CUSTOMER SUCCESS
City goes paperless with OpenText AppEnhancer
Paper-intensive processes like agenda management, finance, and human resources are a thing of the past for this city in Mississippi.
The challenge
Brookhaven is a charming city in south Mississippi, about an hour's drive from the state capital of Jackson. The city was founded in 1818. Like other municipalities, they are safe-keepers of a large archive of historically significant documents. Tasked with maintaining all official city records in Brookhaven is City Clerk, Samantha Melancon. She decided it was time for a digital makeover for some of the processes still running on paper.
Many processes were still primarily paper-based. Agendas and meeting minutes were still typed in Microsoft Word and kept in binders. Finance records like invoices were store in file cabinets. All human resource files were managed strictly as paper files. Not only was paper taking up space, but it also made the information hard to access.
Our municipal document management solution
The city commissioned Revolution Data Systems to assist in their push to go paperless in several departments. We started by scanning the entire minute book collection. Next, we deployed OpenText AppEnhancer (formerly ApplicationXtender) to store the newly digitized archive and handle agenda management going forward. We also added AppEhancer xPlore, a module to allow full-text indexing and searching. This gives the city clerk the ability to look up keywords and phrases across the entire minute book collection in seconds.
After tackling agenda management, we built an application (or digital file cabinet) for accounting. Bookkeepers can now scan invoices instead of storing them in file cabinets. AppEnhancer Retention Manager is used to manage the lifecycle of invoices and other financial records to maintain compliance.
Next, we moved into human resources. HR documents for the city were still stored in file cabinets. Every employee had a folder with all supporting documentation. A new application was built for HR. AppEnhancer allows for document-level, user, and role-based access permissions to ensure that no one is able to compromise the sensitive information housed in the system. Audit trail functionality is also included to keep track of who has accessed content inside the system.
What’s next for Brookhaven? The city is exploring more uses for AppEnhancer like building permits and other city functions that still rely on paper.
“Revolution Data Systems worked efficiently to preserve and streamline the ability to research the City of Brookhaven’s minutes. These minutes have historically recorded the City Board’s actions since becoming chartered in 1893. The staff of Revolution Data Systems was always very friendly, helpful, and attentive.”
City of Brookhaven project highlights
Digitized entire minute book collection, preventing further degradation of the historical archive.
Installed AppEnhancer to manage documents and improve workflows.
Built applications to manage agendas, invoices, and HR documents.
Anytime, anywhere access to files through a cloud-based system.
Automatic deletion and disposition of records once they have reached their expiration date.
Frees up deputies to work with the public instead of chasing down paper documents.
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