Introducing ‘Ask the Geek’

Many years ago, we hired a designer to create a mascot that reflects what we do, which is develop software for state licensing agencies. We called him Government Geek because, well, government and software. The Geek served us well for a time and has since been enjoying retirement on one of our servers. We’ve decided to bring him back for a new feature: Ask the Geek.

Can software help with that?

Here’s what we have in mind.

Regulatory officials regularly encounter inefficiencies and frustrations related to process and workflow. They often live with them, unaware that software geeks somewhere have developed solutions – and licensing specialists elsewhere are using them.

We invite you to share some of these inefficiencies and frustrations, via email. The Geek – by which we mean our captive coding geeks – will discuss the issue, determine whether a software solution exists and, if so, what it might look like. Ask the Geek will post a response in our newsletters and on our website.

If you do share an issue, we will follow up, if necessary, only to understand the issue fully and create a response. If you’d like to know more about us or request a demo, you can ask. But that’s not our purpose here. You also can ask us not to identify you in our response.

What kinds of questions are OK?

If the issue involves the ways in which you, your colleagues or your department do your jobs, feel free to ask. We may not have a software answer. But it’s more likely that we’ve seen the problem before and can describe a solution.

One recent example involves guided report-writing. A human services agency shared a problem their specialists encounter with their current system, which provides a blank field for the creation of investigative reports. Because the system doesn’t offer any guidance, specialists often don’t share the information needed to support enforcement actions. Sometimes, they share too little. Sometimes, they share information that isn’t relevant. As a result, the reports bounce back and forth between specialists and supervisors. Time is wasted, and everyone’s frustrated.

The agency wanted to know whether software can walk specialists through the creation of such reports, ensuring that the relevant information – and only the relevant information – is provided. The answer is yes.

Where to send questions

If you have a question for Government Geek, email it to sales@glsolutions and write “Ask the Geek” in the subject line.