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software solutions for government agencies

An Introduction to FileMaker for State and Local Governments

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With the power of the FileMaker platform, government organizations are addressing a variety of operational inefficiencies to better serve their communities. No matter how your organization serves the community, a customized FileMaker solution can help you too. If you aren’t quite sure how, we recommend you start by reading our previous post about what FileMaker can do for your organization.

If you already have a clear picture of what FileMaker can offer your team but you’re interested in exploring some examples in a government or bureaucratic context, that’s what we’re going to detail in this post.

Project Management

The ability to track project milestones, expenses, and timelines is critical to the success of any project. FileMaker allows your team to track every facet of your projects on one centralized platform. Because it offers the ability to integrate accounting data with the robust data API integration suite, you can be confident your next project stays within budget while tracking costs in real time. 

On top of making sure your organization isn’t overspending, you’ll be able to see exactly how your team is performing every step of the way, so you can quickly address any roadblocks before they slow progress down. With customizable dashboard functionality, you’ll even be able to ensure that every member of your team has access to the mission-critical metrics they need to measure their success.

Breaking Away From Appliance Applications

While appliance applications are often necessary and good at accomplishing a specific set of tasks, they rarely excel at efficiently streamlining the workflows unique to your organization. At the same time, they don’t give your team the ability to continually refine processes and grow. If your goal is maximizing productivity by overcoming inefficiency and work ruts, appliance applications rarely offer the flexibility to align with your goals. Fortunately, the FileMaker platform was specifically designed to help you maximize operational efficiency with a software solution built around your team’s day-to-day workflows. That makes FileMaker an ideal tool for breaking away from the constraints of appliance software as well as the work ruts they often (inadvertently) create.

Asset Management

Government organizations oversee a wide range of assets, including land, buildings, personnel, vehicles, electronic devices, and more. But how effectively are you tracking the use, location, and purpose of those assets? If there’s room for improvement, a FileMaker solution can help. From managing every asset your organization is responsible for to using the latest IoT sensors for real-time location tracking and monitoring, a FileMaker solution can streamline asset management and maximize accountability so you always know exactly where to find what you need.

Mobile Data Collection

If members of your organization frequently have to collect data in the field, they need a platform to simplify data entry while keeping your databases as up to date as possible. A FileMaker solution has the power not only to make data collection more intuitive but also to integrate all of the database sources, including MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle, that your team might already be using.

Task Automation

If your team has become inundated with the burden of performing repetitive tasks like data entry and report creation, FileMaker can automate those tasks for you. By automating routine day-to-day tasks, you can empower your team with the freedom to focus on more critical operations that require a human touch.

Your FileMaker Experts

If operational inefficiencies have hindered your organization in the past, a FileMaker solution can help you turn those challenges into an opportunity for growth. Contact the experts at Skeleton Key today, and we’ll work with you to develop a customized FileMaker solution around your specific goals and operations.

creative team working

A Creative Services Introduction to FileMaker

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For teams in the creative services industry, staying flexible is critical to the successful design and deployment of projects. At the same time, having to perform repetitive tasks frequently interferes with tasks that require a more creative touch. Fortunately, the FileMaker Platform can help your organization overcome both of these challenges with customized software built around your team’s workflows.

In this post, we’ll explore some of the real-world inefficiencies the FileMaker Platform is designed to streamline, so you can transform how your creative team works at every level.

Project Management

If your team uses multiple software platforms to track and manage ongoing projects, it doesn’t take much to delay project timelines. From losing track of critical documents to having to switch between multiple applications and reenter the same status and tracking information multiple times, having disparate and disconnected software systems ultimately breeds inefficiency.

FileMaker allows you to consolidate disparate software programs and database systems into one centralized platform. At the same time, your team members can continue using the specialized tools and services they still need  without worrying about losing track of any aspect of their projects.

Ultimately, using a customized FileMaker solution to oversee your creative projects allows your organization to deliver more predictable timelines. You’ll also minimize project overhead by more efficiently utilizing project management resources, potentially allowing your team to manage more projects in less time.

Photo Management

Whether your organization relies on photographs to create advertisements or track assets, a FileMaker solution can help you manage those photos more efficiently and effectively. With powerful search capabilities and the ability to leverage Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, your team can quickly tag and find the images they need based on specific criteria. At the same time, FileMaker’s mobile platform allows everyone in your organization to access those same photos whenever  work takes them into the field on photo shoots or client site visits.

Video Production and Editing

A customized FileMaker solution can allow your team to track every second of every shot at every stage from production to post-production. By allowing you to track where you’re at during every stage of creation and editing, you can quickly identify any roadblocks or conflicts that might impact how you’re allocating talent or equipment. Since your entire team can work on a shared platform, FileMaker significantly minimizes the risk of miscommunication at every stage. And with robust reporting features, you can schedule automated project updates to keep all key stakeholders updated on timelines while you focus on more critical tasks.

Organizations in the creative services industry have even used the FileMaker Platform to develop compelling visual effects programs customized to their needs. Since visual effects often require processing vast amounts of data and the FileMaker Platform specializes in just that, a tailored program offers an ideal opportunity to streamline video production and post-production.

Advertising Design and Strategy

From tracking advertisement assets during development to finding the ideal locations to place those ads, FileMaker makes it easy to ensure you’re maximizing every client’s advertising budget. These capabilities allow your team to stay focused on the more creative aspects of designing attention-grabbing ads. At the same time, FileMaker’s data API capabilities can even allow you to track the ongoing success of advertisements, so you can further refine marketing strategies with real-time data.

Apparel and Fashion

For a clothing or fashion-oriented organization, FileMaker can manage all your mission-critical tasks, including:

  • Inventory tracking and management
  • Online and offline sales
  • Design and production

With FileMaker, your team will be able to track every step of your next project, thereby maximizing communication and collaboration while minimizing obstacles or bottlenecks. And with an intuitive user interface that can be crafted to match your unique workflow and perspective, your team members can quickly learn the intricacies of your solution so they can integrate it into their day-to-day tasks right away.

Web Design and SEO

Effective web design and the ability to be found by customers have become critical aspects of ensuring the ongoing success for businesses in every industry. FileMaker can simplify every aspect of web design and search engine optimization (SEO) for both your own internal operations and those of your clients. From tracking critical keywords to performing website audits and tracking design changes, the FileMaker platform makes it easy to ensure you’re maintaining a strong online presence in an increasingly digital world.

Partner with the Experts at Skeleton Key

Whether your team has hit a work rut or disparate software systems have overburdened your day-to-day operations, the FileMaker experts at Skeleton Key are here to help you overcome your barriers to success. We’ve already helped hundreds of organizations in every industry streamline inefficiencies with FileMaker, and we’re ready to help you find innovative solutions to your problems. Contact our team to get started today.