Yearly Archives: 2023

7 Benefits of Digital Transformation in Local Government

7 Benefits of Digital Transformation in Local Government

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the 21st century, local governments are under increasing pressure to modernize their operations and services to meet the growing expectations of their constituents. A critical driver of this transformation is the adoption of digital technologies, which have the potential to revolutionize the way local governments operate. This article provides a brief overview of the vital role digital transformation plays in the modernization of local government operations, with insights into the challenges posed by paper-based processes and the compelling need for change. The Challenge of Paper-Based Processes: Local governments have traditionally relied on paper-based processes to manage various aspects of their operations,…
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What Happened to PermitWorks? What replaces PermitWorks?

What Happened to PermitWorks? What replaces PermitWorks?

If you were a former customer of PermitWorks, we are sorry that you had your municipal software rug pulled out from under you. We empathize with your situation. You may never know what happened to PermitWorks, but we can help you with next important question: what happens AFTER PermitWorks? ,

At citizenserve, we have a strong commitment to delivering exceptional government software solutions, and we've been doing that for the past 20 years. Our experience in serving municipalities like yours makes us confident that we can help you navigate this transition and get you a government software solution that is more efficient, more flexible, and more dependable than you've seen. Introducing citizenserve government software – here are some of our key benefits:

1. Trusted and Reliable Solution

Over our 20 years in business, citizenserve has established itself as a trusted and reliable government software provider. With a commitment to excellence and hundreds of customers across the United States, you can be confident that Citizenserve will support your staff and citizens now, and in the years to come.

2. Implementation that Moves as Quickly as You Do

Transitioning from one software platform to another can be daunting. However, our experienced implementation team is well-equipped to guide you through the process seamlessly. We offer a structured transition plan and robust customer support to ensure that the switch is as smooth as possible. We work with you to configure your system to meet your needs, and we can prioritize your highest priorities first.

3. Highly Configurable

Don't settle for a rigid, out-of-the box solution, or a limited low-code solution. Citizenserve offers 33 custom field types that allow us to configure your applications to include the information you need, in the format you need it. Our configurable workflows are built to match your work process, not the other way around. Our letter and email templates are built in HTML to your requirements, so you can notify your constituents when and how you need to.

4. Cloud-Based Convenience

Citizenserve operates in the cloud, which means you can access it from anywhere with an internet connection. This level of flexibility is crucial, especially in today's remote work environment. It allows your team to collaborate effectively, regardless of their physical location.

5. Mobile Accessibility

Citizenserve provides mobile access on any device that can serve a browser, enabling your field staff to use the system on tablets or smartphones. Citizenserve streamlines your inspection process, reduces paperwork, and improves communication between field and office personnel.

6. Unlimited Customer Support

Citizenserve's unlimited customer support is there to assist you every step of the way. From making ongoing changes to your applications, emails, activities, and portal, to unlimited report writing, to training new employees, we want you to be satisfied with your site.

7. Cost-Effective Solutions

Budget considerations are essential, that's why we offer competitive, transparent pricing options, based on named users, making citizenserve a cost-effective choice for your municipal software needs. Moreover, the efficiency gains and time savings it provides, as well as process improvements over time, can lead to significant long-term cost reductions. Check out our pricing page for pricing transparency, and schedule a call to discuss your options.

Next Steps

Schedule a call with our Account Management Team to discuss your municipality's needs, and hear more about how we work.

Schedule a Call Today

You can also visit our municipal software solutions pages or click these links to learn about the integrated solutions we offer for permitting software, planning & zoning software, code enforcement software, request tracking software and business licensing software, including health inspection software, rental registration software, and contractor licensing software.

Conclusion

The unexpected closure of PermitWorks left you in the lurch, but we can make this an opportunity to embrace positive change. By transitioning to Citizenserve, you can streamline your government software solutions, enhance communication between your constituents and staff, and take advantage of a reliable and cost-effective solution.

Don't let this setback hold you back. Embrace the future of permitting with Citizenserve, a trusted partner dedicated to your success. Reach out to our team today to learn more about how Citizenserve can help your department thrive in these challenging times. Make the transition and experience the benefits firsthand, turning this unexpected change into an opportunity for growth and efficiency.

