Let’s be honest — there are some unfortunate events that you expect to happen in life. You expect to have at least one embarrassing moment. You expect to lose at least one competition or game. And you expect your local DMV office to have long wait times. 

While annoying, these expectations are reasonable. You can’t outrun them, and you can’t get too upset when they happen. However, what you can get upset about is when these unfortunate circumstances happen frequently or become flat out disastrous, which can easily occur with the DMV, in particular. 

Today, it’s normal to go to the DMV, expecting to wait 45 minutes to a few hours. But what happens when you find yourself waiting days—or even months—to get what you need? 

Unfortunately, this question has become a reality for most people in the U.S. 

When the pandemic hit, the DMV felt the impact. It had to shut down, pause its services, and return to a mountain of work once it reopened. And while most DMV offices are doing what they can to operate quickly, they’re still falling short. 

Currently, you can no longer expect to get the service you need from the DMV in a timely manner. In fact, you can’t expect to get service within even one month. Despite the DMV’s best efforts, multiple offices are still struggling to decrease wait times. 

During the pandemic, the DMV has implemented one key strategy to reduce wait times. That strategy has centered on moving most of its services online, including simple tasks like renewing vehicle registration, changing an address, and replacing a lost license, permit, or ID. 

Given their simplicity, these online services should be easy to take advantage of and utilize. After all, there are many online businesses that offer fast and seamless digital experiences. But unfortunately, the DMV is not one of them. 

If you use your local DMV’s online platform, you can still experience long wait times to receive the items you need. Just because you’re doing things online doesn’t mean the DMV will provide what you want in a timely manner, and that fact is even more true during a pandemic.  

But want to know what’s worse? The online documents you have to fill out. These forms aren’t always straightforward. Certain fields are ambiguous, leaving you unsure of what to include. And you can also find it challenging to submit every document correctly, much less gather all of the right information.

The gap between what you expect from the DMV’s online services and what you actually get is wider than it should be in today’s digital age—and research supports this truth. In fact, here are statistics that showcase just how wide that gap is. 

• About 73% of customers expect organizations to know their needs and expectations, but only 51% of customers believe companies do. 
• Around 62% of customers expect organizations to innovate based on their behavior and actions, but only 47% of customers think brands do this successfully. 
• Currently, only 46% of digital experience professionals have a full understanding of the causes of user frustration and friction.
• Only 45% of mature companies believe their team has a complete picture of a consumer’s digital experience. 

The DMV is swimming in a pool full of companies that offer bad online experiences and services. And these inferior consumer journeys don’t decrease wait times—they increase them. 

With the DMV’s online strategy failing, it’s easier to identify the main drivers contributing to the organization’s long wait times. Two of those factors are expected, but one of them is a little less obvious. For more context, here are three obstacles that continue to increase DMV wait times. 

As you might expect, when an employee tests positive for COVID-19, that individual has to quarantine. This scenario played out in New Jersey when a worker at a Motor Vehicle Commission Center found out they had contracted the virus. After testing positive, the employee started to quarantine immediately. However, the rest of the staff had to do so as well. 

This local Motor Vehicle Commission Center shut down after learning about the employee’s positive COVID-19 test. Afterward, the organization had someone come in to clean the center, but it remained closed until contact tracers had the opportunity to clear enough employees to reopen. 

While this procedure was necessary and critical to keep customers and employees safe, it didn’t help speed up wait times or reduce the backlog. And if customers couldn’t rely on the center to provide a great online experience, they had to wait until the Motor Vehicle Commission Center reopened, which likely led to a more significant backlog and an even longer wait time.   

DMV wait times are also increasing across the country because some are transitioning to an appointment-only system. For example, you can look at several Motor Vehicle Commission Centers in New Jersey. 

Many of the organizations recently announced that they would stop allowing walk-ins and only service customers who had made an appointment. Of course, this initiative is necessary to help keep customers and employees safe during the pandemic. However, it’s another safety measure that unfortunately has an unwelcome drawback: increased wait times. 

The centers have already informed customers that demand is high, and as a result, they may not get an appointment at their preferred time or location. And without a great online platform to provide relief, wait times are continuously increasing. 

When you think of software updates, you think of speed, innovation, and technological advances. Rarely, if ever, do you think of delays and a worsening customer experience. But with the DMV, these consequences are what you get. 

While you wouldn’t expect it, the Madison County DMV in Rexburg, Idaho, closed for a short period of time because of statewide software upgrades. The state’s Department of Transportation ushered in these upgrades to modernize the organization’s 40-year-old system—and the most recent upgrade was the fourth one in the process. 

The new system and constant iterations have resulted in longer DMV wait times in the state. In fact, the upgrades have made the DMV in Rexburg get behind in registering 300-400 car titles.

While the DMV is doing what it can to reduce long wait times, the organization is struggling to succeed. Closures, appointment-style systems, and software upgrades are forcing you to wait months to get the attention you need. And you can’t rely on the DMV’s online platform to make things easier. 

However, what if there was another way to get what you want without waiting a long time? If you’d be interested in learning about another solution, you’re in the right place. 

Barry Risk Management, Inc. can complete your DMV needs with a quick and seamless online platform. With over 30 years of experience in the DMV industry, you can rely on experts at Barry Risk Management, Inc. to do what you need in a timely manner. 

The representatives with the company are easily accessible, knowledgeable, and can help you do everything digitally so that you never have to leave the comfort of your home. Whether you need to renew a vehicle registration or get a car title, you can rely on Barry Risk Management, Inc. for help. 

It doesn’t matter where you live or how difficult your service might seem. If your needs are DMV-related, Barry Risk Management, Inc. can achieve what you need within a short timeframe that the DMV can’t do. 

Don’t wait weeks or months to get the DMV services you need. Contact Barry Risk Management, Inc. here so that you can get help quickly and without any hassle!