Disbursements: Is Your Court (Too) Steeped in Tradition?

“No one has ever lost their job due to issuing a paper check…”

While this statement may be true for your court, it’s also true using paper checks for jury payments, restitution, child support, bond reimbursements, witness fees, and more can cause serious (and unnecessary) administrative headaches.

Outdated payment disbursement processes and methods can create unnecessary chaos for your court, including:

1. Unclaimed property and escheatment incidents
2. Lost and stolen checks
3. Check fraud
4. Countless hours of bank account reconciliation
5. Customer service issues

“How We’ve Always Done It…” (a.k.a. Why Is Change So Hard?)

Change is inevitable in any modern workplace, including government agencies. However, courts often face significant challenges in implementing change due to longstanding habits and patterns, which can result in a lack of employee buy-in. Despite these hurdles, effective change can greatly benefit the core of any court’s operations. So, why is change so hard to implement?

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Tyler’s Court Funds card is the contactless way to disburse accurate payments to everyone on time, no matter which type of transaction — jury and grand jury payments, restitution, child support, bonds, witnesses, and more

The Transformation Deficit

A recent survey published by Gartner revealed the U.S. workforce has hit a proverbial wall when it comes to change initiatives. In the Gartner survey, employee willingness to support change was just 43% in 2022, compared to 74% in 2016.

The gap between the willingness to change and the effort required is what Harvard Business Review calls the "transformation deficit." Employee resistance is a familiar and understandable issue, as maintaining longstanding traditions is easier. The mantra of ‘it's always been done this way’ often reflects employees' reluctance to disrupt their routines because of new management directives.

People Love the Status Quo

Employees often prefer maintaining the status quo, which includes preserving traditions, keeping established relationships, and enjoying the comfort of successfully performing their duties. Additionally, protecting one's position (or the position of a colleague) in the workplace and ensuring job security are significant factors contributing to the status quo.

Believe It or Not, the Odds Are Favorable

Employee resistance, a key challenge in any change initiative, can be overcome. Organizations regularly address issues related to technology, competition, globalization, communication, and workplace culture, demonstrating change is manageable.

The widely cited statistic that 74% of change initiatives fail can be misleading. According to the Harvard Business Review article "Stop Using the Excuse ‘Organizational Change Is Hard," the same McKinsey study showed that about 60% of management believed their change programs were completely or partially successful. This means approximately 60% of change initiatives achieve some level of success, and only 10% are complete failures.

Modernize Your Court Disbursements

Eliminating paper checks for jury and other payments is the low-hanging fruit for today’s modern courts. By modernizing disbursements with Tyler’s Court Funds solution, you can:

1. Alleviate the cost and administrative burdens that result from paper checks
2. Reduce the volume of returned checks, customer service issues, unclaimed property, and more
3. Lessen pressure on teams that are already stretched thin
4. Increase resident engagement and satisfaction

Clayton County’s Success Story

Like many courts, Clayton County Superior Court in Georgia was initially hesitant to break away from using paper checks to pay their jurors. After transitioning to Court Funds, the clerk of superior court shared their success.

“The idea of converting from checks to a debit card system seemed a bit overwhelming and maybe just not worth the trouble. We couldn’t have been more wrong. A short demonstration, a few signatures, and a small amount of banking information later, we were all set up. The implementation team literally held our hands during the entire brief process. The jurors are happy, and we’re happy. It’s a win-win!

If we had any doubts about our conversion, those doubts took flight the next week. Our checking account fell victim to fraudulent checks totaling thousands of dollars masterminded by a juror who had received a paper check from us prior to switching! This wasn’t the first time we had dealt with this, but thankfully, with Tyler’s Court Funds handling all transactions from now on, we won’t have to deal with it ever again.

All in all, we have been beyond satisfied with the setup, the process, and the service. If you are considering switching to Court Funds, take the plunge! We’re glad we did.”

Keys to Success

When considering the transition to digital disbursements, keep in mind these critical strategies for overcoming employee resistance:

Regular communication: Communicate consistently before, during, and after the change. Ensure employees understand the reasons for the change and its benefits to them.

Genuine engagement: Engage employees by listening to and encouraging their input about the change program.

Identify the resources needed: A well-thought-out plan to address employee resistance is crucial before starting any change initiative. As with any project, the outcome's success is directly linked to the quality of planning.

Conclusion

There is a time and place for tradition — paying jurors and other residents certainly isn’t one of them. Tyler Technologies’ Court Funds solution can help solve your court’s most complex payment disbursement challenges.

Learn how we can help your court modernize the things that matter.

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