The City of Albany Department of General Services (DGS) is responsible for year-round services to “insure the City’s streetscapes, parks infrastructure, public facilities and natural resources are maintained to be functional, safe, clean, attractive and convenient for residents and visitors alike.” Maintaining an operation of such a large size requires careful planning, hard work, and the appropriate tools for each job. It also generates a lot of paperwork that needs a digital records management solution.
The Challenge
Difficulty organizing forms and excessive paper
The Code Enforcement division was particularly inundated with paper records relating to public health and safety violations. Each violation required a DGS employee to manually fill out a paper form and take evidence photos. Linking the form and photos later at Headquarters was difficult and slowed processing. Keeping individuals with repeated violations accountable was nearly impossible, and neighboring residents’ quality of life suffered as a result. Generating such a high volume of paper was also a concern for the environmentally conscious department, which has a robust recycling system.
The Solution
Tablets equipped with digital forms, Kodak Alaris scanners, and PSIsafe software
After assessing their workflow, eBizDocs offered DGS a digital records management solution. Tablet computers equipped with integrated cameras replaced clipboards, papers, and cameras. Electronic PDF forms with intuitive drop-down lists, radio buttons, and check boxes made collecting information a synch while greatly reducing time on task.
Completed forms are submitted from the field with the touch of a digital button. They are routed via Wi-Fi to DGS’ servers where they are imported into the PSIsafe electronic document management solution. PSIsafe (or simply “SAFE”) acts as a digital filing cabinet with the added benefits of document sharing, security, and automated workflow.
Generating paperwork was only part of the problem. DGS had a room of filing cabinets filled with archive records with strict retention requirements. In order to be completely free from paper, these records also had to be digitized. The solution: high speed Kodak scanners with Perfect Page technology. Perfect Page ensures that the first scan is the last scan by performing image processing such as automatic reorientation, deskew, and despeckle on each page at scan time.
Because Kodak scanners integrate with PSIsafe, DGS was able to scan their archives directly into their document management solution.
The Results
Reduced paper, improved efficiency, simplified accessibility
Since adopting a digital solution, the City of Albany DGS dramatically improved the efficiency of their document management. In-the-field data collection is more accurate, reporting and processing time is faster, and access to documents is easier – all while minimizing the environmental impact of printed paper. Most importantly, digital document management has also helped the Department of General Services ensure an adequate quality of life for all City of Albany residents.
Contact eBizDocs to learn how a paperless document management solution can benefit your organization.
