require support for different things and have to deal with different compliance
rules and regulations. Even governments in the same region have different needs
unique to their situations. It won’t do to just buy off the shelf software
for every problem that comes up, custom solutions are required.
If single purpose case management solutions are
bought, a number of issues may result:
- Having
software that doesn’t work well or at all together – resulting in the
government having to either buy new software or to instruct the IT department
to create a method to deliver data from one technology to another in the right
format. This may be feasible when there are only two solutions but will rapidly
become a problem if more tasks are required to be done electronically. Siloed
information is a thing of the past; modern systems are comprehensive and allow
different departments to speak to each other with ease. - Software that isn’t able to do what is
needed – features which often sound great on the surface often don’t work with
what local governments really need as they are not built for them in mind. In
addition, features which work for one government may not work for another due
to differing legislation and compliance requirements.
- Being
locked into a system – some pieces of software don’t let data be exported out
of their system. Making it nearly impossible to transition from their system to
another. This may be acceptable at first but quickly becomes a problem if a
solution is found to have bugs or is no longer adequate for the government’s
needs. This can even lead to future legal problems further complicating the
process. - Software
that only works on specific devices – the software runs perfectly on the office
computers which run Windows. However, when employees want to work on their
devices, which may run OSX or Linux, the software may become incompatible. This
can seriously hamper productivity as people are forced to work on a platform
which they are unfamiliar with or which may not be optimal for their other
needs. This is also a problem for remote workers as it means they cannot access
data from their smartphones. - Dealing
with companies that might go out of business and leave a government stranded.
When this happens a government may lose access to its data or the features
which it has gotten used to using. This can have catastrophic effects for local
governments as it may be impossible to reproduce or recover some data.
These are significant problems which can
hamper the proper running of a local government. Software should make life
easier, not harder. Luckily, these downfalls can be avoided by working
with Ricoh. Ricoh is an award winning company with extensive experience
working with local governments in Canada. We understand government regulations
and work with individual governments to create customized solutions which work
for them and meet their unique needs.
We provide comprehensive software and
services which address various problems which local governments face. We can:
- Digitize
records and securely store them locally or on the cloud for easy search and
retrieval. This greatly simplifies the search and retrieval process for
employees and allows them to accomplish tasks in seconds that would have previously
taken hours. This digitization process may result in further benefits as it
eliminates storage costs (which can be significant for municipalities which
have tens of thousands of records) and frees up space (to put in a gym or extra
office space). - Create
automated business processes for dealing with invoices and freedom of
information requests. Our notification-based system will automatically alert
employees when their input is required – reducing the amount of emails/memos
that staff have to write. Citizens will also be kept up to date on the status
of their requests through this automated process. - Design
a notification-based system for expediting the new employee recruitment
process. Through this process, the hiring committee will be able to review,
accept and reject applicants with ease and applicants will be kept aware of
where they are in the recruitment process. - Automate
contract management. No longer will employees have to spend hours on handling
paper contracts and trying to get in touch with the different people needed to
sign off on them. Records will be stored in an intuitive manner and the pertinent
people will be automatically notified. - Design
custom forms for each department. Different departments will no longer have to
rely on a centralized template for their forms. Employees will be able to
create new forms which will go through a review process from their supervisor,
the IT department and the FOIP coordinator (if pertinent). These forms will be
instantly available to other members of the department. - Ensure
records are automatically retained for the correct amount of time. Records will
be stored with metadata attached to them so that they aren’t accidentally
deleted – which may cause noncompliance. This will assist governments in
responding to citizen information requests efficiently and effectively. Records
also won’t be stored longer than they are needed, clearing up space for new
information. - Create a
paperless accounts payable system. The finance department generates lots
of forms and invoices. Accounts payable is a very complicated process, and
having paper documents makes it even harder. A paperless system can greatly aid
the finance department. - Create
a secure system for mobile and remote work. This will especially help employees
who often travel and need to record and modify data while they are on the go. Employees
will no longer need to make unnecessary trips to the office, saving them gas
and time. In addition, processes which require simple sign-offs from members of
the team will be able to done instantly instead of having to wait until they
are in the office. - Institute
secure mobile printing. No longer will employees have to be in the office to
print important documents. In addition, data about which department is printing
how many forms will be logged to further optimize the printing process. - Work
seamlessly on different platforms and devices. Our solutions work
cross-platform so that governments don’t have to worry if you ever decide to
switch platforms or if employees prefer to work with their own devices which
may run different platforms. - Integrate
our solutions with existing software or hardware. We will adapt our
solution to fit existing software and hardware. We have a team of professionals
who have created custom solutions for local governments across Canada.
We can do all of this and more, depending on
your government’s needs. We provide comprehensive customizable solutions. If
your government decides that it would like more or fewer features, we will
happily further customize our solution. Our company has been around for a long
time and we are constantly updating our security and tooling to keep up to date
with cutting-edge technology. There is a reason why we lead the market in
providing digital solutions to local governments in Canada. When working
with Ricoh, governments can feel comfortable in knowing that they have a
consistently excellent company behind them.
Ricoh has over a decade of experience in the local government sector and we excel in making our clients happy. Take the first step to a happier constituency. |