Kentucky's Department for Natural Resources Shares its Recipe for Successful Deployment and Adoption of Electronic Signatures
Silanis Technology, the market leader in automating business approval processes, today announced the key factors that contributed to the Commonwealth of Kentucky's successful deployment of electronic signatures within the Department for Natural Resources since 2001.
Montreal, QC (PRWEB) May 11, 2005 -- Silanis Technology, the market leader in
automating business approval processes, today announced the key factors that
contributed to the Commonwealth of Kentucky's successful deployment of
electronic signatures within the Department for Natural Resources since
2001.
According to David O'Hara, Project Manager, it was important for
the department to streamline its processes so that it could improve services for
enforcing mining laws and protecting citizens, the environment and natural
resources.
The department recognized that an electronic signature
solution was required to eliminate the need to print documents for signature
approval each year, only to have to scan the tens of thousands of pages back
into electronic format and re-key information into a database. By successfully
integrating electronic signatures into their processes, the department has
significantly improved its data accuracy, responsiveness and overall
productivity.
O'Hara attributes their first success factor to choosing an
electronic signature solution that supports the department's existing document
applications.
"We work extensively with Microsoft Word and Excel, as
well a workflow application that we built ourselves," says O'Hara. "We didn't
want to throw that all away just to add electronic signatures. We also didn't
want a solution that required specialized skills or 3rd party support. Silanis'
solution enabled us to leverage what we already have and know."
The
department's next success factor was choosing an electronic signature solution
that is easy for people to use.
”This was the first time we required our
field staff to complete inspection documents in an electronic format so we knew
we had to make it as simple as possible for them to sign electronically,” adds
O’Hara. Features such as Replacement Phrase, which automatically places
signatures in the right spot, and Batch Signing, which allow multiple documents
to be signed at once, are two examples of how Silanis' solution met that
criteria. In addition, Sectional Signing, which allows signatures to be added to
specific sections of a document, provided the ability to add a certificate
number at the bottom a document, without invalidating the previous
signatures.
Equally important was choosing a solution that supports the
department's current workflow processes.
”More than 25% of the
department’s staff are field inspectors who need to capture both department and
industry people's signatures at mining sites. We didn't want to force them to
come into the office to sign so we equipped each inspector with an electronic
signing pad so that they could capture people's 'live' electronic
signatures."
Another critical success factor, was getting user input from
the very beginning and making people feel like they were part of the
solution.
"To rally management and user support prior to deployment, we
formed a management committee and test-group," says O'Hara. "The management
committee was responsible for laying out the requirements for signing
electronically, while the test-group, consisting of field officers and
inspectors, gave us constructive feedback on what worked and what could be
improved upon."
The department also mandated the use of electronic
signatures amongst all staff, contractors and suppliers to ensure return on
investment.
"We made it very clear to all employees that they were
expected to sign electronically. We also told our contractors and suppliers that
this was the new way of doing business with us. They either had to buy the
software themselves or use an electronic signing station that we set up in
select offices."
Since deploying electronic signatures, the department
has increased its data accuracy, responsiveness and overall
productivity.
About Commonwealth of Kentucky:
The Department for
Natural Resource is a division of Kentucky's Environmental and Public Protection
Cabinet. The cabinet's mission is to promote the quality of life for all
Kentuckians and contribute to the Commonwealth's economy by protecting the
environment, while the focus of the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources is
to preserve and sustain the Commonwealth's natural resources.
About
Silanis
Silanis Technology is the leading provider of solutions that automate
the Business Approval Process. The company's award winning desktop and
server-based solutions leverage electronic signature and approval technology to
achieve total automation. With over 1,000 customers across government, mortgage,
auto finance, insurance, banking and FDA regulated industries, Silanis has over
a decade of experience in developing and delivering solutions that work the way
organizations do. Silanis' flagship customers within the government include GSA
Federal Supply Service, US Mint, and an enterprise license with the US Army, US
Joint Chiefs of Staff and Kansas Department of Transportation.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb238377.htm