Articles, Permitting Software
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Better than Low Code Permit Configuration

What's better than low code permit configuration? Check out how easy it is to add a new question to a permit application (actually, three applications) and some other cool tips on how easy it is to configure Citizenserve software.

With twenty years of government software development, fully trained support staff, unlimited support, unlimited training, and a highly configurable environment - we implement quickly, and support you once you are live. Request a Demo below to see how Citizenserve can serve your community's online services, and how we are even better than low code.

For more info on why we are even better than a low code solution, read this article Better than Low Code Software in the Government Space

And check out our Municipal Software Solutions pages for more information about how Citizenserve supports municipalities just like yours.

Transcript

So recently somebody asked if I could add number of

floors to this, so I would just create, um,

the number of floors drop down in the admin,

and then I can move it to the other relevant permits. Right?

Yep. From

The left hand side.

Exactly. So residential new

And

Then, uh, wherever you wanted.

It's like, so I could just copy the, like, number of proposed bedrooms,

do a copy field, change it to floors.

Yeah. Um, yeah, I always like to check and make sure it's not a variable text.

And then, yeah, copy

Floors.

So as soon as you save this screen, once you save it,

does it automatically just show up in the left hand side?

Yeah. So now that I've, I've created that custom field,

it is over here on any other of the screens. It's,

it's created whether or not I save that,

but I'll save this to save it on that screen.

Then we go to a commercial or something,

do a number of,

there it is, you highlight it and then you go, okay, where did I want that?

I want that right here.

So in the available custom fields, I know I can search,

start typing what it starts with, but can I do like a control F? So for example,

yeah. Or floors. Okay, good.

Yep. You can do the floors. That, that I, I love that. And then it,

it will jump around in the inside the dropdown, like it'll scroll for you.

Uh, and so yeah, you can do that.

I'll

Just send some here.

Once you highlight it and hit enter it moves it over. Okay.

Yeah, that's what I did.

Yeah. And you can do lots of them at the same time. Um, but if you're,

if you're creating a new permit that's very similar to say, like the mixed use,

there's a copy button,

copy this table and all the fields in it,

and then you just subtract or move or do what you need to do with the changes.

That's how I created all, all of them. So uniformly, right? Like this was like,

oh, here's, we're gonna copy the new copy, copy, copy, copy, copy.

Configuration, Low Code
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Better than Low Code Software in the Government Space

Better than Low Code Software in the Government Space

What could be better than low code software in the government space, you ask? Let's start with an introduction to Low Code and identify what you get, and DON'T get from this new software development paradigm in terms of developing useful, responsive, and extendable government software solutions.

What is Low Code Software?

Low code is a visual approach to software development. Its goals are to simplify, augment, and democratize traditional programming. And it disrupts the older custom software configuration method that requires time, money, and skilled software developers to plan, develop, test, and roll-out custom code. Low code is like having a build your own Rube Goldberg kit at your fingertips, with an input block that connects to one or more processing blocks, that connect to an output block. Low code is usually discussed as a solution for the end user - e.g. a business unit that needs novel access to data in the warehouse, or on the development side, a software company or development team can use low code software to assemble new processes and build new applications without the burden of writing code.

Benefits to Low Code Software

Major benefits of the Low Code model include:
- No technical resources required- subject matter experts use Visual Modeling to build software applications or workflows with drag and drop components.
- Re-usable components/building blocks - features are built by string together pre-tested blocks of functionality. These blocks are pre-tested, and reviewed for security, performance, and consistency.
- Quick deployment - low code software allows you to deploy new apps and modify existing apps quickly

Beneficiaries of Low Code Solutions?

Who benefits from low code software? It's a great way for businesses to bypass complex software development by providing reusable components a non-technical resource can string together to accomplish simple tasks. It allows businesses to shrink the size of their technical team and rely on subject matter experts to create their own solutions. But low code applications are best suited for automating or prototyping simple processes (4), not for solving complex problems seen in the govtech sector. The amount of functions, or re-usable components, available are limited, and expanding a function requires specialized coding. Is this the best approach for implementing e-government software, municipal land management software, or community development software and their complex software needs?

