If Your Jury System Could Talk

When it comes to jury duty, one of the biggest goals is to provide the easiest, most convenient experience possible for jurors to help them engage in the jury process. There are numerous features available to help reach that goal and streamline processes to provide a seamless experience for jurors. One of those systems that can simplify jury services is an electronic, web-based response system. With Jury Response jurors can respond to their summons online, complete their questionnaire, make requests, and determine their service requirements.

Your court system can also leverage text messaging to connect with jurors, as we covered in 5 Reasons You Should Text Your Jurors. This feature makes it quick and easy to send jurors automated or manual text messages with information related to their jury service.

But what if you could combine the automation of Jury Response with the speed of text messaging? You can with SMS Response, a feature that allows jurors to communicate directly with the jury management system via text messaging conversations. This powerful tool is designed to provide even more convenience for your jurors by offering another method to communicate with the court. They are able to:

• Make requests to be excused, deferred, or disqualified
• Find out their next service date
• Ask for help or transfer to Jury Voice
• Leave a message with the jury office
• Get directions to the courthouse
• Be advised of their current status

A juror simply sends a text message directly to the jury management system from their mobile phone. SMS Response intuitively understands what the juror is asking and provides an automated response with the information the juror asked for.

More on Jury Operations From John Arnsten

This is the most recent post in a series by John Arnsten, senior account executive for Tyler Technologies’ Jury solutions. Check our Resource Center for more from John on jury operations.

So instead of directing jurors to go to a specific website and logging in to send their questions, they can text questions to the number provided on their summons, and they are then part of an open conversation with the jury system.

This is important because allowing jurors to receive texts provides several different benefits to your jury operation, from saving money to broadening your communications reach. If you provide the additional ability for jurors to send a text directly to your jury system and get automated responses, the benefits increase more as they are extremely convenient, and more importantly, immediate.