Beyond Efficiency: How Generative AI from Laserfiche Unlocks Strategic Value for the Public Sector

In recent months, the conversation around generative AI (Gen AI) has moved beyond productivity and hype. While early use cases in the public sector focused on time-saving and process efficiency, the broader narrative is evolving toward the transformational potential of AI to unlock insights, improve public services, and anticipate citizen needs. As public sector leaders confront rising service expectations, tight budgets, and growing data complexity, the strategic deployment of Gen AI particularly through enterprise content management (ECM) and process automation presents a powerful path forward.

Laserfiche is at the forefront of this evolution. By embedding Gen AI capabilities such as Smart Fields into our platform, we enable agencies, municipalities, and educational institutions to move beyond automating tasks and begin unlocking institutional knowledge at scale. This article explores the forces shaping Gen AI adoption in the public sector and the unique value Laserfiche brings to this new chapter.

Technological Innovation: From Automation to Insight

Across the public sector, Gen AI is transitioning from a tactical tool to a strategic enabler. Initial use cases centered on automating repetitive work summarizing documents, generating email drafts, or assisting with data entry. But the technology’s next wave is defined by its ability to reveal patterns, surface actionable insights, and synthesize complex information across siloed systems.

Laserfiche’s Smart Fields exemplify this shift. By using AI to detect and understand content in real time, Smart Fields reduce manual data tagging and improve metadata accuracy. This goes far beyond convenience. It allows public sector organizations to create more intelligent content repositories, where relevant information is surfaced proactively and used to inform decisions from public health trends to policy implementation to citizen engagement strategies.

Moreover, the Laserfiche platform integrates Gen AI into core business processes, enabling more responsive workflows. For instance, natural language processing (NLP) capabilities can be used to classify incoming service requests, assign priority based on urgency, and trigger automated routing ensuring faster and more consistent delivery of services.

Changing Customer Behavior: From Task Automation to Data Stewardship

To fully realize the benefits of Gen AI, public sector organizations must rethink how they manage data and measure outcomes. The old model of digitizing for the sake of efficiency is giving way to a new imperative: leveraging digital assets for continuous learning and improvement.

This shift demands a cultural change. Agencies need to embrace their role as stewards of public data not just curators of records but strategic users of information to drive policy and operational excellence. In this context, Laserfiche acts as a connective tissue between structured processes and unstructured data, enabling agencies to treat every document, form, or communication as a potential source of insight.

Equally important is the need for responsible innovation. Citizens and students expect transparency in how AI is used, especially in areas like eligibility determination, grading, or benefits administration. Public sector leaders must pair Gen AI adoption with robust governance, including audit trails, consent tracking, and AI explainability features. Laserfiche’s commitment to compliance and transparency ensures that agencies can adopt AI with confidence.

Navigating Regulatory Change: Building Trust and Alignment

Governments around the world are moving quickly to regulate AI, with a growing emphasis on fairness, accountability, and data protection. In the United States, executive orders and state-level legislation are beginning to shape expectations for the use of AI in public services. The European Union’s AI Act, although not directly binding on U.S. institutions, is setting the tone globally by categorizing AI use cases by risk and imposing strict obligations for public sector applications.

Laserfiche is designed with these realities in mind. Our platform includes role-based access controls, automated retention policies, and end-to-end encryption to help organizations align with privacy and data management requirements. More critically, the platform’s explainable AI capabilities provide clarity into how decisions are made an essential safeguard in regulated environments.

As regulations mature, public sector leaders will need technology partners that offer more than just AI features. They will need systems that are auditable, secure, and aligned with emerging compliance frameworks.

Growth Opportunities: Serving Citizens and Students More Intelligently

The greatest untapped opportunity for Gen AI in the public sector lies in its potential to personalize and improve the citizen and student experience. Today’s constituents expect the same responsiveness from government that they receive from the private sector yet many agencies are hampered by legacy systems and data silos.

With Laserfiche, organizations can unify disparate data sources and automate multi-step interactions, allowing for intelligent service delivery. Imagine a student applying for financial aid who is guided through the process via an AI assistant that understands eligibility rules, validates documentation in real time, and tracks application status all integrated with a secure ECM backbone. Or a constituent filing a complaint about street repairs who receives proactive updates based on workflow progress, without ever needing to make a follow-up call.

