Managing, fulfilling and regulating public records requests with workflow automation

Access to public records is a cornerstone of an open, transparent government.

However, manually processing paper requests and creating response correspondence is not only time-consuming and chaotic, but it can also cause frustration when responses are delayed or incomplete.

Once received, tracking and distributing requests becomes a challenge of reviewing long email chains, making phone calls and hunting down documents.

Tracking systems are routinely just spreadsheets that require manual data entry and further consume staff time.

With Hyland’s Public Records Request Management solution, you can simplify and automate the request submission and fulfillment process.

From online request capabilities and comprehensive record searches to digital delivery, Hyland improves the process from beginning to end.

Simplify and automate request management process

More than ever before, state and local government officials feel increased pressure to provide easy access to public records and face mandates for fulfilling requests.

Hyland’s content services platform simplifies the request process by providing web-based request submission.

Key capabilities include:

• Simplifying and automating the request management process
• Enabling comprehensive search for request fulfillment
• Empowering users to share while retaining control
• Improving process transparency for better constituent experience

Whether submitted online or by other methods, all requests enter a workflow and get automatically routed to the correct department for review, assignment and fulfillment.

After retrieving the requested records, the platform compiles documents and files them into a centralized online portal for retrieval. This speeds fulfillment times, provides convenient access for your constituents and saves valuable staff time – all while meeting your legal obligations.

And, because you eliminate paper, the content services solution automatically tracks requests without the need for additional manual data entry. This frees up staff time to focus on completing more requests and other tasks.

Enable comprehensive search for request fulfillment

With Hyland’s content services platform as your records repository, you can also drive continued search improvement.

Hyland provides a range of search tools to identify potential records required to complete requests.

Keyword and full-text searches allow you to find documents easily, regardless of whether you know the title or dates of documents.

By improving your ability to find records, Hyland helps ensure that you fulfill each request as completely as possible. Also, with redaction tools, you protect any sensitive or confidential data on documents before delivering the request.

Hyland’s enterprise search software helps overcome the challenge of retrieving records from multiple disparate repositories.

Enterprise search offers a single, central and electronic way to search across all your content locations such as:

• Email systems
• Network shares
• Intranets
• Databases
• SharePoint

Empower users to share while retaining control

Collaboration and consultation with other agencies or organizations is a critical part of everyday life in government.

ShareBase by Hyland is an enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) product that provides secure, cloud-based sharing both inside and outside your agency while enabling better collaboration.

Share files securely and confidently while controlling views, downloads and changes to the shared files.

That way, your agency always retains ownership and control over what it shares. ShareBase also enables you to share responses, including documents, images, audio, and video files – both large and small – with ease, and have complete auditability of when those files were sent and viewed.

Hyland’s Public Records Request Management solution simplifies request submission and fulfillment. From online request capabilities and comprehensive record searches to digital delivery, Hyland improves the process from beginning to end.

Improve process transparency for better constituent experience

Satisfying public records requests is an important legal responsibility for state and local government agencies, so the ability to track and report on request fulfillment is crucial.

Hyland’s content services solution with workflow automation tools helps meet these compliance requirements by managing task routing, timing and escalation.

With workflow automation, you can notify staff of approaching request deadlines, so they work on them first.

Additionally, workflow automation equips you with reporting dashboards that describe and identify bottlenecks while allowing you to view reports on any request.

Dashboards report on many areas – including open requests, request types, assigned departments and more – allowing better management of tasks and increased visibility into bottlenecks that slow fulfillment.

Workflow automation tools also enable you to track and store all information surrounding a request, so any time an audit comes up, it’s easy to demonstrate that your agency completed requests within the required timeframes.

Regardless of the challenges in public records requests, Hyland’s content services platform offers a wide range of tools to improve the entire process.

Plus, it provides the transparency and speed your constituents expect for completing requests and receiving records.