Case Study

How the IT Department at Luna County, NM Automates Workflows with GovOS Studio

In 2017, the IT department was receiving more and more requests to convert static forms into fillable ones. At the time, our team had only three employees. We would typically receive a photocopy of the form which we would then manually type into Word and convert to a PDF. There were forms for work order requests, PTO, FMLA, etc., and it started to get hectic trying to keep track of all that data.

When our maintenance director requested that we automate forms so they would go to specific people upon submission, I saw an opportunity to utilize GovOS Studio (formerly SeamlessDocs). We presented the idea to the county, and they were impressed with the solution. Once we had support from the business office for requisition access, that’s when it really took off.

Most of the forms we create are for internal use, but the more employees see what Studio is capable of, the more they want to use it to simplify processes for citizens. For example, we recently created the Burn Notice form so citizens can notify the planning department, fire department and dispatch when they’re planning a burn. Once submitted, the form—which collects their name, address and dates of the planned burn—is automatically sent to the departments, simplifying the notification process for citizens and staff.

The IT work order form. It’s a very simple form—all we ask for is the user’s contact information, a description of the issue and when they need it completed. There’s also an option to attach screenshots or other documents related to the request. Once submitted, it’s sent to the IT department and we process it on the backend. This year alone, we’ve received more than 1,700 submissions.

Studio provides us with a database that keeps all our form submissions and associated data. Studio automatically records the work order history, including which technician(s) worked on the request, any activities that happened and any notes, which are all timestamped.

We can view what stage a given task is in and add tags so that help desk employees can look at the request if they receive a call about it and know exactly what’s going on (e.g., the ticket has been submitted to an outside vendor, waiting on hardware, etc.). It gives us an easy account of our work order system and everything is archived after it’s completed.

With the built-in automation features in Studio, we’re able to set rules that define what happens following the submission of a form—whether the user should receive a copy of their form submission, who gets notified, etc.

For processes like onboarding and offboarding, Studio facilitated what each department needs to do since the form requires multiple signatures for completion. Studio also helps facilitate things like our purchasing tracking. We know exactly what stage it’s in (requisition, quote, etc.), if we have a PO or it’s been paid, if we received the product, etc., so the system really helps us stay on track.

One thing I love is that you can add an attachments section using the submission rule builder. It really helps with processes like the finance department’s asset tracking, budget transfers and vendor setup forms that require specific documents to get vendors set up in the finance system.