These scenarios are not science fiction. They are being implemented today by forward-looking agencies using Laserfiche to reimagine how the government and education serves its stakeholders.

Conclusion: The Strategic Role of Gen AI in Public Service

As the Wired article suggests, the real value of Gen AI is not just in how fast it operates but in how deeply it can transform how organizations think and act. For the public sector, this means using AI not simply to accelerate processes, but to deliver on the promise of better governance, equity, and trust.

Laserfiche’s AI-powered platform, including capabilities like Smart Fields, helps agencies shift from reacting to anticipating, from managing data to unlocking insight, and from compliance to transformation. For leaders seeking to modernize operations, improve service delivery, and embrace the future of digital governance, the time to act is now.

The opportunity is no longer just to do more with less. It is to do better with more, more intelligence, more context, and more strategic value from every interaction.

See More on how Laserfiche is unlocking a new era in productivity and insight.

eBook: The Intelligent Document Processing Playbook

eBook: Government Gets Down to Business with AI

AI is transforming how government agencies deliver services, streamline operations, and make smarter decisions. From improving response times at Veterans Affairs to modernizing 24 million property records in Santa Clara County, AI is proving its value across all levels of government.

Modernization, AI, and the Future of Government Tech

An Uncertain Road Ahead

Government leaders are experiencing uncertainty with the federal transition and policy shifts stemming from the new administration.

That’s what I learned at Beyond the Beltway, an event where government leaders discuss their technology objectives and challenges. This event provides an opportunity to hear about technology priorities and pain points from industry leaders across the country.

Staying the Course

Teri Taki, Senior Vice President at the Center for Digital Government , pointed out that the response to this ongoing transition should be measured. Many state and local leaders reinforced this sentiment. They noted that their technology priorities remain steady despite shifting federal dynamics.

A Continued Focus: Efficiency, Modernization and AI

The ongoing push for modernization was a resounding theme across the event. This goes beyond upgrading legacy systems. It means delivering more efficient, citizen-centric services.

Leaders emphasized three major priorities:

  • Enhancing the constituent experience – Making government services more accessible, seamless and user friendly.
  • Leveraging AI and automation – Augmenting the workforce and streamlining service delivery.
  • Ensuring security and compliance – Safeguarding data and privacy amid evolving threats.

While these priorities are not new, the accelerated adoption of AI-driven automationis what stood out.

Automation is meant to improve internal processes and service delivery. It is not only about cost savings, but also about reducing inefficiencies, breaking down silos and improving collaboration.

Laserfiche’s Role in Enabling Smarter Government

We help government work more efficiently, collaborate better and deliver improved services. Our secure content management and process automation platform enables agencies to:

  • Automate manual workflows to free up staff for higher value work.
  • Unlocking insights and improving decision-making with AI.
  • Reduce bottlenecks and improve collaboration.
  • Strengthen security and compliance while maintaining operational efficiency.

Hundreds of state and local governments use Laserfiche to modernize their processes. We remain committed to helping government leaders navigate the evolving #GovTech landscape. We work to ensure that automation enhances both the citizen and staff experience.

The Path Forward: Thoughtful, Measured Innovation

While the drive for efficiency is critical, the approach must be measured and strategic. Technology should enhance rather than disrupt service delivery.

Process automation can overcome manual roadblocks, promote collaboration, and deliver secure, scalable solutions. With process automation, government agencies can achieve both efficiency and long-term value.Cut Content Management Costs in Half

At Laserfiche, we are committed to working with government partners to turn their priorities into reality.

For example, the City of Long Beach implemented a three-pronged strategy: consolidating IT services, increasing transparency and digitizing processes. Working with Laserfiche, the city cut annual ECM costs by 50%.

Empowering the delivery of the next generation of smarter, more responsive public services is our mission. We would love to hear your thoughts—what modernization trends are you seeing in the government space? Let’s connect! Contact us to learn how we can help you accelerate service delivery.

Clear the Path to Rebuilding: Laserfiche Can Speed Up Permitting and Recovery

The LA wildfires left behind more than just burned homes and scorched landscapes. They left thousands of residents waiting—waiting to rebuild, waiting for approvals, waiting for their lives to return to normal.

