Page 39 - PCPA Winter 2024 Bulletin Magazine

THINK TWICE BEFORE SIGNING THAT RMS CONTRACT: 5 THINGS NOT
TO OVERLOOK WHEN PURCHASING AN RMS SYSTEM
administrative personnel need a number they can call 24
x 7 x 365 to connect with a live support representative
who is skilled at diagnosing and resolving their issues,
especially system critical issues. While Chat bots and
support tickets can play a role in an overall support
strategy, they don’t cut it when something is critical and
time sensitive.
What to Ask: Find out the vendor’s support policies. Do
they have tiers of support based on your agency size
or some other criteria? Do they have a US-based help
desk? When you call the support number, do you talk to a
person? Do they offer after hours support? Are there any
hidden or extra fees for support after hours, on weekends,
etc.?
Again, check references! Talk to other agencies who are
currently on the platform and find out how support issues
are handled.
call-related data between the systems in an automated
fashion. In order for an interface to actually have value,
though, it needs to be SMART. That means, the interface
needs to be designed in a way that includes existing
records checks of your RMS so duplicate records aren’t
created.
What to Ask: Not all interfaces are created equal. For
instance, just because a vendor claims to have an interface
with, say the PA TraCS system for citations, crashes,
and non-traffic citations, be sure to ask if the interface
is SMART. Does it look for existing name records before
creating a new name record? If not, the interface is merely
a data dump and will clog your system with unwanted
duplicate records.
Poorly designed interfaces can result in duplicate records,
inconsistent data formatting, or incomplete information—
problems that can lead to errors in reporting, analysis, and
investigations.
Ask for references from other agencies using the same
interface and ask about their experience.
5.  Interfaces: Are the interfaces provided by your
RMS vendor SMART or are they just clogging your
system with unwanted data?
An interface is a data bridge between two systems
that automatically shares similar data between both
systems, without end user intervention. The end game
of an interface is that it should eliminate redundant data
entry, thereby saving time. A good example of this is an
interface between a CAD and an RMS system, that shares
Conclusion:
Dig deeper, check references, and ask the
hard questions to ensure you are getting a
total solution– software, services, and support
– so you can move confidently into the future.
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WINTER 2024 BULLETIN