Magazine Article | November 1, 2002

Forms Processing Meets Public SafetyScantron established its reputation through vertical expertise in education, but this document imaging integrator is turning its attention to an estimated 50,000 prospects in the public safety market.

Scantron established its reputation through vertical expertise in education, but this document imaging integrator is turning its attention to an estimated 50,000 prospects in the public safety market.

Business Solutions, November 2002
Written by: Jackie Mauriello
E-Forms Expertise Creates Integration Opportunities For VARs

Automated data collection for public safety applications tends to be centered around paper forms, says Mike Stuhley, VP of Scantron Corp.'s (Tustin, CA) Imaging Group. For example, police officers want to capture racial profiling data quickly and easily at the scene, so a small paper form is often the best solution. However, Tom Hoag, Scantron president and CEO, points out, "E-forms are one of the biggest movements in the imaging market, and the ability to offer a 'hybrid' solution encompassing paper and electronic forms is a competitive advantage."

Scantron uses products from Cardiff Software, Inc. (San Diego) to reduce the potential data management issues of using separate paper and e-forms processing solutions. Cardiff has integrated its Teleform paper form and document processing software with its LiquidOffice electronic forms processing solution. "VARs can create a single form design that can be used for both the paper and the electronic versions. Data from either format can be processed and stored in a centralized repository," comments Mark Seamans, Cardiff's CTO and VP of business development. The combined system provides a single platform that handles the online routing and approval process for both kinds of forms.

From an end user perspective, the advantage of a hybrid solution is consistency. If the layout of the documents is the same in both paper and electronic forms, users can easily find the sections that pertain to them no matter which format is used. The consistency of the paper and online layout of the forms also encourages data consistency because field placement or appearance can affect the way a person fills out a form.

According to Seamans, whether a data collection solution is most efficiently implemented using a paper form, an e-form, or a hybrid solution presents a consultation opportunity for VARs. "For integrators like Scantron, this can be a chance to shine where services are concerned," notes Seamans. "Understanding the specific needs of your customer and being able to offer consultation and planning about how diverse forms can be most efficiently processed generates revenue as well as trust between an integrator and his client."

Announced in the third quarter of 2002, LiquidOffice 2.1 is based on industry-standard technologies and can be implemented as a stand-alone solution or activated from line of business applications such as human resources or a corporate portal. Version 2.1 includes APIs (application programming interfaces) allowing integration with third party workflow applications and requires minimal administration by tying directly into a company's existing NT and LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol)-based user management environment. Users can even attach a scanned image to an electronic form as it is routed through the workflow.

With the optional e-mail routing functionality, workflow can be extended on an ad hoc basis to users who are outside of the enterprise entirely. By assigning privileges and business rules, administrators can limit participation in the process and maintain document security.



Integrator Takes Wireless Testing Application To The Commercial Market

Scantron Corp. (Tustin, CA) got its start 30 years ago by developing tools to make school testing easier and has capitalized on those data collection skills by taking them to new markets. Advances in technology have also affected the way Scantron delivers solutions. For example, in mid-2002 Scantron introduced Global Assess, a Web-based testing and assessment application for companies and corporate trainers that operates on a PDA (personal digital assistant).

Piper Bart

If you instinctively reach for your number two pencil when you hear the name Scantron Corp. (Tustin, CA), you're not alone. It is, after all, the largest provider of standardized testing forms in schools, but at $95 million in sales it is also one of the largest document management VARs in the United States. "The two key technologies we offer are paper and electronic forms processing and document imaging," emphasizes Tom Hoag, Scantron's president and CEO. "Those technologies can be applied to almost any customer that deals with paper documents." Scantron sells and installs its own OMR (optical mark recognition) scanners, third party production document scanners and scanning software, mass storage hardware, and a variety of complementary services.

Due to growing emphasis on security issues, the public safety sector has emerged as a growing sweet spot in Scantron's data collection practice. Public safety encompasses not only state or local police, but also other agencies with management or oversight responsibilities. These organizations include transit police, port authority police, airport personnel, sheriffs' departments, and forest rangers as well as government departments such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). What all of these potential customers have in common is they use forms to collect information that affects the welfare of large numbers of people. For obvious reasons, it is important that this data be processed as quickly as possible and entered into databases where it can be made available to others for reporting purposes and trend analysis.

