As a Town Manager, you are likely familiar with the challenges that arise when having to duplicate data entry across multiple, unconnected systems. Having to repeatedly input information about citizen issues, as one example, into different platforms not only takes extra labour, but also introduces more potential points of error. Redundancies like these in your internal processes can compromise the integrity of your entire municipality’s data. This is where Application Programming Interfaces, known as API’s, can be introduced. API’s reduce the duplication of data entry and streamline operations across all departments and platforms. Therefore, when selecting a platform for your municipality, picking one that is able to utilize API’s is an important consideration. AccessE11™ is a centralized software solution that provides a single, consolidated platform for your entire municipality.
What is an API?
Think of API’s like a universal remote, letting you control your different media devices from a single piece of hardware. In the case of an API, it is a set of defined methods for communication between different software systems. This functionality allows you to do one action and the API will be able to communicate this action to update the different platforms that you use in real-time.
Bad Data is a Big Problem
From a cost perspective, bad data is unfathomably expensive. A report by IBM in 2016 estimated that bad data costs the U.S. over $3 trillion per year.
Financial costs aside, there are other factors that come into play with bad data. Missing information can lead to ineffective customer service. This will negatively impact the trust that resident’s have of the staff and their municipality. Reporting becomes more difficult, or even impossible, if the data is not easily retrievable.
How to Fix the Problem
AccessE11 is a modern citizen issue and citizen relationship management platform designed specifically for small to medium municipalities. It is a software created to assist with the issues discussed above by providing a single, consolidated platform which can span the entire municipality. Utilizing an open API, AccessE11 is capable of seamlessly integrating with many other asset management and workflow products, such as Cartegraph and Brightly. Thus ensuring that staff and citizens alike need to only enter data one time and have that data reflected across all platforms and departments. Additionally, these integrations improve reporting functionality by enabling staff members to access all records at the same time. This provides assurance that the data they are accessing is complete and accurate.
As a Town Manager, it is important to consider the benefits of offering a centralized software solution for your municipality that can help reduce the potential for issues caused by data redundancy and bad data creation. AccessE11 will help you to better serve your citizens and ultimately improve the overall performance of your municipality.
