2022 BEST PRACTICES AWARDS
Massie hopes the form will identify additional ways of improving the experience for customers .
Kent Massie , Retail Operations Division Chief , Renee Hill , District Manager
Jocelyn Rawat , Communications Manager , Bharathi Modacur Ponnusamy , Senior Information Technology Specialist
aside for alcoholic beverage license holders to purchase using a specific set of protocols .
These policies maximize fairness and ensure that consumers and license holders have first access to sought-after products .
Massie says that when he joined ABS four years ago , the top complaints he received from customers were related to the process of securing highly allocated and rare products . Since the new allocation system launched almost a year ago , he reports that complaints about the process have virtually disappeared .
“ We ’ ve made it as easy as possible for people and helped manage expectations ,” he says . “ If we post that we only have 12 bottles available at a certain location on a certain day , and if you drive up and see 12 people in line ahead of you , you know before you even get out of the car that you probably won ’ t be walking away with one of the highly allocated products .”
“ This eliminates having 100 people standing in line when only a few bottles are available ,” he adds . “ It also stops people from driving to multiple locations in search of a particular product , because they can see exactly what will be released and when by looking at our website .”
ABS is currently in the process of implementing a new QR code customer feedback form which will be used to obtain in-store feedback from people on highly allocated product release dates .
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UPGRADING VIRTUALLY Another recent ABS innovation involved restructuring what used to be a predominantly in-person license renewal process to an entirely virtual experience .
An online ABS portal has been in place since 2018 . However , it had limited functionality , and only about 15 % of the 1,000-plus license holders ever used it .
That all changed when Covid-19 arrived , and Governor Larry Hogan suspended license renewals for more than a year .
“ At that time , we had no idea when renewals would be reinstated : we thought it could possibly happen within a few weeks , although it didn ’ t end up happening until April of 2021 ,” recalls Jocelyn Rawat , Communications Manager and former Licensure Manager with ABS . “ We knew we needed to work quickly to enhance our existing portal , to prevent in-person contact and protect the health and safety of licensees , along with our staff .”
Initially , the portal was only structured to process the most basic type of renewals . Licensees could use it if there were no changes requested to their existing license . Any other request — such as altering the name of a licensee — had to be done in person .
Plans were already underway to enhance the custom-built system over the long term , and that pace accelerated after the pandemic . The ABS team worked to incorporate a number of new features to the portal that were unveiled when the license renewal process reopened .
Now , the portal can handle the entire license renewal process . New features include auto-populating the application form based on the prior year ’ s submission ; taking payments for the annual license fee via credit card , ACH or electronic check ; automatically updating the ABS Oracle database with new information ; creating customized licenses for self-download and self-printing ; sending invoices and other communications to licensees about the process ; and more .
ABS worked closely with licensees and other key stakeholders to enhance the portal .
“ The hospitality industry was hit especially hard during the pandemic , and we were very proactive in our outreach to license holders ,” Rawat said . “ People were willing to help test the portal , offer feedback and do anything else to move the process along .”
The new portal has resulted in a faster and more efficient renewal process for licensees and ABS staff alike . It now allows the ABS licensing team to track application progress , payments and license issuance , and is accessible from any device with internet access .
In 2022 , approximately 75 % of all licensees opted to use the online portal to process their renewals : a + huge step up from prior participation levels .
MIGRATING ID TESTS ONLINE To receive an alcohol retail license in Montgomery County , all applicants must successfully complete an ID test , which helps ensure that they can read and inspect IDs properly to prevent underage sales and access to alcohol .
StateWays | www . stateways . com | Fall 2022