PRINCETON, Illinois — For many people, a trip to the local DMV is seen as a chore, but the state of Illinois is working to make the DMV less of a nuisance.
At the Princeton DMV, customers can now take care of drivers and vehicle services at one counter. This new practice is being called a one-stop-shop.
They can also be served by the same person because employees have been cross trained to help customers with everything.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said they have evaluated the efficiency of DMVs for a year-and-a-half.
"What we saw was not a great reason for driver's services to be completely separate from vehicle services," Giannoulias said.
These updates are part of a state-wide effort to modernize customer services in government offices and departments. Giannoulias said they're also working to combat log lines at Illinois facilities.
"We saw people literally bringing books and novels to the DMV and we said 'We're gonna do everything in our power to eliminate the way and make it a better experience for our customer,'" Giannoulias said.
He also says the changes will be more efficient for customers as well as employees.
"One day, at a certain time of day, you may have a two-hour line for vehicle service and other people at the vehicle side are looking at the ground thinking, 'I wish I could help my teammates here,' so it's great for our employees as well as our customers," Giannoulias said.
Staci Schuck has lived in Princeton for around 20 years and said the new changes have made things a lot easier.
"Much easier transition than it used to be because who wants to go to the DMV? It's like the dentist's," Schuck said. "It's much more efficient than it used to be. When I walk they ask me immediately and I'm not just waiting around. It a lot less time consuming."
Princeton is among the first few DMVs in Illinois to adopt the new services, with Shelbyville and Beardstown also implementing the one-stop-shop at their facilities.
Giannoulias said right now, the next step is to continue adding these upgrades throughout the state.