Paperless Processing Paired with Strong Financial Accounting
Client Name: East Baton Rogue Clerk of Court (19th Judicial District)
Vertical Markets: Public Sector
Technology Sold: Court Information System (CIS™)
Vertical Markets: Public Sector
Technology Sold: Court Information System (CIS™)
Executive Summary
After several years of custom workarounds, the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court (EBRCOC) determined there was a need for a case management system that provides strong front office capabilities with effective, auditable functions for the back office and accounting. Software & Services (S&S) provides software and business consulting that has allowed EBRCOC to perform much of the back office financial charging in real-time by reducing, eliminating and automating some of the once needed processes. The integrated accounting of the CIS™ Suite has provided the tools to dramatically reduce the time and effort needed for end-of-month processes and reconciliation.
EBRCOC experienced the following successes after the implementation of the CIS™ Suite:
- Decreased document backlogs and overall processing time from weeks to hours
- Increased accuracy in charging of all types in-house and online delivered by automated processes
- Decreased reconciliation times for end-of-month closing
Challenges
(1) Backlog of Documents
The office was dealing with two primary challenges, the first being a backlog of documents which needed processing within the court. The backlog was a result of inefficiencies within both computer-related processes and the manual paper-centric methods of moving documents throughout the courthouse. Under the previous processes, many documents were delayed as much as three weeks working through the various personnel.
The office was dealing with two primary challenges, the first being a backlog of documents which needed processing within the court. The backlog was a result of inefficiencies within both computer-related processes and the manual paper-centric methods of moving documents throughout the courthouse. Under the previous processes, many documents were delayed as much as three weeks working through the various personnel.
(2) Manual, Financial Reconciliation Procedure
The second challenge at hand was a lengthy financial process that required manual efforts. The financial closing procedures relied on multiple processes in multiple applications by varied personnel which created small errors to compound along with reconciliation problems. At one point the office had to work overtime while undergoing delays up to forty-five days in closing out monthly reporting.
The second challenge at hand was a lengthy financial process that required manual efforts. The financial closing procedures relied on multiple processes in multiple applications by varied personnel which created small errors to compound along with reconciliation problems. At one point the office had to work overtime while undergoing delays up to forty-five days in closing out monthly reporting.
How Product Helped
(1) Paperless Processes
The office experienced quicker throughput in getting the scanned documents to the correct personnel to index and create needed documents using ImageFlo™. The system’s e-Signing capabilities allowed the transport delays to be eliminated by turning trays of documents needing to be processed into a queue where work is constantly flowing. Additionally, ImageFlo™ tools give visibility to documents that are delayed and allow supervisors to oversee and expedite documents that have not been processed in the queues in a timely fashion. A recent snapshot showed that every document that came in had been fully processed within six hours.
(2) Improved Financial Processes
Financial reconciliation was improved by using CIS™ Civil’s advanced financial tools that aid in error prevention. The daily control process ensures that we adhere to the old maxim ‘a day’s work in a day’s time.’ This business process and the CIS™ Civil’s reconciliation have ensured that the office is able to generate daily checks as required while standard check runs are setup for weekly, bi-monthly payables are processed timely as well. Integration with the Government Financial Accounting (GFA™) package completed the process and added system improvements to prevent the manual transcription errors which were present in the previous environment.
Results, Return on Investment and Future Plans
The office has reduced the document backlog completely. A recent review showed that the backlog has been reduced from nearly forty-five days to six hours. Increasing the public facing personnel has allowed for functions like scanning, which were previously delayed in the back office, to be integrated at start of the filing, as well as the e-Signing of documents from the Judges. Walkthrough handling can now be handled as a paperless process from the Clerk of Court to the Judge and back after e-Signing. This provides wins for internal and external customers and expedites the entire courthouse process by accomplishing the following:
- Decreasing document backlogs and overall processing time from weeks to hours;
- Increasing accuracy in charging of all types in-house and online delivered by automated processes; and
- Decreasing reconciliation times for end-of-month closing
i3-Software & Services (i3-S&S) is a leading developer of technical solutions for local government offices. i3-S&S’ focus is on providing exceptional technical software solutions and establishing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with our clients.
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