For local governments, the challenge is not about issuing permits; it’s about restoring hope and stability. And they need to do it as quickly as possible. But the traditional permitting process wasn’t designed for disasters. It’s slow, paper-heavy and frustrating for both officials and residents.

What if there was a way to cut through the backlog and get permits approved faster? Laserfiche is an industry-leading ECM platform that makes that possible.

When Every Day Counts

Imagine a homeowner who lost everything in the fire. They have insurance money ready, a contractor lined up and blueprints in hand. But before they can break ground, they need permits.

They submit their application, but local permitting offices are overwhelmed. Stacks of paperwork cover desks, phone lines are busy and approvals move at a snail’s pace. Weeks turn into months. Frustration builds.

Now, imagine a different scenario. The homeowner submits their permit online through a simple portal. The system automatically routes their application to the right department.  Any missing information is flagged upfront. Officials review and approve it digitally, cutting out unnecessary back-and-forth. The homeowner gets their permit in days instead of weeks.

That’s the power of Laserfiche.

Make Permitting Faster and Easier

Laserfiche transforms outdated, manual permitting into a fast, automated process. This automation helps local governments do more with less and keep up with demand.

Digital Applications Instead of Paper Piles

Rather than requiring residents to stand in line at government offices, Laserfiche allows them to:

  • Submit applications and supporting documents online.
  • Track their permit status in real time.
  • Receive digital approvals without having to visit multiple offices.

For government teams, this means fewer phone calls, fewer lost documents, and a smoother process from start to finish.

Streamline Workflows and Boost Efficiency with Automation After a wildfire, the volume of permit requests can overwhelm city staff. Laserfiche eliminates bottlenecks by:

  • Automatically routing applications to the right people for review.
  • Sending notifications when approvals are needed.
  • Setting up reminders so permits don’t get stuck in the system.

This keeps things moving, reducing unnecessary delays and helping homeowners start rebuilding sooner.

Make Smarter Decisions with GIS

Rebuilding isn’t just about speed—it’s also about safety. Some areas may be too fire-prone to redevelop with standard building practices. Some properties may need extra environmental and safety reviews before construction can begin.

Laserfiche connects directly with Esri ArcGIS, allowing officials to:

  • Link permits and inspection reports to real-time maps
  • Identify high-risk zones and flag permits that need extra review
  • Track rebuilding progress across the entire community

By combining permitting data with GIS mapping, governments can make informed, responsible decisions. These decisions can help protect communities and property owners from future disasters.

Keeping Up with FEMA and State Requirements

For local governments, disaster recovery isn’t just about issuing permit. It is about making sure everything is documented to receive state and federal funding.

Laserfiche simplifies compliance by:

  • Storing all permit records in a centralized, searchable system
  • Automatically tracking approvals, inspections, and changes
  • Generating reports for FEMA and state agencies without digging through stacks of paper

This ensures local governments don’t miss out on critical funding due to missing paperwork or lost records.

Keep Communities Informed in the Recovery Process

For residents affected by wildfires or disaster, waiting for a permit can feel like waiting in the dark. When will their application be reviewed? Where does it stand in the process? What else do they need to provide?

Laserfiche helps keep communities informed by:

  • Enabling residents to check their permit status via a public-facing portal.
  • Making information easily accessible by streamlining public records requests.
  • Improving collaboration between departments so everyone stays on the same page.

When people know what’s happening, trust in the process grows—and so does confidence in their local government.

Rebuilding Faster, Together

The wildfires may have destroyed homes, but they didn’t destroy the spirit of the communities they touched. Local governments have the power to clear the way for faster rebuilding—and Laserfiche can help.

With content management, automated approvals, GIS integration, and better compliance tools, cities and counties can:

  • Reduce permit approval times from weeks to days.
  • Prevent paperwork delays and lost documents.
  • Ensure compliance with FEMA and state regulations.
  • Speed up inspections and safe rebuilding efforts.
  • Improve communication and transparency for residents.

For families and business owners eager to rebuild, every day matters. The faster the permits are issued, the sooner construction begins, and the sooner life can return to normal.

