EnvisionConnect organizes functions in an intuitive and relevant way, with a user-friendly interface that’s easy to learn and geared toward the user’s role. The purpose of menus and options are described in meaningful and easy-to-understand terms, not curt and technical jargon. Because we designed it right, user manuals just aren't that important.

A great example of EnvisionConnect’s adaptability is the Page Layout Editor, a powerful feature that you can use to customize the data entry experience for your team. Data entry forms can be based on user's role or the program area in which they work. Not only can you reposition fields, re-label fields, remove fields, add instruction text, and define required fields; you can do it all using drag and drop.

Do you bill for complaint investigations? Are your facilities to be inspected at least twice a year? Are facility operators required to be certified? The Configuration Wizard will walk you through a series of data management policy questions like these to configure EnvisionConnect to meet your needs. Once answered, you only need to establish the business rules that standardize data entry and influence processing for the regulations and processes that make sense for you.

Of course EnvisionConnect streamlines data management for your agency and the programs it regulates. But, what does that really mean? Basically, it's this:

• Reduced data entry, maintenance, and errors
• Quicker answers
• More "can do" and less "can't be done"
• Better understanding of the places you regulate, the people you manage, and the public you safeguard

With EnvisionConnect, everything flows into everything else. Data is information, it's connected, and it's relevant. Processes are automated, configurable, and powerful. The complex is simplified; the effort is minor and the results are predictable.

Which will have you saying, "It's about time"

Logging violations, tracking inspection results, and documenting compliance efforts for all program areas are a snap with EnvisionConnect. You'll like how a single data entry form brings it all together for quick entry and review. As you record inspections, EnvisionConnect automates the scheduling of the next inspection according to your rules including facility risk factors, compliance outcomes, mandated inspection frequencies, and more.

Permitting and licensing is elemental for most agencies. Even so, we found many of our clients, prior to EnvisionConnect, had such a convoluted process that they were using spreadsheets and checklists to determine who should receive a permit: who has paid their permit fees? Were they inspected this year? Did their permit expire yet? Do they owe money for related services? Are there other programs regulated at this facility that should be paid prior to printing a permit?

Because EnvisionConnect is designed right, just run a report each night – the system has already answered all of the questions so you don't have to. Imagine – all of your complex rules simplified and automated.

EnvisionConnect’s financial system is integrated with other areas of EnvisionConnect so that, as data are maintained for regulated program management, financial data are kept up to date as well. This feature eliminates duplicate data entry, simplifies data management, and greatly reduces the effort to collect revenue. Because of the high degree of integration our clients generate permit fees as well as service fees (for such activities as re-inspections, complaint investigations, etc.) using flexible and fast batch processes. EnvisionConnect is just as nimble with over-the-counter invoices, payment posting, and receipt printing.

Other financial efficiencies can be found with the Batch Payment Import (BPI) tool. BPI posts payments submitted from financial institutions, posts bar-coded payments, and performs a month-end close in batch that applies outstanding payments, ages accounts, applies late payment penalties, and updates aging buckets on the Accounts Receivable records. Finally, the system tracks transactions to the program and sub-program level to allow for detailed program finance audits.

It's a given: with EnvisionConnect you can manage complaints of every kind, including suspected foodborne, waterborne, or vector-borne illnesses, illegal dumping, nuisance, and anything else you run across. Because of EnvisionConnect's design, efficiently managing a complaint, regardless of its linkage to a regulated facility, is accomplished in many ways:

• Appears on the inspector's To Do List automatically
• Automated e-mail to property owners
• Automated invoice generation for services performed — clerical doesn't have to be involved!
• Integration with permitting to prevent permit issuance due to open complaints
• Follow-up dates, using your rules, are automatically generated
• Dashboard reports to keep managers up-to-date – new complaints can be assigned quickly

For some agencies, complaint management involves third parties, such as trash haulers, before resolution can be achieved. Because you can create lists of Certified Professionals that can be linked to complaints, your data entry is minimized and efficient – just pick from a pop up list of Certified Professionals' and move on.

