Welcome to my blog
September 29th, 2008 by Nien-Ling Wacker
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Welcome to my first blog! Those of you who know me know that writing a blog doesn’t really seem like something I would do. I’m really more of a programmer. I tend to think in terms of zeros and ones. But I travel and talk to so many wonderful people doing so many great things, people in my office kept telling me I should try to write it all down. So here it goes.
Nien-Ling and Chris Wacker with Martha Rodillas and Debbie Richards, ECS
This is the second year we attended the State of Hawai’i’s Municipal Attorney’s Training Conference in Kona. This year was even more significant because the day we arrived, we found out Laserfiche had been made the standard for the County for document management! It’s good news for us, but I think it really speaks to how the user community has embraced Laserfiche here.
I had chance to catch up with our friends Lincoln Ashida and Martha Rodillas from the County of Hawai’i Office of the Corporation Counsel. They, along with Fatima Hicks, (who was actually back at the office on the other side of the island but there in spirit) have all been very enthusiastic supporters of Laserfiche. In fact, Fatima and Martha both wrote about it earlier this year.
That’s what I love most about Hawai’i: the people. They live and let live. They’re very kind. They’re always very grateful. One thing’s for sure, they feed us very well—lots of delicious homemade Hawaiian food. I can’t remember the names of the dishes exactly; I just kept eating.
Steve Hackney with Martha and the staff of the Office of the Corporation Counsel
I was basically supposed to be at the conference as a participant. Our Steve Hackney was conducting the training. He wrote a really nice post about it here.
In one of the classes I sat next to some attendees from the County of Hawai’i’s Prosecutor’s Office. During one of the breaks we started talking and they shared with me that they were having a hard time figuring out where to start. I suggested that they just do what the Corporation Counsel did. They explained that the Corporation Counsel handled civil cases. The Prosecutor’s Office handles more complicated criminal cases that generate a lot more paperwork because they interact with a lot more people—the police department, various courts, various lawyers. It shows you how much I know about lawyers.
What I was hearing was actually pretty typical of new-users, that trepidation that comes from feeling overwhelmed. It can be paralyzing. I offered a couple of pieces of advice to the Prosecutor’s Office that I’d give to any implementation consultant.
Nien-Ling and Chris with ECS’ Debbie Richards with staff from the Prosecutor’s Office
First, prioritize. Break the implementation down into phases. I told the Prosecutor’s Office, “Right now, don’t get bogged down with how the police department is going to use the system. Maybe you still give them paper for now. Just think about who in your own office is going to use Laserfiche the most. Make their job easier.” That’s really why they got the system in the first place.
Second, you have to be sensitive to the paradigm shift that takes place from the paper world to the digital world. Listen to your new users describe what they’ll need to do, but remember, they’re talking about improving what they already do with paper. You have to anticipate what they will be able to do with all the capabilities of the digital world, because they don’t know yet.
A few weeks later, I received an e-mail from Martha: the Prosecutor’s Office is using Laserfiche to scan all its closed cases to get started. They’ve been talking to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Eaton County, MI, where Jeffrey Sauter and his staff have been happy to share their experience and success. That’s all I can ask for, for that community spirit.
So thank you for reading my first blog. Next, I’ll be traveling to the Laserfiche International Conference and Training in Lebanon and then to Dubai (which is now actually using Laserfiche itself; you can read about it here). I’ll have a lot of pictures and stories to share soon.
Author Info
Laserfiche
Staff
Nien-Ling Wacker is the founder and CEO of Laserfiche.
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Aloha! It truly was an honor having Nien Ling & Chris Wacker at our conference for the second year in a row! Nien Ling brings her positive upbeat spirit and worldly knowledge with her wherever she goes. The true spirit of “Hawaii” lies in each and every one of our conference participants — especially our staff who uses Laserfiche every single work day. Yes, food is always delicious in Hawaii and the company filled with the “aloha spirit” as we cherish the great working relationship we have with our friends at Laserfiche.
The training that Steve Hackney presented was outstanding. All students walked away with new knowledge they could apply back at the office. Our Accountant, Marcia Matsui said “She no longer wants to touch paper — Laserfiche is “gellin’” in her financial world!” Stacie Waltjen, a legal secretary in our office says, “Laserfiche is very convenient and easy to use — I can’t think of what life would be like without Laserfiche!” We received raving comments – way to go Steve!
Nien Ling is quite genuine — she has a personal interest in people and the success of their organization. We truly enjoyed having her, Chris and Steve in Waikoloa at our conference – and we welcome anyone else who wants to attend!
Hey, maybe we can get together again?….I’m game! Till next time…..
Mahalo & Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii!
April 7th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Hi !! ;)
I am Piter Kokoniz. Just want to tell, that I’v found your blog very interesting
And want to ask you: will you continue to post in this blog in future?
Sorry for my bad english:)
Thank you!
Piter.
July 17th, 2009 at 8:03 am
Great post!
July 28th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Sometimes it’s really that simple, isn’t it? I feel a little stupid for not thinking of this myself/earlier, though.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:46 am
I don’t know If I said it already but …Great site…keep up the good work. :) I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks, :)
A definite great read..Tony Brown