Let’s Get Started

If your city or county is struggling with permitting delays after the wildfires, Laserfiche can help. Contact us today to see how our automation and workflow solutions can support your recovery efforts. See why Laserfiche is a Leader:

GUIDES – A Collaborative Approach to Community Support 

In January 2023, the City of Long Beach launched the Government User Integrated Diversion Enhancement System (GUIDES), a transformative mobile application designed to assist the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) and the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office (LBCP) in providing vital assistance to highly vulnerable populations. This innovative platform serves as an online information system powered by Laserfiche’s innovative document and records management software, enabling law enforcement and prosecutors to share data and access case information while connecting individuals in need to essential services. 

Project Overview 

The GUIDES app was conceived as a response to pressing social issues, particularly the dramatic rise in homelessness and associated challenges in Long Beach. The city declared an “Emergency on Homelessness” after witnessing a staggering 62% increase in homelessness between 2020 and 2022. By providing officers with immediate access to crucial information that is stored in the Laserfiche Repository, GUIDES empowers them to make informed decisions, diverting individuals away from the criminal justice system and toward necessary social services, like shelter housing, mental health treatment and drug rehabilitation. 

Doug Haubert, Long Beach City Prosecutor, emphasizes the importance of this initiative, “We partnered with Laserfiche to create GUIDES, the first police-prosecutor data sharing app, to give more resources to officers in the field. We need technology like this more than ever to help get people off the streets, and into social services.”  

Funding and Development 

The development of GUIDES was funded by the United States Department of Justice through the Innovative Prosecution Solutions Grant Program, with a total award of $360,000. Laserfiche, a Long Beach-based software company with deep ties to the community, worked closely with Haubert’s office to develop GUIDES and ensure it met the specific needs of local law enforcement and the community at large. 

Prior to the introduction of GUIDES, the LBPD had been leveraging Laserfiche technology since 2013 to improve access to information about court orders. As a trusted solution for document management and collaboration, Laserfiche supports the LBPD’s ability to centrally store information — such as PDFs, images and documents — apply appropriate metadata, and retrieve content while addressing necessary regulatory, security and privacy requirements. Building on this foundation, the Laserfiche-driven GUIDES app represents a significant advancement in the city’s approach to public safety. 

Key Features and Functionality 

The GUIDES app enables officers to quickly ascertain context about individuals they encounter in the field, enhancing their ability to provide appropriate assistance. The app provides real-time information regarding individuals’ probation status, stay-away court orders, and active warrants, streamlining the decision-making process for officers. For example, if an individual is already part of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) diversion program, officers can easily identify and reconnect them with their case managers, offering alternatives to arrest or incarceration. By facilitating this connection to social services, GUIDES helps to improve outcomes for individuals in need. 

Results and Impact 

The initial evaluation of the GUIDES initiative has yielded promising results. A survey of police respondents indicated that 75.6% are likely to use the app in the field, and 70% believe it will aid them in their duties. This positive reception highlights the potential for GUIDES to enhance law enforcement practices and improve outcomes for individuals experiencing homelessness or mental health challenges. 

Long-term goals for the project include: 

  • Reduction in arrests and prosecutions due to having more options 
  • Increased referrals to social services 
  • Improved outcomes for individuals with social service needs 
  • Decrease in violent crime and recidivism rates 

By focusing on these objectives, GUIDES allows law enforcement agencies to concentrate their resources on cases that truly require traditional criminal justice interventions. 

Future Potential 

Looking ahead, there is significant potential for the GUIDES app to evolve and expand its capabilities. The app’s architecture is designed to incorporate additional features over time, allowing for the integration of further data types that can enhance its utility. The ultimate goal is to build a more interconnected ecosystem of government agencies and NGOs, fostering collaboration to address pressing community needs. 

As Haubert notes, “This project requires organizational commitment and a long-term vision. If we invest in the right resources, GUIDES can serve as a model for other communities grappling with similar challenges.” 

The GUIDES app exemplifies how innovative technology from Laserfiche can play a crucial role in modernizing public safety efforts and addressing complex social issues. By bridging the gap between law enforcement and social services, Laserfiche and the City of Long Beach are taking a proactive approach to support its most vulnerable residents. In a world where traditional methods often fall short, GUIDES represents a forward-thinking solution, demonstrating the power of collaboration and technology in fostering a more equitable society. 

