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AccuImage, LLC, a value-added Captovation reseller, was the system integrator for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County's enterprise-wide electronic document management system. In addition to several Captovation applications, AccuImage implemented EMC Documentum ApplicationXtender and WebXtender, and Canon DR-3060 and Fujitsu fi-4220 document scanners. They also provided a variety of professional services as well as capture services for hundreds of thousands of documents through their document conversion service bureau.

AccuImage, LLC
Nashville, TN
615-242-7226
www.accuimagellc.com

ECM Product Focus

EMC/Documentum ApplicationXtender

Document Scanner Focus

Canon DR-3060

Document Scanner Focus

Fujitsu fi-4220

Electronic Document Management helps the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson Country realize document collaboration instead of document frustration

The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Metro) is a metropolitan government.   The Nashville city limits extend to the Davidson County line, which makes Nashville the only city in Davidson County.  Carrying the nickname “Music City USA” for its musical heritage, Nashville is a growing metropolis consisting of about 570,000 people.  Comprised of 55 departments, Metro makes up about 13% of the industry in Nashville.  As a large organization that services thousands of people, one can imagine the large amounts of documents that need to be managed at Metro. 

In 1998, Metro implemented their first electronic document management system (EDMS).  However, they found it to be increasingly difficult to implement the system throughout the organization while attempting to maintain an enterprise-level document repository.  For example, it was difficult to ensure that all 1000 workstations were running the same version of the software, which resulted in costly system upgrades.  As a result, Metro was unable to image-enable all departments.

For those departments that lacked imaging/document management, business processes suffered.  For example, Metro employees in Human Resources would receive calls requesting beneficiary information, and would process the calls in the following manner:

(1)   The employee would record the caller's information and hang up the phone.
(2)   The employee would go to the elevator to get to the ground floor.
(3)   They would then go across the street to the building with the records.
(4)   Arriving at the building, they would request the record from the file clerk.
(5)   After receiving the file, they would copy the required pages.
(6)   The HR employee would return to their office.
(7)   They would then call the individual back to give them the requested information. 

This constituted a seven-step process that would take about an hour to complete.  With this reason as an example, Metro realized the importance of an Enterprise-wide EDMS that would reduce total cost of ownership and allow for document accessibility across departments.  “For Metro, it really came down to customer service for both the citizens of Nashville and the employees of the government” said John Stone, Enterprise Imaging Project Manager at Metro.  “Our goal is to have an Enterprise-class EDMS for any and all departments and agencies to use to improve their processes and productivity as well as collaborate on the records with each other.”  

Metro soon came to the realization that they needed a web-based EDMS that provided document viewing and searching within a web browser while maintaining a centralized document repository.  Since documents need to be scanned and indexed throughout the county, a web-based document capture system was also needed.  A web-based EDMS would allow Metro to easily roll out document capture and image retrieval throughout the organization with minimal support costs.

By 2002, Metro was ready to start looking for a new, web-based EDMS.  That same year, they released an RFP (request for proposal), and AccuImage, LLC of Nashville, Tennessee was the winning contractor.  AccuImage is a systems integrator and reseller of EDMS software as well as document scanners and scanning services. 

For electronic document management, AccuImage implemented the Xtender suite of products by EMC/Documentum.  The Documentum product, ApplicationXtender, is used as the electronic repository for all of Metro’s documents.  Additionally, AccuImage proposed WebXtender, which is the browser-client for the system.  These combined products allow Metro employees to retrieve, view, and manage documents using standard web browsers.  After encountering the problems they had with their first document management system, Metro decided that from that point forward, they would try to only implement Intranet/Internet friendly products.  Metro felt that web-based products would allow them to roll out the system to other departments quickly and easily.  They did not want to run into client-based installation and upgrade procedures, which took a lot of time to complete.

As far as document capture, Metro envisioned one system that would fit the needs of many different departments.  These departments would be scanning and indexing a variety of documents at various times of the day, and needed a system that could be centrally administered and configured.  They felt that a centralized scanning operation would further impede the immediate accessibility of documents because it would take a lot of time to collect, deliver, and image all of Metro’s departmental documents.  Instead, they wanted to perform document capture at each department where the paper originated.  “We did not want to shuffle paper from the departments to a different location to be imaged”, added Stone.  “We felt capturing the documents at the source expedited the imaging processes especially since the expertise of the documents rested in the user departments.”

