Monthly Archives: August 2016

Building Permit Software Help Options

Citizenserve building permit software has several options for embedded help. Departments can customize help screens. Help text can be customized on permit application forms and license application forms. This can include HTML links to external systems, web sites, documents, etc. Field level help can be created with a information icon placed next to the field. The citizen portal has robust customization of all pages. Custom fields can be setup to only show on the portal allowing additional text information. Applications can also be made dynamic to help simplify simple requests and expand on questions based on prior answers.

Explain the backup process of our data, is it stored off site, etc.?

Citizenserve community development software is hosted in two main data centers. One in the Southwest, the other in the Northeast. Both data centers have a 100% up time service level agreement (SLA). These data centers are also SSAE 16 complaint and audited by a public accounting firm. Application and database servers are continuously replicated. Data backups are maintained indefinitely in a perpetual archive in the event it is necessary to retrieve data that may have been deleted at a point in time. A third disaster recovery location is also maintained in the event of a system-wide failure with the data centers. Citizenserve has a 13 year history maintaining 99.99+% up time.

Modular E-Government Data Center

Citizenserve Data Center

What type of integration options would you provide to connect to our existing repository of permitting documents? What is the import or export process? What is the cost?

An unlimited number of documents can be stored in citizenserve building permit software. Links can also be setup in the permit applications to external sources such as iCloud, OneDrive or a document management system such as Laserfiche. City planning documents in paper form can be scanned and easily imported into citizenserve building permit software and associated with the relevant permits and parcel or property data. Once documents are scanned the document and metadata can be imported for a nominal fee.

Picture of city plan documents in vault

Is this your city plan document storage solution?

Online Permit Software Configuration

Citizenserve supports real-time on-the-fly configuration which is critical for maintaining e-government software systems that need to be available 24/7 for citizens, contractors and businesses. Applications, fees, documents and processes can be configured on the fly with no programming. In this video we show how a permit application custom field can be added to the online permitting software on-the-fly and the field a also appears automatically on the citizen portal with no down-time.