They say the only things certain in life are death and taxes. I don’t know who “they” are or how they could possibly know that, but if they’re right, there’s one more certainty they forgot – people will try to avoid both. While assessor’s offices cannot grant us immortality, they might be able to help with the latter, so we swamp them with our property documents.
When tons of appeals are coming in on a daily basis, the paper piles up pretty fast, and with all those physical documents being shuffled between so many parties for submittal, review, and approval, it’s almost impressive there’s any that don’t get misplaced. By processing appeals electronically instead, not only are assessor’s offices able to significantly increase productivity; they can tap into tons of other benefits, too.
Assessment appeals automation begins at the very beginning of the appeals process – the constituent’s submission of supporting documents. With an electronic appeals system in place, documents can be easily submitted online through a portal and routed to the appropriate recipients. If a piece of information is missing, you’ll be able to easily notify the constituent, and they can just add it electronically. Easy peasy! Already, this saves tons of time for both parties and adds one more thing we can all do without ever changing out of our pajamas. That’s the dream, isn’t it?
After the assessor’s office has received all information, it’s ready to be routed, reviewed, and approved electronically. No more transporting files from party to party like a less exciting grown-up game of hot potato or finagling multiple systems and apps. In addition to speeding up the review process by delivering information within seconds, this is also prevents documents from getting lost and increases transparency for both staff and constituents. While staff will be able to see where the documents are and whose queue they’re in, constituents can check back and see where in the review process their case is currently at.
When the review process has been completed, notify constituents almost instantly by creating the necessary letter from a template with a few clicks of a button. Just like that, almost all the redundant labor involved in reviewing and responding to appeals is taken care of. Transforming these processes with an electronic system is enough to remedy a tight budget, decreasing staff, and increasing levels of appeals.
Don’t believe us? Get the scoop straight from someone who has already done it – the Assessor’s Office of Maricopa County. To hear their full story, view the recording of our recent webinar below.
