More municipalities continue shift to paperless operations
Across the U.S., many cities and towns – regardless of size – are coming to understand the benefits of paperless processes. That includes taking more information into the cloud and becoming more reliant on scanning and electronic forms.
One of the big reasons this change to a more efficient and cost-effective means of managing documents is that young people are increasingly interfacing with their local governments and using smartphones to do it, according to the e-government firm Vision. Generally speaking, as millennials age into financial independence and increasingly rely on government services, municipalities find it important to allow for greater ease of use for outward-facing websites, as well as easier data and document management on their own end.
The plan in action
In San Marcos, California, the city website now allows users to fill out job applications and report various issues on just about any connected device, as well as providing crucial information for residents, the report said. That helps them both connect with their communities and get a better handle on a growing influx of information.
"It's important to know your audience and your community; it influences how you meet their needs," said San Marcos Communications Officer Sarah MacDonald. "Our area is very tech savvy and residents, students and businesses expect their experience with government to mirror that in the private sector."
How does it work?
In some fast-growing areas, for example, municipalities turn to online application management for all sorts of city services including recreational programs, according to American City and County. This saves locals and government workers plenty of time, energy and resources, thanks to automated workflows and a general increase in ease of use. These document management capabilities also extend to users in many cases, giving people the ability to look over data they submitted in the past and update it as needed.
As municipalities nationwide continue to shift toward paperless operations and online document management for both employees and residents, it's vital to explore all available options and find the ones that work best for each city, town or county's specific needs. Doing so can both increase ease of use on a long-term basis and potentially help save any municipality a lot of money over time.
