Story County Tackles Records Challenges

Organization Profile

• Industry: County Government
• Location: Nevada, Iowa
• Number of Employees: 5
• Population: 96,021
• Tyler Client Since: 2011
• Tyler Products Used: Records Management and ERP Pro [powered by Incode]

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Challenges

When it comes to recording software, Story County was ready to tell a different story. The recorder’s office had a problem. They were in a long-term contract with decent software that had served them well for many years. However, like most older software, it had become cumbersome and expensive. The real hassle was a records management solution that didn’t integrate with other offices in the county.

Customer convenience was also a growing issue. If taxpayers needed records from the county’s existing systems, they had to visit multiple offices to collect all the necessary information, then stop by the recording office to search for documents from a single, public computer.

To make matters more challenging, the recorder’s office was unable to move to a Tyler software solution in 2011 when the county’s real estate group — which includes the Auditor, County Assessor, City Assessor, Treasurer, Planning and Development, Environmental Health, and the Flood Plain Manager — converted to Tyler’s ERP Pro [powered by Incode] solution.

The recorder’s office had a five-year agreement for their existing proprietary records management system that didn’t expire until spring 2017, so they were unable to share the benefits of Tyler’s integrated solutions, like seamless automatic document transfers into Tyler's ERP Pro software.

The office had to keep using its existing system that had its own hardware and software, which meant employees had to move to specific computers to search, index, or scan documents. Employees wasted significant time moving back and forth between desks searching for real estate records.

In 2017, the recorder’s office was free of old contracts and finally able to join the Tyler family by converting to Records Management.

Solution

Records Management was the perfect move from the standalone real estate records management program. And, for Story County Recorder Stacie Herridge, it was a smooth conversion process she knew very well.

“I worked in our auditor’s office back when we went through a conversion to Tyler,” said Herridge. “I was pretty familiar with the process and we were very, very happy with how that went. So, when I began the search for a new records management system, obviously I looked at Tyler first. They know how to execute a smooth conversion.”

While having the basic framework of Tyler’s ERP Pro software already in place in other offices made it easier for everyone to adapt to the new software, the conversion could still be viewed as stressful. That’s why Tyler believes that providing the right kind of hands-on training can help calm everyone’s nerves.

“Tyler was very patient with our office and they were very good at explaining the whys,” said Herridge. “Because if you understand why you’re doing something, it’s easier to put in the time to make it work. Everyone learns differently, and Tyler was great at recognizing that and adjusting the training to accommodate all those differences.”

The implementation was smooth and immediately beneficial. Information is now available at the click of a mouse for other offices, because departments have their own login ability to view and search records. The workflow process changed dramatically, too. With Records Management, the office can capture, store, secure, and manage land records and have rapid access to those records. Now they can scan the recorded document at the beginning of the process. With the previous system, documents were individually scanned as a final step, which meant multiple staff members had to handle each document.

Story County can do everything they need to do in the one application, including viewing and editing documents because there’s no need for third-party image viewers or other software to run behind the scenes.

Several staff members can now work simultaneously on both electronic and over-the-counter recordings.

These basic functions make day-to-day operations easier for Story County’s recording office.

With the software fully integrated into the county’s land records offices, property research can be conducted from any computer in the office. There’s no longer a need to spend time searching for books and records in a library or waiting for the single public search computer to become available. It saves time since the staff no longer needs to go to a completely different computer to index or search property records.

Records Management has helped modernize the recorder’s office to keep up with their busy demands while offering a more efficient and cost-effective program. And, with Tyler’s evergreen philosophy, the Story County Recorder’s Office has taken advantage of evolving technology and capitalized on continually enhanced features through our steady stream of updates — all with no relicensing fees.

Results

Records Management has created a more collaborative approach to working in the recorder’s office. The old system of shuffling papers was isolating and compartmentalized. Now it’s a team effort because staff can do different tasks with confidence and everything is available from their desktops.

That collaborative spirit has become infectious across other Iowa counties, too.

In the past few years, many other area counties have upgraded to Tyler's land and vital records software and other county recorders are budgeting to make the switch soon. They share their information on Tyler Community, which gives recorders an opportunity to help each other learn and ask questions about processes and programming using an online platform. It also serves as a tool to communicate ideas and enhancements directly to Tyler.

Today, Story County is very happy with its new records management system. Everyone in the office, as well as taxpayers, can accomplish more in less time by using a single, unified solution. Other county recorders have looked to the Story County Recorder’s Office for help changing their recording software story, and Story County is proud to recommend Tyler.

Delivering Advanced Functionality to the Modern Recording Office

Tyler’s land and vital records management solution has been an industry leader for 40 years by providing the advanced functionality recording offices need to achieve the highest levels of efficiency, accuracy, and customer service. We help you accomplish more with fewer keystrokes and fewer screens.

By using Tyler’s software, you can take advantage of the industry’s most advanced tools to easily manage the recording and filing of your jurisdiction’s land records, transfer documents, trust deeds, mortgages, Uniform Commercial Codes (UCC), records, tax liens, and more. With Records Management, you can tackle your biggest financial and recording challenges with features that ensure:

• Efficient workflow
• Indexing
• Records retrieval
• Imaging
• Cashiering
• Public access