What could be better than low code for a government space?

Citizenserve provides comprehensive community development e-government solutions for building and other permits, code enforcement, planning and zoning, business and other licensing and request tracking. Our software includes Complete Customer Care support package, which means we support our customers and the changes they need, for life. For the past 20 years, we've worked to make our software work better for our customers, and we've also made it easier for our staff to manage and configure. Let's see how our software implementation stacks up against the benefits of low code:

Non Technical Resources/Visual Model

With a Citizenserve subscription, you get a whole technical team's expertise during your implementation and to support you after you go live. We'll build your system using highly configurable tools - and if you want to help configure your system, we'll show you how. When you need more advanced features added, just submit a support request and our technical team is there to assist.
- Our knowledgeable staff run implementations and have a weekly shift on support, so they know the software from the implementation and the support side.
- We don't employ hundreds of coders to support our software, we employ a small, dedicated, and capable set of staff who manage our implementations and our support
- We'll work with your subject matter experts to configure your permitting, planning, licensing, and code enforcement processes in an agile process to ensure you receive a software implementation that really works for your community.
- Citizenserve employs a set of skilled implementation managers who both configure citizenserve with our suite of custom fields and file types, but our employees also write custom sql scripts based on our customers business rules, to create a system that feels much closer to "custom" than to "out-of-the-box".
- We'll do the configuration, but we can also train your key users to make simple changes or maintain more complex processes, and we are there to back you up every step of the way.
- All citizenserve users are entitled to unlimited support at no additional cost. Our support team can help with general questions, custom reports, setup changes, training, and implement hundreds of administrative options tailored to your specific needs.
- The benefits of a highly configurable, easy to use system, with the strength and added flexibility of tailored code when you need it. Citizenserve is better than low code for government software.

Re-usable Components/Building Blocks

Citizenserve provides the framework to build the government software your jurisdiction has been dreaming of. We are fully live in hundreds of jurisdictions across the united states, with millions of constituents, business owners, and contractors submitting and paying for their permitting, planning, and licensing applications through our online portals.
- Your software includes an online portal geared to your constituents, contractors, and business owners. We'll only enable the services you want to offer, and each page is easy to configure with details and information specific to your community.
- While many jurisdictions offer building permits, each building permit is unique. With our set of custom field types, you can gather the information you need for your building permits in the format that make the most sense for your jurisdiction.
- We offer configurable workflow routes built from activities sourced from your actual work processes. Use the standard review template, or add a custom checklist to help your reviewers track and manage their work.
- In addition, we offer powerful system conditions that can be triggered by a number of standard work activities - but that check for conditions that match your business rules. This is a powerful advantage that inputs a simple script coded by our implementation team and provides a warning or stop to staff or customers when the condition is met.
- We'll use our highly configurable system to build your e-government solution to fit your needs, including targeted sql code specific to your use case.

Quick Deployment

We can implement your simple code enforcement solution in as little as 6 weeks and your simple permitting solution in as little as 8. We roll out modules one at a time, including your feedback and change requests, and with staff training! This let's your staff and constituents access what's available, and learn as they go. And if you ever need to change your setup, just submit a support request, and we are there to help modify and enhance your system. We complete 85% of our support requests the same day. You'll have continuous process improvement, and access to all of our latest enhancement.

Community Development Software, Simplified

The system is fully configurable, meaning you can configure the software to meet your requirements rather than changing your processes to meet an inflexible municipal software package. Citizenserve offers integrated solutions for permitting software, planning & zoning software, code enforcement software, request tracking software and business licensing software, including health inspection software, rental registration software, and contractor licensing software.
Our online citizen portal makes it easy for your applicants to submit the right application and supporting documentation, make online payments, and track the status of their submission. With our configurable workflows and tools, your staff can quickly complete reviews and communicate electronically with the applicant. Request a demo today to see how citizenserve’s flexible, configurable solution can meet the needs of your municipality and constituents. Citizenserve: community development software, simplified.

Scroll down and enter your contact info below to Request a Live Demo - we'd love to show you how Citizenserve is better than low code software in the government space.

Additional Resources
The Pros and Cons of Low Code Development

Articles, Low Code
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