Simplifying Government Services at Hurunui District Council 

New Zealand’s Hurunui District has a population of more than 13,000 spread across 864,640 hectares just north of Christchurch. Serving a largely rural area, the Hurunui District Council excels at developing a sense of community, partnership and well-being. 

“Our services are extremely broad,” said Stewart Tayles, digital transformation and IT team leader at Hurunui and Kaikoura District Councils. “From dog registrations to consents, or running youth programming to providing social housing — we really do everything essential for our community.”  

This wide-ranging scope requires a flexible technology infrastructure where systems can be integrated and adapted to the territory’s growing needs.  

“Our CEO wants the council to be a 24/7 operation — we need to be engaged with the community and enable them to engage with us,” Tayles added. “We need forms. We need to make information available. We need to be able to provide access to these services when people need them.”  

Replacing Legacy Document Management with Robust Content Services 

The council initially procured Laserfiche to replace a legacy document management system (DMS) when the growing amount of information generated proved too much for the legacy system to efficiently handle, control and retain.  

The Hurunui team worked with Ricoh New Zealand to find an ideal solution in Laserfiche, which would meet the council’s changing needs. Today, Laserfiche serves the council as a versatile, enterprise-wide solution. “Being New Zealand’s eighth-largest district by land size, we needed a system with the capability to connect our multiple offices,” said Scott Linton, IT and GIS manager for Hurunui District Council. “We were really impressed at how easy it was to implement Laserfiche and connect our main office with five satellite locations. It was up and running in no time.” 

Building Consents Made Simple with Laserfiche Forms 

Beyond basic document management, the district manages vital processes — including resource consents — using Laserfiche’s forms, integration and workflow capabilities, supporting the development and economic growth of the territory.  

Building consent applications typically come in through Simpli, which provides a standard form for building control authorities — however, the council found the vetting of these submissions to be laborious and prone to human error. “Before we can process an application, we need to check that all the information is there, it’s valid and it’s suitable,” Tayles said. To address this manual review bottleneck, the team created a Building Consent Vetting Checklist in Laserfiche, which checks and validates the information before it’s officially submitted and reviewed by the district council. “It checks what we call the ‘Hurunui-isms,’ or the requirements that are very specific to our district.”  

With 500-600 applications per year, the checklist process has solved a long-standing headache for the building department and simplified consent review.   

On the back end, Laserfiche enables the council to keep records in a standardized way that is easy to navigate. 

“Each property has its own folder that contains an average of 40-50 pages on the details,” Linton said. “We have tens of thousands of documents that need to be identified and placed with the correct property. We applied a Laserfiche template with metadata information such as the building type, number, property ID, evaluation number and address. Laserfiche Workflow then automatically identifies, filters and files the documents in their correct folders.” 

Enhanced Contract Management with a Centralized Contract Register 

Also an integral part of the council’s infrastructure responsibilities is its ability to work with contractors to provide various services such as road construction, maintenance, waste management or cleaning services. A recent audit uncovered the need for more robust processes surrounding these contract approvals and service procurement — another area that Tayles understood Laserfiche could help. 

“We had a short time to implement a more robust, multi-step process,” Tayles said. “We sat down and said, ‘We can build this in Laserfiche Forms.’”  

The council now has a Contract Register in Laserfiche, which helps to centralize and organize the many projects, subcontracts under those projects and associated documentation that the council must manage. 

“Database lookups query the Laserfiche database directly to pick contract numbers and project numbers, so that we get a standardized naming format,” Tayles explained. “All those records automatically go into that contract or project folder, and we know they are correctly named and easily found later.”  

The biggest benefit to the council has been the transparency of the process. “By recording the decision-making, we can show why we went with a particular supplier, and show stewardship of the funds we receive from the central government,” Tayles said. After the new Contract Register was implemented, the council received glowing feedback from the central government on the new process. “We went from one end of the spectrum to the other.”

Building Trust: Improving Accountability and Transparency 

As part of its expansive range of services, Hurunui District Council prioritizes community engagement to build a strong community as well as ensure the mutual respect between government and constituents. Laserfiche’s ability to put information at the fingertips of those who need it provides a strong foundation on which to build that engagement.  

