4 Ways Software Can Improve Work Challenges for Animal Control Officers
Animal control officers have a tough job. ACOs often see the worst of humanity and must deal with traumatic situations that don’t always have a positive outcome. For officers, the job has enough mental, physical and even social challenges without the extra hassle of having to deal with those caused by inefficient work processes.
With software designed specifically for animal control departments, inefficient processes can become streamlined, helping to reduce the stress from high case volume and help ACOs focus their efforts on making a difference in their community – instead of filling out paperwork. Here’s a look at four ways animal control software can improve the work lives of animal control officers.
1. Streamline Case Management
Case management can be a real challenge for any ACO who works in a jurisdiction with high case volume. The time between opening a case and eventually closing it can take weeks if not months and requires frequent follow-ups and check-ins, either to ensure the owners are correcting the problem or to gather enough evidence to take further action. Few cases are open and shut, and often owners are given a grace period to improve conditions for their animal. Meanwhile, new cases continue to come in. With so many open cases at various stages, the responsibility of remembering to follow up on a case or check in with an owner falls on the shoulders of already overworked officers. It can be a lot to manage.
With animal control software, case management becomes more streamlined and even automated. In cases where the software is hooked up with a CRM (customer relationship management) system, citizens have the ability to submit complaints or reports electronically (with the ability to even attach photos and video to the complaint!), and the complaints are automatically assigned to an ACO in the system, alerting the officer in question of a new situation that needs investigating.
With personalized dashboards that can be filtered by employee, it’s easy for officers to see at-a-glance what tasks they have for the day – or even be alerted to overdue tasks that require immediate follow-up. With Comcate’s animal control software, officers can even create new cases in the field in as little as 90 seconds, thanks to GIS capabilities, pre-uploaded violations and the ability to tap to select location, making it easy for officers to document developing situations while on patrol.
2. Educate Animal Owners
There can be days where animal control officers don’t interact with a single animal – but there are rarely days where they don’t interact with people. From outreach to follow-up, animal control officers spend as much if not more time with people than they do with animals. Part of the outreach that ACOs do is educating the public, from common misconceptions about basic pet care to letting them know about available resources like spay/neuter programs or pet food pantries. For many officers, leading with helpful information goes a long way toward establishing trust and encouraging cooperation in order to achieve compliance.
Educating the public becomes easier when officers are empowered with field-based technology. Cloud-based software allows officers to upload templates that contain helpful or necessary information. When combined with the power of a mobile printer, ACOs can generate notices or other documents while in the field, making it easy to provide owners with the information they need. These templates can be notices informing the owners of their violation and how they can be in compliance with the law, or can even be a list of available resources. With software, officers can also email with contacts and owners directly from the system, making it easy to keep communication organized with the case it pertains to.
3. Make Reporting Easier
Reporting is a necessary evil for any government employee, including those in animal control. Reporting validates your department’s work to those in leadership and can even help justify your case when appealing for extra resources.
“When we’re asking for additional funding, we need to be able to back that request up with data,” said Mayor Terry Frank of Anderson County, TN, which uses Comcate’s Animal Control Manager in their Animal Care and Control Unit. “We can’t go to the county commission with anecdotes. It’s our responsibility to provide commissioners with the data they need to make informed decisions,” said Mayor Frank.
Reporting can also make it easy to identify trends or physical “hotspot” locations in the city that are experiencing higher-than-average issues. “With Comcate, we have the data we need so officers know where to put their limited outreach time,” said Mayor Frank. “Or if we have one area where we’re picking up a lot of animals for overpopulation, we can consider a spay / neuter program there.”
With animal control software, reporting can all be done within the system. The software aggregates data from the cases you open and work on, then pulls all the information together in a visually appealing report that is easy to understand. GIS integrations offer the ability to pinpoint areas on a map, too.
4. Create a Searchable Database of Local Animals and Contacts
There’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with the same person over and over again – and having to dig through multiple files to find the information you need for historical context. With animal control software, you can create a database of animals and contacts that makes it easy to look up previous cases. Officers can view case history by location information, as well as by animal.
Improve Work Challenges with Animal Control Software
Animal control officers advocate for those who can’t speak for themselves and ensure the proper welfare of animals in their jurisdiction. From uncooperative owners to widely held misconceptions, there are a lot of challenges that make this task more difficult for animal control officers. Don’t let inefficient processes complicate the situation even further!
Animal control software can help officers organize their cases to better keep track of ongoing situations and ensure that justice is done. From automations to reporting, the right software product can benefit both officers and ultimately the community they serve.
At Comcate, we work with animal control departments and private humane societies all across the country. We understand the struggles that ACOs face everyday – which is why we designed flexible, affordable animal control software to help officers overcome those challenges. Interested in learning more about how software could help your municipality better handle animal control cases? Fill out the form below to talk with one of our consultants!
Schedule a Meeting with Comcate Today!
Learn how Comcate can help make government delivery simple, and offer a modern digital experience to help you increase transparency, efficiency, and performance across your departments. If you have any questions about implementing our software, please fill out the form below or call us directly at (415) 632-1248.
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