PALM BEACH COUNTY – Tax Collector Anne Gannon has announced that customer wait times for high volume services can be found on the agency’s website at www.taxcollectorpbc.com.
The wait times postings are the latest customer service tool Gannon developed to help customers plan visits to any of her eight tax collector locations. “We all lead busy lives and we can get frustrated with long waits,” said Gannon. “I hope that adding wait times to our website will be a useful time saving measure for our customers.”
The impetus for adding customer wait times was the 2010 Florida Legislature’s action to transfer driver license services to tax collectors. That mandate came with the new federal requirement to issue Real ID-compliant driver licenses and state identification cards.
To be Real ID compliant, people must visit a service center in person. Once there, they complete a complicated and lengthy identity documentation procedure. Real ID compliance fueled a large increase in the number of customers who must visit a service center. Lines and long wait times was the result.
While driver license services are the main focus of the wait time information, Gannon posts other high volume services such as registration and property tax transactions. Wait times are posted in real time which means customers should use the information as approximate and as a guide. Travel time and the ebb and flow of customers into a service center means actual wait times will likely change by the time a customer arrives from home, office or the road.
Gannon also recently added the ability for customers to schedule appointments. This tool is useful for clients who like to plan ahead. “We are committed to helping our clients have the best experience possible at our offices,” said Gannon. “Wait times are designed for walk-in clients and do not apply to those who have appointments.”
Other time saving tips include: 1) don’t wait until the last minute; 2) bring all federally required original documents with you; 3) find out what documents you need by clicking the “License To Drive” button on the agency’s website home page; 4) avoid the first or last days of the month; 5) avoid Mondays and Fridays … Tuesdays through Thursdays tend to be less busy; and 6) the Delray Service Center is the busiest location.