Kathy Jenisch
Kentucky Sanitation District #1
What was most memorable about Empower 2013?
The Laserfiche Forms classes were the most exciting part of Empower 2013 for me. We were getting ready to upgrade to the Laserfiche Rio system, which we did two weeks after the conference, so I also spent time learning about the new features we would be using once we had Laserfiche Rio in place.
What did you learn at Empower that you were able to implement? How has this impacted your job or organization?
The forms software has brought Laserfiche to a whole new level at my organization. Laserfiche Forms enabled me to introduce Laserfiche to many new users because of the customized forms and workflow.
For example, we implemented a new travel policy at our organization in the spring of 2013. To roll it out, we created all the forms needed to request travel approval as well as cash advances and the expense report. This entire process is now done electronically, from the initial request to the payments and receipts handled by accounting.
The best part of the new process for me as a records manager is that all documentation is filed using transparent records management so when it comes time to destroy these records, it’s a simple search and delete process. No more collecting files from employees, reminding them to clean out their files or storing these temporary files in our archive room. Clean and simple!
What are you looking forward to at Empower 2014?
My focus for Empower 2014 is security and advanced workflow. With forms now in place, I need to become more familiar with configuring more complicated workflow processes. From working with the support staff at Paper-Lite, my Laserfiche reseller, I have learned so many things that workflow can do. There is so much more for me to learn to be as self-sufficient as possible when it comes to configuring workflow.
If you were talking to someone in your role at another organization, what piece of advice would you give them for taking advantage of the conference?
My advice to anyone attending the conference is to concentrate on taking classes geared toward one or two main topics and focus on those. Definitely take advantage of the networking opportunities—users of the system can learn a great deal from others’ experiences and how they use the system.
The Info Center is a great resource for deeper learning and getting specific questions answered. My first year or two at the conference, I was trying to learn so much so I could create a development plan that I didn’t even know what types of questions to ask. I just tried to absorb too much. Now, with some experience using the system, I have specific questions or situations and I can talk to the experts at the Info Center for their input and advice.
If you can manage to go a day early or stay an extra day, do it! Disneyland is walking distance from the conference hotel and I spent a day and a half at Disneyland last year before the conference and had a blast!
