Daily Detour: Records Management Crisis
Picture this: You're a city clerk frantically searching through multiple buildings for a development permit from three years ago. Sound familiar? For the City of Tualatin, Oregon, this was daily reality before their partnership with MCCi as their Laserfiche solution provider changed everything.
Nicole Morris, Deputy City Recorder for Tualatin, faced what countless government professionals encounter: an impossible balancing act between paper and electronic records spread across eight separate locations. Without a city hall to centralize operations, staff members spent hours hunting down documents, printing electronic files for archival purposes, and managing mounting storage costs.
The building and planning department alone generated thousands of documents annually. Each records request became a time-consuming treasure hunt that pulled staff away from serving residents. Federal and state retention requirements added another layer of complexity, requiring careful documentation and archival processes that paper systems simply couldn't handle efficiently.
"We were essentially handcuffed to our paper processes," Morris explains. "Staff members needed immediate access to documents, but with our offices scattered across eight locations, simple searches could take hours or even days."
About our Client
CLIENT NAME:
CHAMPION:
Nicole Morris
Deputy City Recorder
POPULATION:
est. 28,000 residents
SOLUTIONS:
The Solution: Building a Foundation for Digital Success
Working with the MCCi support team, Tualatin didn't just digitize documents; they built an intelligent records management ecosystem. The approach focused on practical, achievable goals rather than attempting a complete overhaul overnight.
Each department developed logical folder structures and naming conventions that made sense for their specific workflows. This wasn't about forcing everyone into a rigid system. Instead, the Laserfiche partners at MCCi helped each team create search strategies that matched how they actually work.
The real breakthrough came with the TRAKiT integration. As the city's permitting and land use management system, TRAKiT generated the bulk of Tualatin's documents. MCCi engineered an elegant solution: finalized documents automatically transfer from TRAKiT to Laserfiche each night, where workflows rename and file them into accessible folders.
The Impact: Daily Operations Made Easy
The results speak volumes. Staff members now locate documents in seconds rather than hours. The building and planning department eliminated the need to print finalized projects entirely. Engineering staff can access previous project files instantly, accelerating permit reviews and reducing approval times.
Consider the ripple effects: faster permit processing means contractors start projects sooner. Quick access to land use records helps developers make informed decisions. City staff spend time serving residents instead of searching for files.
When COVID-19 struck, Tualatin's digital infrastructure proved invaluable. The NEOGOV and TRAKiT integrations enabled essential employees to work remotely while offices closed. What could have been an operational disaster became a manageable transition because the groundwork was already in place.
Practical Laserfiche Training Makes the Difference
Success with any technology depends on user adoption. Tualatin's staff embraced the new system because MCCi support team focused on practical, role-specific training. Rather than overwhelming users with every feature, training sessions concentrated on the specific tasks each person performed daily.
Records clerks learned advanced search techniques. Department heads discovered how to set retention policies. IT staff mastered workflow creation. This targeted approach meant everyone could see immediate benefits in their daily work.
The Path Forward: Public Access and Beyond
Tualatin isn't stopping here. Plans include launching a public portal that allows residents to access records directly, reducing foot traffic to city offices while increasing transparency. The NEOGOV integration will further automate human resources processes. Contract routing automation sits on the roadmap, promising even greater efficiency gains.
The city's experience offers valuable lessons for other municipalities considering digital records management. Morris advises starting small: "Pick one record type or one department. Build momentum gradually. The pieces will fall into place, and successes will compound."
She also emphasizes the value of community: "Reach out to other Laserfiche users. Someone has likely faced your exact challenge and found a solution they're happy to share."
Why Government Entities Choose MCCi
As experienced Laserfiche partners, MCCi understands government operations. They know budget cycles, compliance requirements, and the unique challenges public sector IT teams face. Their approach goes beyond software implementation to include ongoing Laserfiche support, strategic planning, and process optimization.
The Tualatin success story demonstrates what's possible when the right technology meets experienced implementation. MCCi's team brings decades of government sector experience, ensuring solutions that work within existing constraints while delivering measurable improvements.