I don’t like to procrastinate even though the word later is in my last name. So, I decided to get my Real ID from the North Carolina DMV way ahead of the deadline.
A Real ID is the new form of driver license that will be required to board a plane in late in 2020. To get one, you need to prove who you are with your social security card, birth certificate, old driver’s license and proof of residence. You can see all the details here. By the way, this is a federal law and required in all 50 states, not just North Carolina.
I can’t remember the last time I wrote about a government agency trying so hard to help its customers, but I do want to give credit to the state for its effort. Now, I had to wait for two hours on one of their “express days” so it wasn’t by any stretch a good experience. Only specific locations were open, so I had to drive about 25 minutes to get to the Avent Ferry location.
I would prefer they had started over redesigning the entire process to streamline it so that no one had to wait in line for two hours. I applaud that they made the best out of the situation. What I witnessed demonstrated what the airlines and plenty of other industries could learn from the DMV when they do nothing to help passengers waiting in ridiculously long lines. Somebody was paying attention at Disneyland.
Kindness is Magic
I do want to credit them for doing some basic things that made the wait more palatable. And, like most things I notice, many of these actions are great marketing tips on turning a negative experience more pleasant by having your staff act like human beings, not bureaucrats.
- They had extra staff walking the lines pre-checking everyone’s ID and credentials. So, no one stood in the queue for 2 hours only to find that they didn’t have the right information.
- The staff had T-Shirts on saying I Got My Real ID, so it was easy to identify who worked at DMV if you had a question.
- They put up a tent when it started to rain to protect as many people as possible as we waited in the long line.
- They handed out little give away to make the time pass that promoted some of their activities like getting people to sign up as organ donors or information on other special programs for disabled and even some annoying noisemakers that a few kids enjoyed.
- Several of the DMV team kept clapping when the line moved up by 10 feet. It was a little hokey, but I appreciate their trying to make the experience as pleasant as possible.
- Every DMV person I spoke to was pleasant and had a smile on their face. They were polite and professional and welcoming. I never felt like this was a dehumanized government agency. They were trying to be human. I didn’t see one person waiting in line who didn’t appreciate the small gestures of kindness.
- At some point into the first hour, one of the team members got out an amplifier and a microphone and started singing and getting some people dancing to some Motown. It was noisy and annoyed me, but almost everyone in line was bopping and dancing a little, so I think it was an effective way to make the wait more palatable.
I will get my new license in the mail in two weeks. In the meantime, a shout out to a government agency and the human beings who work there, who tried to make a long wait a little more pleasant. Kindness is magic and all it takes is to behave more human being not, like a bureaucrat.
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Photo by Lidya Nada on Unsplash
