StateWays n www.stateways.com n July/August 2015 22
Planning for the Future
So what's next for Montana? Looking ahead, Helfert says her priority for the
upcoming year is to focus on increasing overall warehouse productivity. The
division is currently investigating voice-pick technology, which is a technique
that has been successfully implemented in other control states over the past
several years. Helfert hopes to have the new technology in place within the
next 12 months.
ADVICE FOR
FELLOW
CONTROL
STATES
Montana has proven to be a leader among
the control states, making changes and
improvements to enhance operations
and improve customer service. So what
advice and best practices can Helfert
offer to her control state peers? Here's
her quick list of key takeaways:
Empower your staff. "The most important
thing you can do is to utilize your best
resources: your employees," she says.
"Use them. They are the ones on the
ground and they're the people who will
come up with the best ideas."
Pay attention to customers. In addition to
its focus on education and enforcement,
a control state agency also functions as a
business. By connecting with customers
and getting a clear sense of what their
key challenges and concerns are, you'll
be positioned to make the most well-
informed decisions about what's best for
the agency.
Plan ahead. When preparing to spear-
head a large project, such as an online
system overhaul or new warehouse
technology implementation, there's
no such thing as too much planning.
From project management to making
sure the right people are involved in
the process, Helfert stresses that
the proper planning makes all the
difference in the world. However,
it's also important to be flexible with
your original plans. "Make sure you
schedule time to evaluate things often,
because regardless of how well you
plan, things will change and you need
to be able to easily adapt," she says.
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