“We have a policy where we must archive every email, so another big project we’ve done is create our email archive in Laserfiche,” Tayles said. This archive provides referenceable information for legal compliance, auditing and accountability, as well as historical record and disaster recovery. “Now, all emails go into Office 365, and we use Laserfiche Connector to archive them in Laserfiche.”  

Tayles explained that Laserfiche was the right choice for the project not only for its archiving capabilities but also for its security tools. “Hurunui grows by 25,000 emails a week, and we are heavy on security,” he said. “We only want people to see their own emails. But we’re also subject to LGOIMA — the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act — where people can request all the information about a subject, so we’re able to give some people delegated access to the whole repository for searches.”  

Prior to using Laserfiche for the archive, the council was spending $50,000 per year on Mimecast, which they were able to retire and redirect funds toward additional security measures and other IT projects.  

A Flexible Solution to Any Problem 

Today, Hurunui District Council has over 220 active Laserfiche Forms, which span the organization’s full operations. “Forms are the backbone for multiple departments in the council,” Tayles said. “Other councils just can’t believe what we do with Laserfiche and how we make it work for our users. Laserfiche is an essential technology at Hurunui.”  

In addition to the processes that are ubiquitous in the government space, niche operations that are more common for district councils — from toilet cleaning and mowing to youth programming — also benefit from Laserfiche. One such process that illustrates Laserfiche’s flexibility: connecting lost dogs to their owners.  

“Because we manage the IT for [neighboring district council] Kaikoura, we built a solution to help them with lost dogs,” Tayles said. “They can get a call any time during the day or night about a dog, so they’ve implemented a solution called Doggone. Owners can consent to being texted so that they can be reunited with their dog quicker. Naturally, we had to get all the owner information into that system, but we also had to track whether people had given consent, because we are sharing contact information with a third party — there is a Laserfiche form for that.”  

Tayles and his team also used the Laserfiche API to connect Doggone to Kairkoura’s ERP system that houses the owner information. “We’re using Laserfiche workflow to get the owner information from the ERP and push it to Doggone,” Tayles said. “It also handles any requests for changes in the database, so that as dogs move or change owners, all systems remain up to date.” 

As Hurunui District Council works toward the CEO’s vision for 24/7 service, Laserfiche remains a core technology that will support its growing and changing needs.  

“What I enjoy about Laserfiche the most is the creative flexibility it gives,” Tayles added. “It gives me a lot of different tools to solve problems. There’s nothing prescribed about it — we can build our forms how we want, and we can set the metadata up the way we need it. There really hasn’t been a problem that I haven’t been able to solve using Laserfiche.”  

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Mackenzie District Council Modernizes Information and Process Management

SITUATION

• Mackenzie District Council needed an ECM system to support efficient service delivery
• Data security and recordkeeping requirements were top priorities

RESULTS

• Expanded use of Laserfiche from an electronic filing cabinet to a source of truth and workflow orchestration engine
• Integrations with core technologies such as the district council’s ERP enable automated solutions and increased efficiency
• Additional integrations and automated solutions will continue to enhance the employee and customer experience

Mackenzie District Council is one of New Zealand’s 53 district councils, responsible for providing services and managing issues ranging from local infrastructure and building consents to emergency services and food safety. With this broad range of duties, the district council relies on a core group of systems to enable its staff to deliver services efficiently, while keeping data secure and addressing recordkeeping requirements.

Mackenzie District Council

“We’ve got a handful of core systems that sit at the heart of our ecosystem,” said Chris Clarke, general manager of Information, Engagement and Community at Mackenize District Council. “One of those is our ERP and of course there’s Office 365, and I would put Laserfiche right up there with those systems. We deal with a lot of confidential information and we have complex recordkeeping requirements, and now it is becoming our workflow orchestration engine. It’s one of the essential tools that all of us use on a daily basis and could not function without.” 

From Electronic Filing Cabinet to Workflow Orchestration Engine

When Clarke assumed oversight of the district council’s IT department, the organization performed an assessment of its existing tech stack, revealing significant opportunity for improvement. “Internally, at the time, Laserfiche was perceived as an electronic filing cabinet,” Clarke explained. “But we realized that there was untapped potential for process automation and automated workflows.” 

