The Danish Immigration Service - Software Innovation

The Danish Immigration ServiceFor the Danish Immigration Service, introducingSoftware Innovation’s Case and DocumentManagement System, Public 360°, has resultedin faster case management, improvedservice and the freeing up of resources.Industry:Application:StateProduct: Public 360°Electronic Case andDocument Management“The introduction of an Electronic Document andRecords Management System (EDRMS) creates awin-win situation both for applicants and case handlers.The system is prerequisite to being able toprocess applications online in the future.”Hjarn Zernichow Borberg, Office and LEAN Manager atthe Danish Immigration Service, responsible for EDRMSThe challengeWith over 100,000 case resolutions annually, the 500 staffmembers at the Danish immigration Service have a largevolume of documents to keep in order. Case managementused to be entirely paper-based and documents were sortedand kept in large shelving units in the offices. This approachmade it difficult to both search for and share information aswell as to maintain an overview across different case types. Inaddition, there was a risk of losing or misplacing case documents.Many of the Immigration Service’s cases are complex andtake place over a long period of time, require searching inregisters and involve collaboration with other agencies.All of these factors contributed to the Danish ImmigrationService’s decision to increase the efficiency of its case managementprocesses, which would also make it easier forthe organization to meet its ambitious aims in terms of casehandling time-frames and levels of service. Additionally, theshift to an electronic system allows applications to be madeto the Immigration Service online, instead of in hard copy.The solutionTo meet all of these challenges, the Danish Immigration Servicehas introduced Public 360° from Software Innovation,which was chosen as a corporate application for the entireMinistry of Refugees, Immigration and Integration Affairs,with a total of 850 users.They selected a well-documented standard applicationwhich offers affordable and stable operation and which doesnot require costly development of custom modules. TheDanish Immigration Service’s workflow has been adaptedto the system, creating an efficient case management flowwithin the organization.The Danish Immigration Service is a directoratein the Ministry of Refugees, Immigrationand Integration Affairs. The service administersimmigration laws and processes applicationsfor asylum, family re-unification, visas and workpermits, as well as organizing accommodationfor asylum seekers. The Immigration Servicehas approximately 500 staff members who collectivelyhandle more than 100,000 large andsmall resolutions each year, with 80,000 emailsand 300,000 telephone calls.

The Danish Immigration Service“The Danish Immigration Service has 350,000 casesin its archives. Old case documents that still apply tocurrent cases have been scanned.”IntegrationsTo ensure efficiency, the application is fully integrated with MicrosoftOffice. Most employees access Public 360° throughthe Outlook email program, which they are already familiarwith.To use the system to its full potential and to ensure optimalcollaboration with other public agencies, the Ministryhas worked with Software Innovation to further develop andcustomize the application to support even more workflowsinvolved in case management, including in relation to theImmigration Register and the Ministry’s contact register aswell as fees and residence permits. These improvementsmake it easier for citizens and applicants to have an effectiveand constructive dialogue with the authorities.The processInstead of installing the application across the entire Ministryin one step, digital case management was introducedto the least complex case areas first. Lessons learned fromthese areas influenced the implementation of the system inthe more complex case areas which were rolled out to at alater date.The project was well-prepared and was introduced over aperiod of two years, with numerous analyses, tests and trainingsessions offered in close collaboration between the employeesof the Danish Immigration Service and consultantsfrom Software Innovation, as well as the EDRMS project inthe Ministry.“The thorough preparation and staged roll-out was a hugeadvantage, because we gained valuable experience earlyon and were able to rectify mistakes on an on-going basis.Overall, I have to say it has gone extremely well,” says HjarnZernichow Borberg.ResultsThe implementation of Public 360° has been challenging forsome of the employees, who have been handling cases inthe same way for many years.“Some case handlers had to adjust and get used toworking in this new way. But the rewards are greatand no one misses the old system anymore.”Zernichow Borberg points out that most case handlers haveexperienced concrete advantages with the EDRMS, such asbeing able to search for information easily, consult quicklywith other agencies as well as in the sending of confirmationletters.Cases are not lost or misplaced, because they are all in thesystem. It’s easy to see whether the service targets are beingmet for each individual case and because the systemprocesses all documents, there is complete traceability forall case flows. Individual case handlers can sort cases accordingto a range of criteria, so when applicants, organizationsor educational institutions request information about aparticular case, it’s easy to find the relevant cases and givea prompt reply. At the same time, the training of new employeescan target specific case areas, allowing training tomanage the specific case type.The Electronic Document and Records Management Systemfrom Software Innovation will also allow the Danish ImmigrationService to offer web-based communication with applicantsin the near future.Software Innovation is a Scandinavian company and a leading international software vendor for document control, information and case management.With 25 years of experience and competence in business-oriented content applications, we are committed to delivering future-proof, flexible and highlyuser-friendly solutions for our customers and partners. Our application suites create excellent information sharing, efficient collaboration, business controland improved service for both private and public organizations. The packaged business solutions are built on Microsoft SharePoint and Office, the marketleading platform for collaboration and business productivity.Software Innovation AS | Rolfsbuktveien 4C | N-1364 Fornebu | +47 23 89 90 00 | www.software-innovation.com