That tool is Laserfiche, and its ability to streamline workflows has made a monumental difference to the state.
The department’s partnership with Laserfiche dates back to 2016, according to Cassie Lint, IDOC project manager and the leader of its Laserfiche initiative.
“Our sister agency, Idaho Correctional Industries, purchased the Laserfiche suite of applications but later replaced it with an inventory management system, so they passed Laserfiche on to us,” Lint told Government Technology.
That move started IDOC’s journey toward improved document management and automation. One of its first projects using the platform was digitizing human resources personnel records into the Laserfiche repository. From there, staff started using the tool to create forms and automate processes, helping stamp out redundancies and eliminate paper documents. IDOC recently implemented the latest version of Laserfiche, and a still-newer platform update is expected in about two weeks, Lint said. The project manager pinpointed one significant enhancement for her department.
“They’ve significantly improved the functionality of field rules, which are part of the Forms application in Laserfiche,” she said. “When filling out an online form, if you select a specific option, new fields might appear. The update helps customize the form, so users only see the fields relevant to them, creating a more tailored experience.”
With previous versions, she said, users could also only show or hide fields in the same form, which was pretty limiting. Now, users can make a field read-only and set fields to appear only at specific points in the process. Previously, staff would have to create duplicate forms to do this.
Small changes like this have been critical to eliminating staff workloads.
“One of my favorite parts is when I hear staff say, ‘Oh, we send this email,’ and I tell them, ‘I can automate that — you don’t have to do it manually anymore,’” Lint said. “They love it because it saves them so much time."
As for paper shipping woes, now that the department’s files are digitized, staff can access them anytime without needing to send physical copies back and forth — which Lint said has cut down on storage space, mailing costs, and reduced the risk of lost files. Automated reminders and escalation workflows have had a positive impact on staff communication and workflow, preventing tasks from getting stuck on someone's desk because they’re out of the office. If a task sits too long, Laserfiche escalates it to the next person in line, so nothing falls through the cracks.
The platform has not only improved internal processes, it has strengthened the department’s relationships with external partners like health-care providers. Through Laserfiche, Lint said, the IDOC has been able to integrate forms from external partners directly into its client management system.
In coming months, IDOC’s Laserfiche use is set to expand even further. The department recently wrapped a project to digitize additional medical and physical files, and has another major scan project on the horizon.
“We’re about to digitize 12 pallets of documents,” Lint said, indicating a new client resident management system is also in development.
The new client system will help with IDOC’s caseload management for probation parole officers, letting clients submit information digitally instead of having to come into the office or use outdated technology. And, with another update on the horizon, Lint said she expects a further evolution.
“There’s a lot of quality-of-life improvements in this new version that’s coming out,” she said. “It’s exciting to see how it continues to evolve and improve what we do.”
