DOW to start electronic licensing

DOW to start electronic licensing

Oct 20, 2001

BY THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE

DENVER — Buying a hunting or fishing license will soon be as easy as sending an e-mail thanks to a new electronic licensing system being introduced by the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

The system is set to be fully operational by the end of 2002. The DOW is hosting a series of meetings with license agents later this month to discuss the changes. A meeting will be held at the Double Tree Hotel in Durango from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Under the new plan, agents will no longer issue paper licenses. Instead, licenses will be sold electronically through point-of-sale terminals, the Internet and by telephone.

The DOW will provide about 900 point-of-sale terminals to agents statewide. Agents will be able to sell licenses directly through the terminals, omitting the paper process and simplifying accounting procedures.

"The new electronic licensing system provides better customer service for license agents as well as buyers," said Henrietta Turner, the Division’s manager of license administration.

Buyers will no longer have to wait in long lines or fill out lengthy forms, Turner said. And, unlike with paper forms, electronic licenses never run out - a problem often faced at busy outlets.

In addition to the point-of-sale transactions, buyers also will be able to purchase licenses directly through the Division’s Web site or by telephone through a licensing call center.

"The new system allows hunters and anglers to buy a license anytime, anywhere," said Rob Molloy, the Division’s licensing project manager.

To further expedite the process, the Division will no longer require agents to file license remittance reports or buyers to bring their conservation certificate with them.

"Buyers simply have to produce a driver’s license – that’s all," Molloy said. "The new system will take information directly from the card, authorize the sale through a database, and then print a new license. The buyer receives a compact, printed license, about the size of a credit card, identifying the holder and listing all privileges purchased."

Wildlife officials say electronic licensing will also expand the Division’s efficiency. "The new system increases the accuracy of our database, which will help law enforcement officers and provide more precise harvest information," Turner said.

Molloy said the new system should be more convenient for license buyers, should improve the business processes for license agents and make the process run more efficiently for the for the Division. "That represents a real win-win-win situation for all of us," he said.

The DOW will provide agents with an update on the new electronic licensing system during four meetings scheduled later this month. Items to be discussed include how the system will work and how it will be funded.

DOW officials say agents will bear some of the cost of the new system and commission rates that agents receive for selling licenses may be adjusted. The Division is currently working with models that allow agents to earn commissions at levels comparable to the 2000 license year.

Each year, license sales from agents raise approximately $38 million for the Division and $2 million for agents.