8 Reasons why ECM is vital to Tribal Government efforts

It’s no secret tribal government is drowning in paperwork. In times of ongoing fiscal crisis, it’s tempting to move innovation to the back burner. But technology can actually help tribal governments survive and thrive in leaner times. Enterprise content management (ECM) is a wise investment because it puts tribal agencies back in control of their documents.

ECM software is helping Tribal Nations manage documents, automate processes, and deliver better services to their members. Content managed by ECM includes: paper and scanned documents, electronic forms, emails, photos, videos, data streams or even screen shots. Preserving the records of tribal membership, cultural heritage, infrastructure projects, history, and more is a central benefit of setting up an ECM solution.

With Enterprise Content Management in your Tribal Government, you can:

1. Accelerate processes
2. Deliver services in a cost-effective way
3. Enhance support compliance requirements for programs and funding
4. Link documents to your other programs by connecting existing departmental systems and databases – extending the value of your current existing software investments
5. Have one central location for information and documents
6. Retrieve an electronic copy of a document with one click
7. Access a virtual file instantly
8. Preserve vital records of tribal membership and cultural heritage documents

ECM Applications

Agencies at all levels of tribal government can take advantage of ECM software to gain control of their paperwork and related processes.

Human Resources
ECM reduces costs and streamlines workflow by eliminating carbon triplicates and other printed forms and the need to file or destroy these forms later. Employee Health and Credentialing can also be easily managed.

Financial Administration & Accounts Payable
Integrated with an ERP, ECM can speed invoice processing and payment by reducing the need to route paper between departments and offices. It prevents document loss. It puts supporting documentation alongside an invoice or purchase order for more efficient processing. Financial administration ECM users have experienced as much as a 80 percent reduction in processing times and 70 percent lower processing costs.

Central Services and Administration
ECM lets administrative offices shift personnel from basic level paperwork functions to higher-level work tasks. It can streamline administrative functions such as: public records requests, agenda management, property valuation appeal, and business permitting and licensing.

Legal & Contract Management
An ECM platform provides you with a single repository to store contracts. This provides employees with instant access to the information they need to work through a contract life cycle. Edits are fully tracked and recorded. It also provides a full history – what was changed, when it was changed, and by whom. Completed contracts can then electronically route to the right approvals automatically. Then, the appropriate approver can use a digital signature to execute the document.

Tribal Council Agenda Management
ECM manages pre-meeting tasks, simplifies the minutes-creation process, and provides video streaming options. Agendas, packets, and minutes can be produced and shared faster. You can easily managing reviews and approvals.

Casino Management
Gaming Management, Compliance, Gaming Floor / Operations, Incidence Reporting, and Audits can all be better managed with an ECM solution.

Health & Human Services
With the use of an ECM system, information is readily available to clinicians and staff within the applications that they already know. An ECM solution drives improvements in patient care and service while reducing operational costs. It can be deployed within Hospitals & Clinics, Behavioral Health, Case Management, Dental, Optical, Pharmacy, Long Term care, Insurance, HIPAA Compliance forms, Employee Health, and Housing Assistance.

Judicial Department
Tribal courts use ECM to connect key documents with case management solutions, provide audit and security trails, and automate the redaction process. Public safety departments integrate ECM with incident report management solutions to manage paperwork created by officers, and store it with supporting documents and files. Correctional facilities manage compliance by securing documents, automating document retention, demonstrating use of funds, and performing internal audits.

Public Housing/Health and Human Services
ECM speeds up tasks such as patient intake, eligibility determination and re-certification. ECM has contributed to reducing client intake and eligibility determination decision times by half. It has helped agencies meet existing workloads despite staff reductions of as much as 40 percent. A key benefit is the ability to connect multiple assistance programs and case management systems. This eliminates repetitive application completion while securing documents with confidential information.

Planning and Public Works
Planning and public works agencies use ECM with existing GIS, asset management and other solutions to provide seamless electronic access to the documents, maps, photos, video, audio and historic papers that employees access every day. ECM users in public works departments have reclaimed staff simply by eliminating the filing duties. They have reduced the amount of time spent filing by 66 percent and now use that time for other tasks like direct constituent service.

This whitepaper will explain how tribal governments benefit from using ECM technology. We give examples of:

• How ECM can improve business processes
• Long-term trends that are impacted by ECM
• Tips on how to start an ECM deployment
• How to select the best ECM solution

Don’t put innovation on the backburner. Enterprise content management (ECM) is a wise investment because it puts tribal agencies back in control of their documents. Just ask the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin who leverages an ECM solution across their entire tribal community.