Unlocking Efficiency and Resident Convenience
Organization Profile
- Industry: County Government
- Location: Yavapai, Arizona
- Number of Employees: 8
- Population Served: 80,000
- Tyler Client Since: 1997
- Tyler Products Used: Enterprise Records Management, Recording Access
Challenges
Yavapai County, Arizona, serves a largely rural population that includes many retirees spread across more than 8,000 square miles. Many residents were traveling long distances or relying on mail to submit critical documents. Mailing introduced delays, postage costs, and the possibility of documents being lost or damaged.
The Recorder’s Office was burdened with time-consuming, manual workflows that created operational strain and security concerns. Staff received and sorted files, circulated them from one desk to another, and completed the recording — often keeping them for days before mailing them back.
County Recorder Michelle Burchill said, “We were spending a significant amount of time handling and mailing documents. At the same time, residents were understandably concerned about leaving such important paperwork with our office or sending it through the mail.”
The office also faced staffing realities common in local government. Long-tenured employees were accustomed to established processes, making change difficult. The team recognized the need to modernize before institutional knowledge was lost.
“We are losing people in this industry,” Burchill said. “It’s better to get modern now, because the easier you make things now, the easier it will be to train new staff.”
Solution
After attending a Tyler Connect conference, the county worked with Tyler Technologies for a business process review to identify inefficiencies and opportunities.
“I discussed the idea with my office manager after it came up in a breakout session on finding ways to improve processes,” Burchill said. “When I returned, I suggested that this was a new approach we could implement.”
From that assessment, the county implemented two key enhancements within Tyler's Enterprise Records Management: the scan-first process and the Recording Access solution.
For the resident who walks into the office, scan-first processing allows staff to digitize documents immediately upon submission, verify their quality, and return originals the same day. In parallel, Recording Access enables residents to submit documents electronically, reducing reliance on in-person visits and mail.
The office supported these transitions through training, customer education, and simple resources such as how-to videos, ensuring both staff and residents could navigate the new processes.
Results
The modernization efforts have delivered measurable improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and resident experience.
We’ve reduced workloads for two people while saving taxpayer money. That’s always our focus: making the most of what we have.
Michelle Burchilll
Recorder
In 2025, 21% of recordings — approximately 9,600 documents — were processed over the counter using scan-first workflows, eliminating the need for mailing those documents back to residents. This significantly reduced postage, materials, and staff handling time.
At the same time, 79% of recordings — more than 36,000 documents — were submitted electronically through Recording Access, demonstrating strong adoption of digital channels.
The impact on residents was immediate and visible. Instead of leaving documents behind and waiting for their return, they could walk out with their originals in hand.
“I just spoke with a gentleman who came in to record a document and was amazed he’d get it back the same day,” said Burchill. “Moments like that really stick with us. The feedback from the community has been fantastic with lots of surprised, happy faces.”
For a rural population, the ability to avoid long-distance travel or unreliable mail delivery proved especially valuable. The office also reported fewer errors over time as users became familiar with electronic submission processes.
Beyond efficiency gains, the changes positioned the office for long-term sustainability. Staff can now focus on higher-value work, including improving historic records and exploring new innovations.
Yavapai County described their partnership with Tyler as collaborative and responsive. “The Tyler team was instrumental and supportive throughout this process,” Burchill said. “I don’t think anyone wants to go back to how things were before.”