Most DMVs suffer from a legacy reputation of horrible customer service. Many of you would probably agree that DMVs place mediocre to very little value on its customers. But even I try not to assume the worst. I consider myself a positive person. But it still happened. One encounter with a BAD customer service rep, and I almost lost control.
Real World Story: Recently, my mother needed to renew her driver’s license. With her appointment card in hand, she and I head to the local
DMV for the first appointment of the day. When we arrive, we find a line of at least 50 people. Not knowing what to do, my mother and I file into the back of the line. After asking around, we discover if you have an appointment, you need to stand in a different line – which does not exist and for which there is no sign. At exactly 8am, an employee exits the building and customers from outside of our line start entering. When I ask her what’s happening, the employee says that line is for people who have an appointment. (Thanks for telling everyone, lady!) My mom and I get out of our line and go inside, BUT we are not sure where to go. We find yet another unidentified line – but luckily, it was the “right” one and a DMV lady helps us with out appointment. She is very nice, so my mom and I are hopeful that this experience won’t be too bad after all.
The DMV lady then sends us to window 15. As I approach the window, I notice two chairs in front of a counter for the handicapped. As I start to move one of the chairs to allow room for my mom who is in a motorized chair, the window 15 lady behind the counter tells me very abruptly to put the chair back. As I motion over to my mother, the window 15 lady looks back at her computer screen in silence. The entire transaction with this woman was painful. She was rude, didn’t make eye contact, was abrupt, and obviously didn’t care about my mom. Dealing with the window 15 lady was frustrating, and I could feel myself starting to get angry. She brusquely sent us to the photo counter. Unfortunately for the photo-taking employee, I was angry when I approached her. She, however, was kind, patient and extremely understanding. When we were done with her, she sent us back to the window 15 nightmare. When the photo counter lady saw the fear on my face, she simply said, “I’m sorry.” Luckily, our second time with the window 15 lady was short, but she left us with a VERY bad feeling. We hope to never have to return anytime soon!
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- If you have customers who arrive early to your business, have clearly marked signs posted outside the building so people know where to stand and what to expect.
- Teach ALL your employees to be kind and patient with your customers, especially with customers who are elderly and/or handicapped.
- If your employees cannot and will not do strategy #2, get rid of those bad apples. If not, they will spoil your other employees’ attitudes and dedication.
Remember: One bad experience with one employee can lose a customer forever. And if other customers see these public displays of horrible customer service, you may lose them too. You just never know who may be watching.
How do YOU prevent a DMV-like experience? Please share your stories in the comment section below.