Municipal ERP systems provide all-in-one software for cities. While municipal ERPs can be beneficial for cities in many ways, from cost savings to security and scalability, sometimes they don’t meet the needs of every department in the agency. At Comcate, a fair number of our code enforcement clients come to us because their cities utilize an ERP – and the system just isn’t meeting their needs. In today’s post we take a look at municipal ERPs, their benefits and drawbacks, and why code enforcement departments could benefit from a point solution instead.

What is an ERP?

An ERP is an enterprise resource planning system. ERP systems are common in many industries, including local government. Municipal ERP systems can include software that covers a wide variety of departments, including accounting, budget and payroll, data management, procurement, asset management, permitting and licensing and more.

The Benefits of Municipal ERP Systems

Municipal ERPs are a popular choice with local government leadership because it allows them to implement one software system to cover a wide variety of departments and residents services. One software system means one service provider, which in theory sounds easier to deal with. By having all departments hooked up to a central system, it also theoretically makes it easier to share data and insights across departments as well as improve cross-department communication and collaboration.

Some other benefits of local government software such as municipal ERP systems include:

• Time-saving automations for increased efficiency

• Streamlined citizen services

• Robust data security

• Reduced costs

• Real-time data for improved communications and reporting

However, municipal ERP systems do have their limitations. One-size-fits-all works about as well in local government as it does in clothing. For some departments, an ERP works great. For others, like code enforcement, municipal ERPs often involve a lot of workarounds that reduce efficiency, negating some of the positive effects of using software in the first place.

The Problem with Utilizing ERP for Code Enforcement

Many ERP providers focus on the business, administrative and financial components of local government operations, which means their software is designed with those departments’ needs in mind. For agency departments that don’t fall within one of these categories, this means their operations are forced onto a framework that doesn’t necessarily support their key functions.

Many code enforcement departments that operate within a municipal ERP often find themselves having to “make do” with software originally designed for licensing and permitting – and while there are similarities between the two that make this set-up workable, some critical functions like case management are lacking, resulting in an inefficient and frustrating software experience for code enforcement professionals.

The Benefits of a Point-Solution for Code Enforcement

Software that was designed for code enforcement will always serve the needs of code enforcement professionals better than one that wasn’t. With code-enforcement specific software like Comcate, officers can:

• Create a case in 90 seconds

• Schedule and assign verification inspections and follow-ups

• Attach videos, photos and other attachments to a case/inspection

• Generate notices using pre-uploaded templates

• Set compliance periods for individual violations

• Customize resolution actions for individual violations

• Productized Integrations with ERP systems to bridge the data gap between Code Enforcement and other departments

With Comcate, departments can pre-load all violations into the software so officers can search for and select violations within the system. Best of all, point solutions offer all the benefits of software that ERPs also provide, such as increased data security, time-saving automations, cloud hosting to facilitate mobile capabilities, robust data analytics and reporting, and more. And with API integrations, it’s even possible to integrate a code enforcement software solution into your city’s ERP system for data sharing and more.

Comcate for Code Enforcement Professionals

At Comcate, we’ve worked with code enforcement professionals for more than 20 years. We understand your pain points because we’ve seen them with other clients. That’s why we developed affordable, flexible software designed specifically for code enforcement professionals. Through streamlined case management, robust reporting and an intuitive interface that makes it easy to find what you need without thinking about it, we strive to make code enforcement more efficient for departments of all sizes across the country.

Interested in learning more about transitioning from an ERP to a point solution? Our consultants have seen it all before and can walk you through the process and answer any questions you might have. Fill out the form below to schedule an appointment today!

Schedule a Meeting with Comcate Today!

Learn how Comcate can help make government delivery simple, and offer a modern digital experience to help you increase transparency, efficiency, and performance across your departments. If you have any questions about implementing our software, please fill out the form below or call us directly at (415) 632-1248.

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