The Asset Management and Compliance (AMC) team is a branch of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, which is dedicated to ensuring that Washington residents have access to quality, affordable housing. But fulfilling that mission requires paperwork….
A lot of paperwork.
In the past, property owners or developers submitted inch-thick physical packets—the infamous government “red tape.”
Then COVID hit—and within just 60 days, the AMC transformed into a paper-free organization.
The benefits of this transformation went beyond filling a temporary need in a crisis. It took property owners’ paperwork from painful to painless, while slashing thousands of hours of manual tasks for internal staff each year.
The AMC’s secret to this rapid success? Partnering with MCCi to implement Laserfiche.
Laserfiche is a content services platform that streamlines operations by organizing and storing documents, taking in information through digital forms, and automating workflows.
Read on to learn the difference Laserfiche made for this organization and its stakeholders.
Enhanced Customer Experience in Multi-Family Property Transfers
Multi-family property transfer is one of the Commission’s most complex processes.
The forms the new owner needs to submit depend on several factors: whether they are an LLC, non-profit, out-of-state purchaser, etc.
Due to the intricate nature of the instructions, it was understandable that submitters sometimes overlooked certain required documents or dedicated time to unnecessary forms. Consequently, the AMC would engage in productive phone calls and emails with the submitters to efficiently resolve any concerns, occasionally resulting in processing delays.
But once Mary and the AMC team began using Laserfiche, they quickly saw a solution: Conditional Forms.
At the beginning of the application process, the submitter now selects from several options that determine the exact forms that they need to fill out. Those forms pop up as required fields, and irrelevant forms simply aren’t displayed.
Submitters now benefit from:
- Easier to understand requirements
- Less time on paperwork
- Faster processing times
Reducing Back-and-Forth on the Multi-Family Developer Tax Credit
The AMC has also enhanced the customer experience in the application process for multi-family developer tax credits.
In the old version of this process, applicants would mail in a paper version and a CD version of the application and supporting documents. Staff then had to manually enter data and collate information.
But recently, the AMC found a way to speed up this process by integrating Laserfiche with Salesforce. Applicants can log into a Salesforce account to upload documentation into a Laserfiche repository. Even more helpfully, they can view, access, and remove documents.
“We found this beneficial as most applicants work in teams. They can see what everyone else submitted and confirm that they’re submitting everything that they need to.”
Because of this integration, applications are more likely to be complete and accurate. That saves both the AMC staff and the applicants from needing to spend valuable time emailing back and forth about documentation. Plus, less manual data entry results in faster turnaround times.
7,000 Staff Hours Saved
On top of the customer service improvements, Laserfiche provides innumerable time-saving benefits to AMC staff.
For instance, at the beginning of each year, multi-family property owners must submit a review for regulation and compliance. Every January, the team would have to process over 1,200 large packets, manually entering data and filing them in individual folders.
Now they take in these documents digitally through Laserfiche.
“Laserfiche really changed our world,” says Mary. “It saves us, every single year, about 7,000 staff hours on this process.”
Are you ready to revolutionize your operations and enhance your stakeholders’ experience?
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and discover how Laserfiche and other automation tools can transform your organization for the better.
