So, if you’re like most of us, there are a few things you dread on a regular basis—like going to the dentist or renewing your driver’s license. While the dentist is physically painful, the motor vehicle office is emotionally painful. You know you’re going to waste half your day trying to get your license renewed. You start by gathering all your documents to meet the requirements, even though you already have a driver’s license. Usually, you need to drink a lot of coffee and plan for a very long wait. Every time that bell rings to announce a new number—which has no chronological order because they keep mixing up the letters and numbers—you realize there’s no way to predict how long you’ll be there.
The other day, I had to renew my driver’s license and was looking forward to getting a Real ID. I figured if I was going to go through this painful process, I might as well update everything at once. So, I blocked off four hours of my day, scheduled an 8:00 AM appointment, found an outfit that had a flattering color and made me look skinny (yes this is important if you have to live with this license for 10 years) and headed to the DMV with more than enough documents to prove I was indeed Kam. I even stopped short of having my blood work done to verify my blood type—but I was close.
When I walked into the DMV, however, I was pleasantly surprised. First, it wasn’t crowded at all—if you didn’t have an appointment, you couldn’t come in. When I approached the counter, the lady handed me a number and a simple, single-sided form, and pointed me to the pen to fill it out. Now, let’s be honest: how many of us are really upfront about our weight? Is it the weight we wish we were, or the weight we actually are? Are your eyes brown, or are they black? You start pondering these questions. But I digress—it took me about one minute to fill out the form, and then I joined the line. Not a problem.
For identification verification, I found myself second in line for a counter where three people were working. It took about five minutes for them to verify my ID. Thank God all of the paperwork satisfied her needs, I had a change of address, and she almost sent me packing, but out I pulled my tax bill to save the day. The lady scribbled something on the back of my white form, gave me a new number, and told me to have a seat until someone called my name.
I was already impressed that I’d gotten through this process in just 10 minutes. I took a seat and looked at the numbers. They now have a system where not only is the number announced, but a visual screen also displays which number is headed to which station. Surprisingly, there were 14 stations running simultaneously—whereas you’re usually waiting for three people to manage hundreds of people. After about five minutes, my number was called: “Terminal 14, here I come!” I handed over my paperwork, and the attendant started reviewing the items the previous lady had confirmed. As she typed into the computer, I quietly and patiently waited.
Then she asked me to step back for a picture. To my surprise, there was a huge screen displaying my photo as soon as it was taken, and she asked if I liked it. What? You mean I don’t have to live with a terrible DMV picture—and I can retake it? The screen made it clear, so I could see every detail. Was there a little extra skin under my chin? Nobody needs to know. I might have aged ten years—what can you do—but it was a good picture. I’d dressed for the occasion, liked the way the colors looked on me, and was even allowed to smile. It didn’t look like a mug shot at all.
Once I approved the picture, she said, “Great.” Then she asked for a form of payment—$25. I handed over my credit card, and she processed the payment, printed out a document, and told me that my new ID would arrive in the mail in two weeks. And she thanked me.
In and out in under 23 minutes! That’s a new world record for me. Now, I don’t know if this is due to improved government efficiency (have DOGE and Musk inspired fear in people and has the motor vehicle office has been listening and is scared), but this is the first time in my 46 years that I’ve gotten through any government agency in just 23 minutes. Whatever the case, it was an unexpected surprise that put a smile on my face. I’m not so scared of going to the Freehold DMV anymore—in fact, I told my husband it was painless.
Sometimes, we have set expectations in our minds, but all it takes is one good experience to make a difference. We can change the way things are done in our businesses too. Just because we haven’t thought about it before, or because it’s always been that way, doesn’t mean it can’t change today. The DMV is a perfect example—it’s long been seen as a painful process, yet look at this: they’ve introduced appointments, limited the number of people allowed inside, and ensured every station is properly staffed. It was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise. And there was a lesson there as well: if even the most entrenched agencies can change, what’s stopping you?
