About Client
The Arizona Board of Fingerprinting is a state agency that serves a dual purpose—to review good-cause exceptions and central-registry exceptions for applicants who seek to demonstrate that they’ve been rehabilitated and are not recidivists and are thus eligible for a fingerprint card or an exception to an entry in the Central Registry. The agency also develops policies and procedures for those who have had their fingerprint card denied or suspended by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) or denied employment because the Applicant has a substantiated allegation of abuse or neglect in their past.
Challenge
In the state of Arizona, employees who work in regulated fields—from pharmacists and real estate agents to teachers and alarm installers—are required to have a fingerprint clearance card. If an individual has committed an offense and has been denied a card, they can seek a good-cause exception. The board also considers applications for those who are on the central registry, a database maintained by the Department of Child Safety, which tracks allegations of abuse and neglect.
The Arizona Board of Fingerprinting processes approximately 4400 good-cause and central-registry exception applications per year. Its board of six members approves or denies applications and a six-person team, managed by Executive Director, Matthew Scheller, handles the day-to-day operations.
Scheller, who manages all of the cases, had several concerns about the agency’s antiquated software and manual systems. He began the search for an automated solution to improve efficiency, ensure continuity in the event of a disruptive incident, and streamline the entire process for applicants.
- Antiquated software platforms, deprecated databases
- Time-consuming and costly paper-based application process
- Manual, quirky backup process, risk of data loss
- Difficult to mine and validate data
The Solution
Scheller chose MST Solutions (A Mastek Company), a leading Salesforce implementation, and automation provider headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, to guide their digital transformation project.
“I spoke with several state agencies to learn more about MST Solutions, the kind of work they do, and the quality of work they produce,” noted Scheller. “They came highly recommended, and I was confident they would help us achieve success with this project.”
- Digital Transformation
- Salesforce Consulting and Framework.
- Quick onboarding process with MST Solutions licensing and inspection accelerators.
- Cloud-Based Platform Increases Efficiency, Reduces Costs.
After each bi-monthly board meeting, all applicant paperwork, supporting documents, and criminal history records would be stored in four to five banker boxes. Boxes were maintained for one year and then sent for destruction. The cost, labor, and storage involved in the maintenance and management of paper records were significant.
“Our six-year-old copier has over a million copies on it,” said Scheller. “We knew that there was an easier way to do this that would be more economical and beneficial for the applicant and the board.”
Moving to a cloud-based solution increased efficiency and lowered costs all around. “We’ve reduced our environmental footprint and simplified the process both internally and externally,” continued Scheller. “We built checklists into the system to ensure everything is in alignment and regulations are being followed.”
Data maintenance and access are critical, and Salesforce is such a powerful platform. I don’t have to guess about numbers or case status anymore as dynamic dashboards provide real-time access to reports and data.
– Executive Director , Matthew Scheller
Data maintenance and access are critical, and Salesforce is such a powerful platform. I don’t have to guess about numbers or case status anymore as dynamic dashboards provide real-time access to reports and data.
– Executive Director , Matthew Scheller
The Proof is in the Pudding—Successfully Serving Arizona’s Residents
One of the biggest challenges was porting live cases into Salesforce. Almost 400,000 records were migrated, and both the agency and MST Solutions worked tirelessly to ensure data integrity and correct category placement. “MST Solutions was outstanding. I loved working with their offshore team, too. We’d have meetings at all hours of the day, and they did excellent work.”
Scheller, who has worked for the state of Arizona for the past 25 years, has always been dedicated to providing the highest level of service to the seven million people that work and live there.
“The proof is in the pudding as far as our numbers are concerned. We were already working at a top-notch level, and this is going to allow us to work at light speed,” commented Scheller. “Every day that goes by, the more I realize how this will benefit the applicants, my staff, and our board members.”