Document Management Solutions: Recommending It to Your Colleagues

With the support of the Eaton County Information Systems Office, the Eaton County Prosecutor’s Office has successfully transitioned from dependence on physical paper file folders. In fact, we are among the first prosecutor offices in the USA to go paperless!

Changing to electronic files isn’t a revolutionary idea; many private industries have already made the switch because Document Management is a priority for all businesses. But our change has been a revolutionary improvement in how we do the People’s business by providing Document Management Solutions, and is a harbinger of the future for many other prosecutor offices and other businesses.

I think it’s important to show my colleagues that there’s a better way to do business. So, on our Website, we include information on why we chose Laserfiche, how it works, the benefits and our tips and suggestions for success. There’s a frequently asked questions section that answers questions like “How do you handle discovery?” and “What happens if your computer crashes?” We had such a positive response to that page that we created and posted videos about how we work and how Document Management can help, so other prosecutors’ offices can see the benefits of Laserfiche first hand.

One of the other things I do is talk about Laserfiche whenever I can. We host on-site visits from other prosecutors’ offices interested in seeing how “paperless” we really are. (Instead of six file cabinets, we now only need a single drawer – and it doesn’t even hold paper. We use it to hold evidence CDs.) The fact that we haven’t lost a single file in over three years is earth-shattering to other prosecutors thanks to Document Imaging Software.

I also present at industry conferences. Last year, I lectured for the National College of District Attorneys (NCDA) and the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) National Advocacy Center about our paperless file management system. During these presentations, I show screenshots of our Laserfiche repository and explain our various work processes. I also like to show photos of the “before” and “after” in our office. It’s a great way to spread the word that there’s a better way to work than with paper.