Most agencies have specific data entry forms for tracking environmental-based illnesses. We made it easy for you to create an illness-tracking form and link it to a complaint. With this feature you can store the level of detail necessary for each affected person. As you investigate the complaint, your time and effort is documented.

Almost without exception, nobody likes completing timesheets. It can be tedious and boring. While we can't guarantee EnvisionConnect's time and activity tracking is fun, its design does make a difference:

• Activities, regardless of their purpose, are recorded via the same screen, yet can be linked to any type of record, such as complaints, Service Requests, or permitted programs.
• The screen remembers your last entry and auto fills many fields so you don't have to – and you can copy entries with a mouse click or hotkey
• A running total of minutes recorded per day is displayed as you complete your entries
• While working elsewhere in the system, you can hotkey to the daily activity data entry form and enter a few fields to complete an entry for the time spent working elsewhere – and then pop back over to where you started
• Time tracking isn't limited to inspections — from staff meetings to grant writing, all activity records are entered at a single form to speed data entry
• You can report your time by employee, district, facility, complaint, etc. Practically speaking, there is just about no limit to the number of ways it can be sorted, grouped, averaged, expensed, billed for, and so on.
• Entries are validated in real-time; this eliminates data entry errors such as recording an inspection in the Vacation program
• No need to key payroll data in one system and environmental health time tracking in another – several Decade clients print payroll timesheets out of EnvisionConnect

Again, EnvisionConnect is designed right. Right for you.

Besides the more than 200 reports shipped with EnvisionConnect, there are hundreds more developed by Decade clients available through our community website. That's the beauty of Decade's approach — practically everything can be shared and reused. Wouldn't it be nice to save time and money using reports developed by like-minded professionals?

When it comes to reports, EnvisionConnect provides several options

• Crystal Reports, an international standard, is the foundation upon which EnvisionConnect's more than 200 canned reports relies. Because no vendor can anticipate every reporting need, or staff for every report request, we've made it easy for you to copy our canned reports, modify them, and use them in production going forward.
• Dashboard reports, or simply, dashboards, are typically summary reports providing a quick reference to keep you posted throughout your day. You choose the dashboards most relevant to you and they'll be automatically presented on your home page. Financial, complaint, activity logging, and violation trends; whatever the interest, keep tabs on it all.
• In addition to the Dashboards and Crystal Reports, ad hoc reporting is available throughout the system. Wherever you can search for records, you can print a list. Several filtering methods, predefined views, grouping, and sorting options are available. Once you have your perfect list criteria, save your settings and use them again and again.
• If you need to schedule reports for distribution, use Report Builder, Microsoft's easy-to-use query tool. With it you can schedule reports for automatic e-mailing. This includes Dashboard reports, too.

Pictures, word processing documents, PDF's, spreadsheets—just about any type of file can be linked to EnvisionConnect records. Too, files can be grouped and displayed in a relevant way. For example, you can display a list of attachments linked to a particular program regulated at a facility, or just those linked to a particular inspection. Or, all of the attachments for the facility, regardless of purpose or origin.

EnvisionConnect shouldn't be confused with a document management system. In fact, several Decade clients integrated their document management system with EnvisionConnect, as part of a larger initiative within their local government agencies. With our design, you've got choices and flexibility.

As an ESRI Development Partner, Decade has built EnvisionConnect to support GIS integration to validate and geo-code locations, including addresses, against external GIS themes. As a spatially-enabled system, EnvisionConnect allows the agency to construct GIS queries from EnvisionConnect data for the creation of map layers for analysis among program areas.

EnvisionConnect supports files and documents embedded as part of free-form comments. This approach is preferred for small documents tied to a specified facility, property, or permit. EnvisionConnect also supports links to network-based document management systems. Documents remain in their original location and EnvisionConnect tracks a reference to it. This method is preferred for very large documents, documents shared by many users, and documents that change often.

EnvisionConnect offers a consistent methodology for accessing external system data regardless of how the data structure is provided.