6 Ways State Agencies Are Prioritizing Technology Modernization with DocuSign and Microsoft

From decades-old, legacy technology to outdated, inefficient manual processes, today’s state government CIOs face many challenges when digitizing services. While services transformation and IT modernization are top priorities for state CIOs, bringing these efforts to life can be costly and complex.

Why is state government modernization critical?

State government modernization projects are critical for meeting citizen and constituent needs. In addition, with today’s digital consumers, citizens and constituents expect more transparent, accessible and responsive services from the public sector.

Key priorities for states to meet citizen needs are also wide-ranging. According to Urban Institute, most state and local government modernization priorities are focused on:

• Elementary and secondary education
• Public welfare
• Higher education
• Health and hospitals
• Highways and roads
• Criminal justice
• Housing and community development

On top of these priorities, state CIOs have to contend with highly complex IT environments that are often fragmented and still rely on legacy systems to meet citizens’ needs. These systems are both internal- and constituent-facing, including HR platforms and tools for paying taxes and applying for benefits.

To help state government IT leaders achieve their technology modernization and digital transformation goals, DocuSign and Microsoft are working with a wide range of state agencies on streamlining mission delivery, providing trusted service and optimizing their technology. The  DocuSign integrations for Microsoft help agencies get more value out of their investment by automating how agreements are created, signed, and managed—all within Microsoft.

6 examples of technology modernization in state government

Digital transformation can be daunting, but state agencies are partnering with DocuSign and Microsoft to take the first step. Here are six ways that state agencies and government leaders are enhancing IT modernization with DocuSign and Microsoft:

1. Boosting public safety and ensuring the right documents go to the right court and the right people: The city of Henderson, Nevada, helped law enforcement obtain legally-binding warrants within minutes, which eliminated manual and paper-based processes, ultimately helping to keep communities safe. The city enabled this with DocuSign for Sharepoint Online, which automated document storage and gave employees streamlined access to self-service workflows.
2. Reducing invoicing delays with automated workflows: A state municipal utilities authority streamlined the invoicing and payment processes to its vendors. By using DocuSign for Sharepoint and DocuSign for Power Automate, the authority was able to pay its vendors in time to pay their subcontractors and avoid financial penalties.
3. Streamlining how child welfare forms are prepared and executed: One child welfare department streamlined how welfare forms are prepared and executed, allowing employees to operate more efficiently and focus on the mission of keeping children safe, happy and set up for success. This was achieved by modernizing these manual processes with DocuSign for Dynamics 365.
4. Accelerating sign-off compliance of engineering documents: One state department of transportation’s licensing and permitting organization achieved 100% compliance with the sign-off requirements for all of its engineering documents. The department accelerated the process of signing these documents within its Microsoft Sharepoint environment.
5. Streamlining mission delivery: By eliminating manual tasks around signing, routing and filing government paperwork, the Louisiana’s 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office was able to move cases forward faster with DocuSign for Word. The office was able to create and capture signatures directly within Word, enabling a one-day turnaround on documents.
6. Decreasing errors and speeding up processing times with HR process optimization: One department of welfare automated the process for sending its HR forms directly into their HR system, which reduced errors and accelerated process times—a significant way to streamline the recruitment process. This also enabled the smooth transition to digital recruitment—also known as digital hiring—and remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key takeaways

State government IT leaders who embrace technology modernization through the DocuSign integrations for Microsoft can:

• Reduce agreement turnaround time to hours or even minutes with automated workflows
• Leverage digital-first approaches by signing or requesting signatures from within the apps you’re already using
• Generate and store a robust audit trail automatically for every agreement and support compliance with global security standards

By optimizing your technology for today and tomorrow, DocuSign integrations for Microsoft help state government agencies provide trusted and dependable service for constituents through streamlined mission delivery.

Learn more about DocuSign and Microsoft.