Industry spotlight: Local council transforms business process using Docusign and custom connectors

This is the second in a series of articles exploring how industries solve specific problems with help from Docusign’s solution engineers. Here, Docusign Solution Architect Robert D'Angelo shares a great example of how one of our customers in the government sector is using Docusign.

From local councils through to federal agencies, organisations in the government sector face unique challenges on the path to delivering the best citizen services. Think ever-shrinking budgets, ageing infrastructure, staff turnover, and more.

And yet, expectations continue to rise. Government organisations are under immense pressure to do more with less. Here, we explore how one local council in Sydney has done exactly this by thinking outside the box with Docusign. 

Starting small, thinking big

The local council was already using Docusign eSignature for back office tasks like HR and procurement. Documents were being returned faster than ever – the vast majority within one day, and some within five to ten minutes – and money was being saved.

Having proven its worth for smaller back office applications, it was time to think big with Docusign. And think creatively about how to drive business value despite budgetary constraints and the limitations of existing technology investments.

Our client at the local council was quick to spot an opportunity where others saw obstacles. He could see the immense potential of Docusign, and knew the council could use it to help turn their current technology investments and capabilities into something better. 

For inspiration, our client turned to Docusign’s solution engineers, who shared a use case from another Docusign customer. In that example, we helped set up a custom connector with Microsoft Power Automate to rapidly build a bespoke solution for its HR department. 

Automating the approval of invoices

They then decided to apply the same logic as the example we showed them to a slow and manual process within council – the approval of invoices to be paid. Previously, council workers had to manually enter invoice details into various documents, and send these documents around to stakeholders for approval before organising payment.

Now, it’s all automated. Invoices land in a shared council mailbox. From there, data from each invoice is autonomously extracted out to a SharePoint repository, where structured information – such as name of supplier, invoice amount, and date – is all tabulated. 

Then, with a custom connector into Docusign and automated workflows, the invoices are sent to the right people for approval, instantaneously. Everything is tracked and managed within the one, secure system. Late payments are automatically followed up, helping the council avoid potential penalties if they miss a deadline. 

Democratising developers

As the above example shows, there’s a great opportunity for non-developers to work with Docusign to develop practical solutions that deliver a range of business benefits, from cost savings to operational gains. 

Watch out for more articles in our series on how Docusign helps solve specific industry use cases. Or, for help in solving a problem unique to your business, get in touch.