Long Wait? BMV Makes It Harder To Tell

INDIANAPOLIS -- The state Bureau of Motor Vehicles is removing clocks from public areas of its license branches partly to make it harder for customers to know how long they've been waiting, RTV6's Norman Cox reported Tuesday.

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The new policy requires branches to remove all clocks from customers' view to "alleviate additional stress from customers who are constantly watching the clock," according to a BMV document.

BMV Commissioner Joel Silverman said the move is designed in part to stop employees from being clock-watchers and have them focus on customers. But he said another motivation is to "manage the customer experience."

"You want to have the transaction be as fast as you can in real time, and we're working on that," Silverman said. "But you also want to provide an environment where their perception is that the time is shorter than they actually spend in the branch, as opposed to being longer."

At the Nora license branch in northern Indianapolis, every customer to whom RTV6 spoke questioned the wisdom of the move. One person pointed out that customers still will have access to other timepieces, such as their own watches and cell phones.

"I think it's stupid," another customer said.

Silverman said he isn't trying to fool anyone, but rather is trying to prevent people from thinking that they've been in a license branch for longer than they actually have been.

Silverman plans other changes, such as installing TVs in waiting areas, Cox reported.