One niche application in the public safety sector where Scantron salespeople have found success involves racial profiling studies. An increasing number of cities are asking officers to fill out a form indicating the apparent age, gender, and race of each person who is targeted for an investigation. Initially, this measure was taken in response to alleged incidents of police brutality against minorities, but as concerns about potential terrorism continue, airport personnel and others are also collecting demographic data. Analyzed correctly, the data can be used to identify and prevent potential abuses of authority as well as serve as evidence in the event of litigation. Mike Stuhley, VP of Scantron's Imaging Group, estimates that there may be as many as 50,000 prospects in the United States that can use forms processing in this type of application.

Capitalize On Multivendor Imaging Expertise
"Because many public safety customers already have the IT infrastructure, often all they need to get up and running is the capture software and a low-volume [about 36 pages per minute] production scanner," comments Stuhley. A typical solution for Scantron would involve scanners from Fujitsu or Panasonic, Cardiff Software, Inc.'s TELEform forms processing software, and ApplicationXtender from LEGATO Systems, Inc. (formerly OTG Software). CD creation or database setup may also be part of the solution. For VARs with business intelligence expertise, there is also the opportunity to provide products and services for analytics and back end auditing.

"Most IT departments don't have experience in configuring a multivendor solution such as this," says Stuhley. "So they need an adept integrator to come put it all together for them." Because data collection is not a major function of these agencies, they are often weeks behind in processing forms, often through manual data entry. According to Stuhley, most are looking for an automated solution that is easy to use and speeds processing while maintaining accuracy.

Stuhley points out that many customers don't have the space or the inclination to run a centralized scanning department. That may be one reason why some customers prefer to outsource. One law enforcement agency retains Scantron to process 4,000 racial profiling documents a day.

Many data collection implementations fail, not because of the hardware or software, but because of the form design, warns Stuhley. "It has to be easy for the officers to fill out so they'll be encouraged to comply. Effective design involves everything from the size to the layout." Poor form design can also lead to inaccurate results. Color and text that is too close or the wrong size are two factors VARs should look for in existing forms or advising customers about new form design.

A Dual Strategy For Selling Document Management
In the public safety sector, Scantron's sales force pursues a dual strategy in its target market of cities with populations of 50,000 or more or entities processing 200 forms or more per day. It addresses the pain points of the IT department while developing the relationships and reputation among the upper management. "About 90% of the calls we get for data collection are from IT departments," comments Stuhley. "IT people in any business know where the data entry is being done. If they are suddenly told they have to start collecting a whole new set of data, they have to look at hiring five new people, which is going to cost about $100,000." Scantron salespeople offer them the alternative of a solution that Stuhley estimates typically costs between $30,000 and $40,000. "Once they start collecting data and find out it's not a headache, the IT department will often expand the solution to other forms such as constituent surveys or inspection reports," says Stuhley. "Pretty soon they are taking it to other departments outside of public safety."

Even though buying recommendations are made in the IT department, the actual purchase is often reviewed by a police chief, mayor, or other top decision maker. While Scantron has little trouble with name recognition, it strives to build its reputation as a public safety solution provider both by calling on them and attending industry shows. "Last year we went to an IACP [International Association of Chiefs of Police] show in Toronto and got a lot of traffic there," says Stuhley. "At first, it seemed like we were really out of place among companies demonstrating handcuffs and selling rubber bullets, but we got a lot of excellent leads out of that event."

When pursuing these leads, Scantron's salespeople find the sales cycle can last anywhere from 30 to 120 days, depending on the purchasing requirements. Because Scantron is recognized as a GSA (General Services Administration) contractor, it can often circumvent the bidding process, not only at the federal level but also in many states. (For more information about GSA contracts, go to www.gsa.gov.) Financing for racial profiling data collection is generally not a problem. "If an entity such as a city government wants to implement a racial profiling solution, there's often plenty of subsidy funds available from the state or federal government," contends Stuhley. "The money is there if they'll agree to share the data because all of those entities want that information."

If the test of a company's continued success is its ability to recognize how core competencies can be applied to emerging opportunities, Scantron receives the highest marks. It would have been easy to be satisfied with three decades of success in schools nationwide, but with a goal of reaching $200 million in revenue by 2006, Hoag plans to see to it that the only thing about Scantron that's number two is the pencils.