AccuImage implemented Captovation Web Capture, which is a browser-based, distributed scanning system.  The software met Metro’s most important requirement: It runs entirely within a web browser, and is centrally administered through a JAVA applet.  Having completed successful installations at other customer sites in need of distributed scanning, AccuImage felt that Captovation Web Capture would provide Metro with a “best of breed” approach to their Enterprise EDMS.  “We felt Captovation Web Capture would satisfy the capture needs at Metro and give them the ability to quickly expand the system to other departments as needed,” said Sunny Rippetoe, Vice President of Professional Services at AccuImage.

AccuImage installed ApplicationXtender in four major departments: Human Resources, Water Services, Metro Schools, and the Metro Clerk.  Metro purchased 25 Captovation Web Capture licenses, and the departments are using the product with various scanners including Canon 3060 and Fujitsu 4220 document scanners. 

Within the Human Resources Department, AccuImage first performed a back file conversion by imaging all of Metro’s beneficiaries' records and personnel records.  Patch code sheets were used to differentiate the different document types.  The data entry operators only entered the ID number for each employee.  The number was then used to look up the rest of the employee’s information from an external database. 

Now, HR uses Captovation Web Capture, along with Captovation Recognition Server to scan and read the day-to-day business documents some of which contain bar codes.  These bar codes contain unique data for every employee as well as the type of document, which is already contained in the HR database.  Recognition Server reads the bar code and queries a database to retrieve additional index information such as first name, date of birth, etc.  For documents without bar codes, users scan the documents with Web Capture and enter data from the images into a primary index field.  Captovation Web Capture then performs the database query based on that keyed data to retrieve supporting index information. 

Also, once per year the Human Resources Department has an open enrollment for employee benefits.  These benefits forms are sent via US Postal Service to all employees who are then given the option faxing, mailing, or completing an electronic form on the Internet.  HR employees use Web Capture to scan the returned paper documents that have bar codes.  These documents do not require any manual indexing; instead the Recognition Server reads the two bar codes, employee identification and document type, and populates the required fields.  The electronic forms are processed automatically as well via a ‘watched’ e-mail box.  As a document is completed on-line, it is ‘submitted’ to the required location, and is brought into Captovation Capture as an image batch.  Users index the document images with Captovation Index, Captovation’s production-level indexing component.

Metro did however encounter a problem with processing benefits forms returned via fax.  They were finding that the benefits forms received by fax were of bad resolution.  Because the quality of the faxes was degraded, Metro was unable to get an accurate bar code read after scanning the documents.  To solve this problem, AccuImage implemented Captovation Import Server, which allows Metro to import the native fax format and convert it into an industry standard image – in this case a TIFF (tagged image file format).  Captovation Import Server is configured to monitor a fax directory for the faxes received by Metro’s HR department.  This prevents the need to scan fax documents and helps to prevent further degradation of image quality.  As a result, bar code recognition of faxes is improved.

Other departments using the AX/Web Capture system include the Metropolitan Clerk, which is the official repository for several document categories at Metro.  They now use Web Capture to scan legislation docs, ordinances, liens, easements, deeds, contracts, and other records. Several other imaging projects have been approved at Metro and are either underway or will begin within the next couple of months.  These projects include the following: Water Services will scan the logs created from the pipe filming crews, new engineering records, large meter and backflow records, and archive records; Finance Department -- Payroll Division will use Web Capture to scan payroll related records.

Metro will also be phasing out their old imaging system across all departments.  Soon, the Purchasing Division of Finance, Davidson County Sheriff's Office, Health Department, Assessor of Property, and Codes Administration will be using Web Capture to scan and index documents and Documentum AX for image queries and retrieval.

AccuImage has also just completed the project to scan over 200,000 of Metro’s Water and Sewer permit cards.  Water Services had been using a Lectriever, which is a mechanical, vertical storage device that rotates and accommodates the storage of files in one area rather than in multiple file cabinets.  This Lectriever was full of permit cards and was constantly in need of service.  Incorporating their service bureau, AccuImage has completed the imaging process for the almost 224,000 permit cards.  As a result, the Lectiriever machines can be eliminated, which will save Metro money on maintenance costs.

Thus far, the biggest benefit of their new document capture/management system is that data, based on security permissions, can be shared amongst all Metro departments as required.  Records are available electronically 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any system.  Applicable users no longer need to have a key to the file room, access to a given floor, or access to a given building.  Records are also available to more than one user at a time--No longer do out-of-file conditions exist.  The Water Services Department, for example, is located in several different locations around the city of Nashville.  Prior to the AX/Web Capture implementation, Water Services employees could not easily share document information across all locations.  Now with the new system, imaged data is immediately available and viewable from all Water Services offices.

