Claude and Jamie just returned from the CCAC (California City Clerks Association Conference) in San Diego, and we asked them to share some thoughts about trends, the overall conference vibes, and what was on the attendees' minds.
How was the show?
Claude: The CCAC, a significant event in our industry, always delivers a fantastic experience. I'm already anticipating next year's conference. One trend that stood out was the attendees' keenness to engage with the vendors. These interactions, often over a delightful meal and a refreshing beverage, sparked many insightful conversations.
Jamie: The CCAC is always good. It’s a beautiful opportunity, not just for us but also for our clients, to connect as a group. Even last night, the atmosphere was buzzing with networking opportunities. And let's not forget, the Hard Rock is an absolutely fantastic venue.
What topics and trends did you see?
Claude: The most vital trends we observed are not just trends, but they are the pillars of our work in digital transformation: records management, compliance with trusted systems mandates, and contract management. These topics are not just shaping our industry, they are the industry, and staying informed about them is not just crucial, it's essential.
Jamie: And, of course, cloud. There’s a real push for agencies to use cloud apps. This also means they also are raising the priority of backfile conversions.
I had the opportunity to network with a records management consultant who expressed interest in conducting a webinar with us. This is an exciting development that I'm sure our readers will be eager to learn more about.
What did you tell them about trusted systems?
Claude: There are three rules to having a trusted system:
The agency must utilize both hardware and media storage methodologies to prevent unauthorized additions, modifications, or deletions during the stored information's approved life cycle.
The system should be verifiable through independent audit processes, ensuring that there is no plausible way for electronically stored information to be modified, altered, or deleted during the approved information life cycle.
The agency must write at least one copy of the electronic document or record it in electronic media that does not permit unauthorized additions, deletions, or changes to the original document, and that is to be stored and maintained in a safe and separate location.
Jamie: I just wanted to add the importance of auditing when complying. To form a complete record of organization-wide activity, Laserfiche tracks every action taken on each document throughout its life cycle, including what information was added and deleted. These reports should track each action and when and by whom it was performed.
Finally, these reports can be run regularly or as needed. This whole process can also be automated, and reports can be emailed to the appropriate people on a schedule.
What was the buzz about contract management?
Jamie: Contract management is a process that is very important to agencies. It includes handling the stages and activities of a contract and integration with other systems. Laserfiche, with its ability to automate all the phases of the contract management process, offers a significant boost to efficiency and productivity. This can help mitigate risk, increase compliance, and finalize starting work faster, providing tangible benefits to our clients.
Claude: We’ve got a solid demo of the contact management process that we developed for an RFP. We plan to transform the demo into a video or a webinar, so keep an eye out for this, too.
One more question: how were the vibes at the conference?
Jamie: Clerks generally enjoy other people, which makes for fantastic networking. The vibes were open, friendly, and willing to learn, with a bit of rock and roll because of where we were.
Claude: Clerks are really positive people with a real “can do” attitude. Our team has a similar vibe, so we work so well together.
