Indiana BMV best in customer service -- again

INDIANAPOLIS | For the second time in three years, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles has won an international award for superior customer service.

The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators presented the BMV with its 2010 International Customer Service Award for maintaining quality customer service while carrying out new identification requirements. It's the first time a state vehicle agency has won the award twice from the association of U.S. and Canadian agencies.

Gov. Mitch Daniels announced the award Monday to more than 500 BMV employees at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Daniels was also on hand when the BMV won in 2008.

"This is an achievement that I consider one of the great public-sector success stories I have ever seen," Daniels said.

The governor praised BMV employees for reducing the average wait time at license branches from 12 minutes, 15 seconds in 2007 to 8 minutes, 10 seconds this year, even as workers must process additional paperwork before issuing SecureID licenses and identification cards. Wait times have averaged 6 minutes, 59 seconds in the last six months, BMV Commissioner Andy Miller said.

"It's like a limbo contest: How low can you go?" Daniels said.

Teresa Sudac, of Griffith, manager of the Schererville license branch, said her branch plans to keep on getting better.

"Every day we're trying to find the balance between security, accuracy, efficiency and still maintain customer service, so it's really a great pleasure to be recognized for it," Sudac said.

Being so close to Illinois, Sudac said she frequently hears from new Indiana residents how impressed they are with the quality of customer service at the BMV, compared to the Illinois secretary of state's office.

"We get a lot of positive feedback," Sudac said. "They're just amazed by what we do."