Creating New Processes During Pandemic
When the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the Williamson County Technology Services department needed to work quickly to ensure county offices could continue conducting business as usual. The county technology team worked with Tyler to help meet the needs of users and to implement new business processes to comply with COVID-19 guidelines, including:
- Electronic signature capabilities for multiple departments
- New workflows to electronically pass along documents for review and signature
- Online clerk’s office portal for attorneys to access case documents
- New jury process, leveraging online tools for jury management and communication
The result was multiple judicial areas transitioning to remote work so business could continue while adhering to COVID-19 protocols. The county incorporated new Odyssey task paths and queues to automate workflows and eliminate inefficiencies. Judges took advantage of the electronic signature functions to annotate or sign documents wherever they were working.
County defense attorneys received access to case documents safely at home through the clerks office’s online portal. The new jury process reduced the hours required to manage a jury by using mass notifications and adhered to mass gathering restrictions through online empanelment. Additionally, service requests could now be transferred electronically between the constable and the clerk’s office, preventing physical contact between employees while saving the county time and money.