The St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, Mr. Brandon J. Patty, recognizes the critical services his office provides to over 300,000 constituents within his county. Their responsibilities include appeals, civil and criminal court, records, family law, and traffic violations, among others. The Clerk’s office manages this diverse range of services, engaging with a myriad of constituents daily.
The Challenge
The St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s office initially relied on Microsoft Outlook to manage appointments, a process that involved constituents calling in and scheduling appointments, consuming a significant portion of the Clerks' working hours. This approach presented various challenges, including prolonged wait times on busy days.
Another issue surfaced in the Clerk’s office: the need for a system to monitor the journey of their constituents. Given that constituents hailed from various parts of the region and that many services require an in-person visit, involving the submission and verification of paperwork, understanding which locations experienced the highest demand became crucial. The objective was to strategically allocate resources for effective and efficient service provision, making it more convenient for constituents to access the required services without extensive travel and on their own terms within the availability of the Clerk.
The Clerk aimed to streamline this process by identifying the specific services in demand across multiple locations and staff resources accordingly.
The Solution
Having discovered the benefits of Q-Flow through the local tax collector's office, St. Johns County Clerk sought out ACF Technologies. After more than two years of discovery between St. Johns County Clerk and ACF Technologies, the decision was made to deploy Q-Flow, with the following objectives:
- Empower constituents to manage how and when they interact with the Clerk.
- Provide proactive communications with constituents.
- Identifying constituent traffic and pinpointing high-demand locations.
- Liberating staff time for priority tasks.
The implementation unfolded gradually within the Clerk’s office and their annex locations. Collaborating with the Business Development team proved instrumental in defining the project scope, addressing communication barriers, and resolving key issues. Having dedicated leadership who embrace a new software platform while engaging their team, laid the groundwork for a smooth product launch. Kaley Naples, the Recording Division Director, socialized Q-Flow with her staff by hosting her own training sessions in advance of the virtual trainings. Subsequently, ACF provided comprehensive training to ensure that Clerk staff could effectively navigate and utilize the Q-Flow system. Julio Cruz, Chief Operations Officer, understands the daily responsibilities of the Clerks staff and the importance of providing timely and professional service to constituents of St. Johns County and neighboring counties. Julio and Kaley worked closely with ACF to enhance workflows and communications for an automated and streamlined process improvement.
Solution Features
Check-In Kiosks
The Clerks office deployed 2 kiosks across their facilities, offering constituents the convenience of self-check-in upon arrival. Once the self-check-in is complete, Q-Flow promptly sends alerts to both staff and constituents, confirming a successful check-in.
Online Appointment Booking Software
Leveraging Q-Flow's Online Appointment Booking System, the Clerk’s office gains valuable insights into appointment scheduling patterns. Automated alerts provide appointment reminders, effectively reducing no-show rates and providing timely notifications of high wait times. This solution empowers staff to reclaim valuable time, allowing them to address more pressing issues in their responsibilities. Moreover, it grants constituents greater control over their schedules.
Q-Flow Workflow Management
Through Q-Flows robust reporting suite, the Clerk’s office attains a comprehensive 360-degree view of their organizations resources and how to best meet constituents needs. This data helps optimize the balance between supply and demand, effectively managing workflows and aspects related to staffing. The solution automates the check-in process and provides forecasting tools for scheduling and resource planning. Having real-time data based on actual constituents’ visits enables the Clerk’s office to plan, predict, schedule, and analyze staff resources, constituent demand, and ensure critical services are available when and where constituents need them to be.
Support & Account Management
St. Johns County Clerk leverages ACF Technologies standard support services. The customer care staff respond timely, addressing any issues that may arise. Seeing the Q-Flows platforms value quickly, discussions to expand self-scheduling and place in line notifications for Court Services are moving forward.
The Results
The successful collaboration between St. Johns County Clerk and ACF Technologies has yielded remarkable results, empowering the Clerk to deliver enhanced services in more locations, improve constituent service and wait-times, and streamline their operations. The key achievements observed within the St. Johns County Clerk’s office include:
- Enhanced communication between Clerk staff and constituents.
- Reduction in service and wait-times.
- Efficient allocation of resources, freeing staff time for focused attention in other areas.
- Constituents are empowered with the ability to manage their time effectively, fostering self-sufficiency in scheduling appointments.