The team got to work on establishing Laserfiche as the district council’s source of truth for recordkeeping, and integrating it with the ERP for a critical solution that the entire organization used: time off requests. “Holiday and leave forms were the first thing we automated because everyone takes leave, and lots of people in the organization have to process leave,” Clarke said. This deceptively small project made a big impact, transforming what once required downloading paper forms, signing them and attaching them to emails for processing, into a task that now took mere seconds. 

“When we first rolled it out, people were skeptical of whether it actually worked, because it seemed too easy,” Clarke added. “All they had to do was two clicks, and they couldn’t believe that was the case.”

Leading the Way: Implementing Recordkeeping Best Practices

IT has now set its sights on transforming the rest of the organization’s workflows, taking a thoughtful approach to change management and prioritization. 

“What we’re trying to do is change the perception that Laserfiche is another piece of business software that you just need to use because of recordkeeping requirements,” Clarke said. “It’s about winning hearts and minds, and getting things done. People are starting to think about Laserfiche now as a tool that helps with work, as opposed to yet another system to be wrestled with.” 

Clarke and his team have set their sights on systematically transforming the way the district council manages its records, with the goal of leveraging Laserfiche to automate the records management lifecycle, including retention schedules and disposition. 

“We’re doing a taxonomy review to assess our existing recordkeeping, and working through licensing, security, roles, etc.,” said Zane Woodfield, ICT manager at Mackenzie District Council. “One of the things that I like about Laserfiche is that we are creating a technology demarcation point-slash-security boundary from all other stuff that’s in the cloud. Now that we have set up Microsoft Entra SSO authentication and some of the foundational pieces with Laserfiche, we feel secure and safe enough to do more.” 

Laserfiche’s robust security and compliance tools also support the Mackenzie IT team’s mission to innovate while addressing data safeguards and critical recordkeeping needs.

“For us to impact the organization’s records and processes, we have to have confidence that the audit trail is there; we have to have confidence that the information is going to go to the right people. We have to have all of that confidence in place — and we do with Laserfiche.”

— Chris Clarke, IT General Manager, Mackenzie District Council

“Having the right local support in place has also been a critical part of our success,” added Clarke. “Laserfiche is a very capable and flexible product, but that can bring with it some complexity to ensure the system is configured to meet our specific business needs. Our local partner, ifTHEN, has taken the time to understand our business and our process requirements, and as a result has been able to assist us to configure Laserfiche in a way that delivers the optimum solution to our needs. Without their experience and insight, we would not have been able to effectively utilise many of the more advanced features which are now adding value to both our staff and customers on a daily basis.” 

The Future is Automated: Enhancing the Employee and Customer Experience

Mackenzie District Council’s IT department has laid a strong foundation for transformative change, and team members are excited to realize the potential for Laserfiche across the organization. Along with their Laserfiche solution provider, ifTHEN Limited, the team feels confident that their Laserfiche initiatives will be a gamechanger for all departments and those they serve. 

“We’re just about to embark on a project where we go out to the business and get everyone’s wish list,” Clarke said. “We know that list will be large, but we are hyper focused on the things that really make a difference and give us the biggest bang for our investment, as we’re dealing with public funds.” 

One significant project on the horizon is implementing a public portal to make it easier for the public to interface with the district council. Currently, the council’s website hosts downloadable forms that must be scanned or reuploaded for processing, but the IT team hopes to replace those “dumb forms” with Laserfiche Forms. “We’re working through public iterations of forms that will truly transform the customer experience,” Clarke said. “We’re really excited about that.” 

Additional integrations on the roadmap will bring even more possibilities for automated solutions, including an integration with the district council’s GIS and building consent management systems to help streamline the building consent process. As the district council and IT continue to uncover new efficiencies with their Laserfiche projects, the future looks bright. 

“We’ve done the foundational work, so we feel we’re at the beginning of our journey in terms of leveraging the benefits,” Clarke said. “Who knows where it will take us? One of the things that I see which is encouraging is that Laserfiche continues to evolve. We don’t know what the future holds, but I’m confident that Laserfiche will be on that journey with us.”