Summary
The City of Bellevue, Wash., has been a Zasio customer for three decades. From the early days of Versatile for Windows (1994), and transitioning to Versatile Enterprise in 2001, the city needed a powerful tool for its records management program.
Today, the City manages 13,000 boxes in off-site storage.
“Before we had Versatile (Enterprise), we didn’t have an electronic system to manage our off-site records or retention – it was all paper-based,” Bellevue’s City Records and Information Manager, Danelle Court, said.
“Obviously, we are not as heavily paper-based as we used to be back in the late 1990s, or early 2000s,” Court said. “But (Versatile) still provides all that functionality for us and the reason we’ve kept going with it — it’s easy to use.”
Court added, “[We have to make] sure we have the right information, when we need it, where we should have it, and that we get rid of it when we no longer need it, and the software helps us perform those functions in a little bit more automated manner.”
Favorite Features
After more than thirteen years of working with Versatile, Court appreciates its consistency.
“It’s probably one of the most stable (software solutions) we’ve had – or that we’ve ever had – in terms of maintenance and just doing what it should do, and not having issues in terms of the technology,” Court said. “That’s why we got it. . . and why we keep using it and keep loving it.”
Sue Gunderson, the City’s Public Records Analyst, is a self-described Versatile power user. She uses the software to enter contract data, create new files, and ensure files are imported into the city’s SharePoint electronic records repository.
Gunderson’s favorite feature is Versatile’s search capabilities. It allows for simple and complex search requests.
“(We) get lots of research requests from the city attorney’s office that [can] involve really old records,” Gunderson said. “It’s a very good tool, to be able to dig in, and try and find historical or old records for people that need to reference those.”
Employee Learning Curve
“The training is really pretty easy because it’s such a simple program to learn and use,” Gunderson said. “When I get a new user, I know it’s probably not going to be phone call after phone call saying, ‘I don’t understand,’ or ‘I don’t get it.’ Most people find they can navigate (Enterprise) with just one training.”
Practicality and Flexibility
Gunderson’s colleague, City Records Business Analyst, Suzanne LeDoux, boasts about Versatile’s functionality.
“I like how robust it is — you can customize and filter your search in a lot of different ways and still have the flexibility of using a keyword search,” LeDoux said. “You can do a very narrow scope search and then expand and broaden your search from there. It’s very versatile.”
World Class Technical Support
Reliable technical support is just as important to the City of Bellevue as Versatile’s features and functionality.
“The fact that we know people’s names and have a relationship with them,” Court said. “The support has always been great. Whenever we say ‘this is where we’d like to go’, there’s always been that partnership in helping us get there.”
Whenever there was a function the City of Bellevue needed, Zasio’s support team found a solution.
“…Zasio has been pretty responsive in getting (new functions) on the roadmap and making that happen,” Court said. “Just the fact that Zasio is in the industry and knows the challenges and the opportunities and where the industry is going, and actively participates and engages in that, makes a pretty strong partnership.”
Court cited Zasio’s webinars, attendance at conferences, and numerous staff with key professional certifications as evidence Zasio understands the IG industry.
Results
Versatile is a trustworthy and reliable physical records management tool for the City of Bellevue. It’s allowed the city to create a records management program the staff and the public can rely on.
“If we have trustworthy processes, and defensible processes, we can have trustworthy records and information for the public to trust their government,” Court said.
About Zasio
Zasio has over 35 years of service in information governance. We help businesses get started in records management and maintain top-of-the-line IG programs. To do this, we’ve recruited a team of expert software developers and technicians, legal experts, and highly-accomplished records analysts—all in-house!
Our highly trained team includes certified records managers, information governance professionals, and certified information privacy professionals who keep up with evolving IG trends and scale our Versatile solutions to meet our customers’ needs. It’s no wonder that thousands of organizations, including half of the top 20 Fortune 500 companies, have trusted our software solutions and expert consulting services to create world-class information governance programs.
To learn more about Versatile Enterprise, call 800-513-1000 opt. 1 or email connect@zasio.com.