SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Visus was recently featured by Microsoft for helping the County of Santa Barbara Surveyor’s Office undergo a dramatic digital transformation. The Santa Barbara-based digital consultancy designed and implemented the Surveyor Digital Intake and Review System (DIRS) that enables surveyors and property owners to upload project files, receive digital feedback, and submit payments online. It helped the County save $30,000 annually in rent, shorten project cycle duration by 15 percent, and save the office up to 200 hours per year in annual personnel costs.
Prior to working with Visus, the Surveyor’s Office made surveyors and property owners submit large paper maps either in person or via mail. The process required multiple hard copy iterations, with documents physically traveling between stakeholders for each review, increasing the risk of lost files, miscommunications, or delays at each step.
“We had been providing more and more customer services online as we worked toward a goal of digital transformation,” says Aleksandar Jevremovic, Santa Barbara County Surveyor. “We wanted to modernize and streamline project intake and communication with our customers. Doing markups by hand on paper maps and physically mailing copies back and forth or employing courier services was outdated. Our clients expected a more up-to-date experience. We were also reaching storage limits for paper maps, which we are required to archive. Our goal of digital transformation was to eliminate paper from our workflow.”
The paper-based manual system resulted in delays, inefficiencies, and a suboptimal experience for both County staff and customers. Additionally, the County’s storage space was nearly at capacity, leading to concerns about the cost of maintaining an ever-expanding archive of paper records.
“Ultimately, this digital transformation has benefited surveyors, County employees, and taxpayers alike,” added Michael Daoud, CEO of Visus. “The now easy-to-use online experience allows customers to submit and access files 24/7, which means nobody has to drive across town to ‘catch’ the County during office hours. Also, removing the need to print multiple iterations along with the back-and-forth of shuttling paper maps alone is in itself a substantial reduction in the carbon footprint for the County.”
A trusted Microsoft partner since 2009, Visus leveraged its extensive experience in workflow automation, system integration, and digital modernization to deliver a tailored solution that seamlessly fit into the County Surveyor’s needs.
“We now have an exact knowledge of how to help county surveyors modernize,” added Daoud. “As municipalities across the country face the same issues Santa Barbara did – manual processes, limited space, stretched teams, and even disaster preparedness – we’re eager to not only improve how other county and surveyor offices function, but to also change how people feel about that customer experience itself.”
The full story of the Santa Barbara County Surveyor’s Office digital transformation is available as a case study on the Visus website.
About Visus
Visus is a technology consulting firm with a focus on digital transformation known for its deep expertise and tailored digital solutions, which has been serving the public sector with effective innovations since 2000. The company helps organizations streamline operations and elevate customer experiences through innovative web development, scalable cloud solutions, and actionable business intelligence. For more information, visit https://visusllc.com.
