By The Montana Auto Dealers Association
Laurie Bakri, a Helena native, taught middle school for several years until she moved on to New Jersey where she took a role in the private sector with a supplemental education provider. For 19 years, she worked her way through different roles all working with quality service, efficiencies, and profitability. Her last role there was as the VP of Education in the Gulf area, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Most recently, Bakri was the Business Services Supervisor in the Montana Secretary of State’s Office.
Ms. Bakri assumed her new position with the Montana Motor Vehicle Division January 4 of this year.
This is a new appointment for you. Was this something part of your career plan?
Actually, no, it wasn’t in my game plan, but I am loving it. Most of my career path has resulted from someone saying, “Laurie, come fix this!” It’s worked well for me, I like new opportunities, and I am into quality and efficiency as it relates to the customer experience.
I was the business services supervisor in the Secretary of State’s Office, and we received emails, thank you cards, and even gifts commenting on our excellent customer service, which is something that I was and still am very proud of.
What are your plans for the Montana Motor Vehicle Division in the short-term and long term?
We’re focused on driving customer service for both the short-term and long term.
In the immediate future, we’ve started and plan to complete a customer service improvement project, which includes a customer survey to get a feel for what is going on. Reaching out to the public will help us plan for improvements – and I am not sure they have ever been asked what we can do to improve their experience.
We can determine what needs to happen beyond our immediate plans of improving our customer service when that project is more in hand. I expect that better and improved use of technology will be part of our long term vision.
Everyone needs licenses and titles, and the faster and more responsive we can be, the better for everyone.
In the immediate future, we’ve started and plan to complete a customer service improvement project, which includes a customer survey to get a feel for what is going on. Reaching out to the public will help us plan for improvements – and I am not sure they have ever been asked what we can do to improve their experience.
How do you plan to work with the dealers?
I just recently met with Bruce Knudsen and the entire board of the Montana Automobile Dealers Association via Zoom. We have a great relationship with our dealers; the partnership is very strong.
I have also worked with Bruce, Jim and their customers on legislation that will benefit everyone.
We have some ideas to make titling and liens more efficient. Again, the goal is to work with organizations like the MTADA to make our dealers’ lives easier.
What do you see as some of the more significant challenges in your position?
Like all organizations, we have our challenges. One is that we have a large base that is rural, so reaching our customers in an efficient way is a big challenge and one that we are working on.
What have you learned from your past positions that will help you in your new position?
I think the biggest thing I have learned is how to build and motivate a team. The reality is that you can’t go it alone. It takes a team to create and maintain the momentum of change.
Getting a group of people on board with a vision and then implementing that vision requires an investment in people.
I have also learned – and embrace – that no matter what industry you are in, when you focus on doing what’s right for the customer, it trickles down to being right for the organization and right for the employees. It makes things easier all the way around.
In our case, if a customer receives their title faster, it’s easier for everyone.
What are your steps in building a team?
The first step is to build relationships. Spend time with people. Communicate your vision and gain buy-in. I am a big believer in compassionate accountability and measured results. So far, I have inherited committed professionals which I am grateful for.
What do we expect? Twenty seconds to answer incoming calls? Appointments to last no longer than 10 minutes?
People will naturally drive toward higher standards when those standards are clear.
Any good advice for the dealers as we continue to navigate the pandemic in the coming months?
Please continue to communicate with us – if there is an issue, we will figure it out. I believe that the dealers have done a great job. As a critical business, they were on the front lines keeping their employees and the customers safe while keeping their businesses open. I really admire them and their efforts.
How do you think the pandemic has changed the industry?
I am one of the people that say they want things to go back to the way they were before the pandemic. However, I am doubtful that will happen. I think we’ve fundamentally changed in some ways, including utilizing technology and remote staff – this was a big hurdle to navigate on so many levels.
I think some things related to how we do business will have changed for good, and that may not be a bad thing.
There are some things that organizations implemented because we had to that actually work better. For instance, before the pandemic, we had roughly 700 license renewals online. As of the end of the year, we had 22,000. I suspect that most of those will continue to use our online services because it’s more time-efficient.
Any interesting hobbies?
I have three great-nieces who take up a lot of my life with sleepovers and playdates. Also, I live in Montana, where the outdoor life is amazing, so I do some hiking and fishing.
Tell us about your family?
All of my family are here in Montana, my parents, my brothers and their families. There are lots of family gatherings when we can, which has been tough this past year, but we’re a close family.
