Kiosks or Lines - What's Quicker?
Kiosks are everywhere for many different reasons supposedly to make things move much quicker all the while efficient and saving costs for many businesses. We use them anywhere from banking, to groceries, to theme parks, you name it. I’ve always been a fan, but every time I wonder is it going to work or will something go wrong? I now can say I unequivocally am a fan. The convenience of a kiosk has a thumbs up from me. I am not talking about just any kiosk. I am talking about the best kiosk ever, the WV Department of Motor Vehicles kiosk.
In 2017, West Virginia opened a handful of kiosks across the State, one of which was placed here in Wheeling. With the kiosk, you are supposed to be able to renew vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses providing no changes were necessary to the already existing documents.
Recently, I celebrated a birthday and with that, came the time to renew my driver’s license. I dreaded the thought of spending half a day at the DMV. Just wasn’t on my wish list of things to do. Then, my friend reminded me of the kiosk.
I mulled over the idea and thought there is no way will this work. Just too good to be true. Seriously, a half day’s adventure to the DMV now reduced to a three-minute painless transaction? Surely something would go wrong.
Desperate though, I went to give it a shot.
I approached this kiosk almost grimacing. I was confident that I should run other errands on this visit to the local kiosk because aftercall, I did not want this to be pointless given all had had on my plate.
And, there I was. The face off. Me versus the kiosk.
I entered my information and a few screens later with the swipe of a credit card, the renewal transaction was complete with receipt in hand. Where were the kids? My goodness still in line awaiting their favorite item off the menu? I glanced at my watch and the entire process of renewal took less than three minutes. Yep, too good to be true. Had the kiosk won this face off?
Here I was left standing with the receipt in hand and a promise that the hard copy of my license would be delivered to my home within two weeks started worrying me. Just watch I thought, I will end up with an expired license because surely somehow this effortless, rapid process would fail me. I was not yet quite ready to concede to the seamless process still.
As the two-week mark approached with my birthday just four days away, the anxiety grew as I convinced myself that come Monday, I would certainly have to make that dreaded trip to the DMV.
Two-weeks to the day there it was. Arrived just as promised. No errors. I delightfully found myself actually smiling thinking about how skeptical I had been. I have conceded, the kiosk is the champion. I am a believer. Less than three minutes is all it took.
Thank you West Virginia for choosing Wheeling to place one of these kiosks, it truly makes for a delightful, painless, experience.