Metro concluded that the immediate availability and accessibility of images would not have been possible without a distributed capture system.  Captovation Web Capture’s unique architecture allowed Metro to get their many departments scanning and indexing documents quickly because the product requires no physical software installation.  The program’s interface is also more conducive for ad-hoc scanning and indexing.  Captovation Web Capture runs entirely in a web browser, providing an easy-to-use interface.  Since the batch profiles (unique characteristics applied to documents to be scanned) are all configured centrally, Web Capture users know right away which documents need to be just scanned, and which documents need to be both scanned and indexed.  This means that Web Capture users need little to no training before they begin capturing documents.  Stone added, “While producing a reliable, stable, user-friendly product for our users in a very reasonable timeframe was our goal, we also wanted a system that the users would embrace and depend upon.  In many cases, document management duties became additional tasks for employees on top of existing tasks so we needed a system that was easy to use, intuitive, and saved the users time.  The Captovation products provided that and much more.”

Another benefit of distributed capture at Metro is that documents no longer need to be routed to a central location for document imaging, which took valuable time and increased the risk of documents being lost.  All documents can now be captured at their place of origination (department) and indexed according to that department’s specifications.

By implementing Captovation Import and Recognition servers, Metro was also able to reduce the amount of data entry and manual processing required for their documents.  No longer do employee benefits forms received by fax need to be scanned and manually indexed.  Import Server converts the native faxes into images so they can be routed to Recognition Server for automated bar code recognition.  Both of these servers run on stand-along workstations, and once batch jobs are configured, little to no manual intervention is required.

Other ROI benefits include reduced physical document storage requirements.  For example, the Human Resources department had been renting space in a separate building for the beneficiary records for several years.  Due to the records being converted to electronic images, this space is no longer needed.  The scanned records are boxed and stored at Metro's Record Center where the cost per square foot is substantially lower.  Additionally, the Planning Department and Codes Administration will be moving from their current locations to a new building, but will not have space for their existing records.  They will be scanned and then stored elsewhere at a reduced cost per square foot.

Metro is finding that the immediate availability and accessibility of documents across all departments is very beneficial.  Employees no longer need to get up from their desks to retrieve files from file cabinets in different rooms, on different floors, or even different buildings.  For example, prior to the AX/Web Capture system, employees within the Metro Clerk would receive requests for information via phone, mail, or e-mail.  The Metro Clerk's staff would then recall the record(s) from the appropriate file cabinets, make copies, and mail them to the requestor.  Now, the process includes many of the requestors accessing the records directly, or the Clerk's staff e-mailing a link to or a copy of the requested documents that is contained within ApplicationXtender. 

In addition, Metro no longer has security concerns with regards to their documents.  When an employee at Metro needs access to records, the document management system enables the security to be enforced to a specific document type or other index value.  If a user does not have access to a record or group of records, the user will not even see any evidence of the record(s).  A specific example of security benefits is the Metro Schools.  With 100 plus schools in Nashville on the new system, the security clearance needed to be enhanced.  Prior to system implementation, Metro Schools employees would send sensitive documents via courier or via standard mail back to Metro headquarters.  Metro employees now have the appropriate clearance to access these records online.

Lastly, Metro’s new electronic document management system provides a system for disaster recovery.  By providing an additional copy of records in the form of an image, Metro is assured that they will have that record in a safe format that will be viable well into the future.  The Water Services Permit Cards, for instance, date back as far as the late 1800s. There are no other copies of these cards and while much of it is historical, the value of these cards is immeasurable.  If the building where these records are stored were to be destroyed, they would have been irrecoverable.  Now with an image backup, these concerns are alleviated.

“With this implementation, we essentially realized many direct business benefits that have helped us streamline internal processes and also enable us to respond to resident/constituent requests for documents much easier,” concluded Stone.  “Secure information sharing is very important in our organization and now Metro users can directly benefit from and contribute to that goal.”  

About AccuImage, LLC

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., AccuImage has been solving complex business problems and streamlining laborious paper-based processes for businesses and government agencies since 1996. AccuImage specializes in the design, installation and support of document and content management systems, forms processing solutions and business process management systems. Their customers use information management solutions to gain the maximum value from their information at every point in the information lifecycle.  Innovation and best-of-breed technology is used to meet all customers' business objectives and exceed expectations for quality and customer care.

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