Ho-Chunk Nation Embraces Document Management Technology One Department at a Time
The Challenge
While the Ho-Chunk Nation continued to grow and thrive, the tribal government realized it needed to make process improvements if it wanted to maintain that success.
“Like most tribal governments, we have always relied on manual processes,”
said Lael Hall, IT director of the Ho-Chunk Nation. “We have built in-house
IT solutions to overcome some of our challenges, and while this is effective,
it takes a long time to complete.”
The nation needed a flexible solution it could roll out to quickly remove process roadblocks across the tribal government.
That’s when it turned to OnBase by Hyland, and reached out to Naviant, a reputable OnBase reseller within the Tribal Nation community.
The Solution
Creating a foundation for growth, while answering immediate needs
The Ho-Chunk Nation was in the process of a years-long ERP deployment, so it didn’t want to implement a solution that would derail those efforts. OnBase allowed the nation to start small, while providing a platform to develop quickly new applications as needs arose.
The nation initially deployed OnBase in its Fleet Department – a department that uses a few key processes community-wide. The department both maintains an loans out the nation’s vehicle fleet as well as keeps up-to-date records on all potential drivers.
OnBase removes the manual, paper-based record keeping the department used to rely on. The system provides reminders for when the department must update driver’s licenses and insurance documents. It also stores these records in one, electronic location. This simplifies the nation’s efforts to remain compliant and removes the liability concerns it faced with paper records. It also removes the countless man hours dedicated to scouring paper files to determine which records require updating.
Providing mobile access to information for field workers
With property management comes a mountain of records and information to control. Knowing this, the nation next deployed OnBase in its Realty Department, which is charged with maintaining and managing the community’s land. By capturing land records electronically, OnBase created a single location to access information related to specific property.
To further improve information access, the nation integrated OnBase with its existing Esri solution. That way, users can click on a specific piece of land within Esri to pull up all of the related information and records stored in OnBase. Even better, field workers are able to do this on their mobile devices. This removes the need to lug paper files around while in the field, or return to the office if they have questions about an adjacent or related property.
Integrating Esri and OnBase simplified zoning and land development efforts as well. Centralizing the entire nation’s land records and making them accessible from a map gives a complete view into land management, removing the hunt for information in physical file cabinets during planning stages.
The Difference
Simplifies record management: “The different timetables for updating insurance and license information in our Fleet Department was very difficult with physical records. OnBase cuts down on the time dedicated to collecting updated information and removes the need to manually track which records are up to date,” said Hall.
Provides mobile access in the field: By integrating Esri and OnBase, the Ho-Chunk Nation made it possible for its field workers to easily access all the records related to a specific parcel of land directly from their mobile device. This removed the need to carry around paper files or head back to the office for required information.
Creates a foundation for future growth: “OnBase allowed us to start small and expand the solution as needs arise and as we have budget,” said Hall. “This means we can do our research and make smart decisions about where it can have the most impact when we are ready.”
Departments Utilizing OnBase
- Fleet Department
- Realty Department
- Human Resource
- Law Enforcement
- Esri Integration for Zoning &
Landing Management
Want to learn more?
Check out Ho-Chunk IT Director’s video testimonial at www.naviant.com/ho-chunk-testimonial/ where Lael shares his personal thoughts on why they selected OnBase for Document Management in the Tribe.
