you could email in written testimony or you could livestream the meetings," Wu said. "But if you wanted to testify live during the meeting, you would have to come in person."
Wu has long been a proponent of moving more city services online, and said she thinks now is the time to explore that. For example, she noted, someone who wants to have a street blocked off for a neighborhood event must attend an in-person meeting. She wants a virtual option for that. And to enter the city’s public school lottery — parents must go to one of four locations to drop off forms and show ID.
"In an age where we’re making plenty of secure transactions online, letting families enroll for the Boston Public Schools through the internet should be a no-brainer," Wu said.
Wu said she believes offering an online option for measures like these would be more efficient and more equitable. After all, it’s some of the city's most vulnerable populations who are least able to get to City Hall to, say, attend a meeting or drop off forms.
That’s a population Metro Housing Boston serves. The private nonprofit administers a host of services for low-income residents, including RAFT, a state-funded rental relief program.
"That application was originally 15 pages and required six signatures," said Metro Boston Deputy Director Sue Nohl. "Up until this point, it’s all been about paper."
But the coronavirus changed that. With a surge of interest in the program during the crisis, Metro Boston revised the application to four pages — requiring just one signature. And for the first time, people can apply entirely online — even from a mobile phone.
"Which not only makes it easier for the applicant, but when the staff gets it, it’s one package with all of the forms," Nohl said. "The electronic signature and the documents are embedded in the application packet."
Everyone this reporter spoke with noted that a technology gap still exists, and that online services should be an option — not the only option. But as the state slowly reopens, it’s worth noting that at least in some small ways, the new normal might end up being an improved normal.
