INSIDE

The Official Web Site ofthe State of South Carolina

InsIghts is published by South Carolina Interactive. Your questions and comments are welcome. Please contact us at:

1301 Gervais Street, Suite 710 | Columbia, SC 29201(803) 771-0131 | SC.gov | http://scinteractive.sc.gov

SC.GOV PORTAL REPORT 2013

Focus on Solutions ............ 2

Awards and Recognition for UCC Online .................. 3

SC.gov Offers Award-Winning Mobile Payment Processing Solutions .......... 3

SC.gov Cares ..................... 4

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Agency Spotlight

S.C. Department of Natural Resources

outh Carolina sells nearly 950,000 licenses each year to residents and out-of-state

hunters and fishermen.In 2006, the South Carolina Department of

Natural Resources (DNR) partnered with SC.gov to create a new hunting and fishing licensing system that allows customers to purchase licenses online directly through SC.gov, by phone, and at authorized point-of-sale agents. There are 487 authorized Internet point-of-sale agents across the state, including Wal-Mart and Dick’s Sporting Goods stores. The user-friendly licensing system allows customers to print recreational licenses instantly from any computer and provides enhanced reporting capabilities that save sales agents and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources employees’ valuable time.

SC.gov Unveils Innovative New Website

The SC.gov Portal team unveiled a new, stunningly redesigned SC.gov, the official website of the State of South Carolina, on April 27, 2013 that is a dramatic leap forward and redefines how government services

and information are delivered to individuals and businesses throughout the Palmetto State.

South Carolina is home to a unique blend of geographic and culturally-diverse areas, ranging from the coastal “Lowcountry” to the mountainous “Upstate.” The distinctive beauty of each of these areas provides the ideal backdrop for a new, more visually compelling and user-centric SC.gov.

SC.gov captures and engages users in a way that’s relevant to them … on any device at any time. It now incorporates the use of responsive design technology to automatically conform to the size of the user’s screen, creating the best user experience possible for visitors on the go or at home. The site also incorporates striking user-provided imagery throughout the site to showcase the beauty of South Carolina.

The new design provides users with enhanced functionality and a wide variety of new features, including:

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2 | SC.GOV PORTAL REPORT 2013

• Search-Friendly – The new search provides instant results

based on metatags, content, and descriptions as the user enters text. “Best Bets” highlight agencies’ most searched services and information. Based on statistical data, the top five most popular searches, such as Jobs, Unclaimed Prop-erty, and DMV, appear below the main search field.

• Citizen Interaction – The new “Connect with Us” page offers several ways to connect with state social media channels, state agency contacts, legislators, and constitu-tional officers. The new Text4Help capability delivers chat support using text messaging technology. Citizens can exhibit their photography skills by submitting pictures from across the state.

• Centralized Information – SC.gov collected agency information and has consolidated information about more than 160 online services through the A-Z listing of SC online services, 70 agency news pages, and a centralized listing for 200 agency social media pages. Information is arranged by subject and user group.

• Hot Spots – Five “Hot Spots” appear on the new SC.gov home page to attract

attention, spark users’ curiosity, and encourage exploration of the site. Information about the background images is provided as well as information about government initia-tives, seasonal events, and online services to help users discover something new on SC.gov. SC.gov’s search capabilities, ease of navigation, and capti-

vating and responsive design deliver the best possible user experience to better serve the state of South Carolina.

To view the new website and explore its features, please visit http://www.sc.gov/. Also, check out the new SC.gov video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IclfHc1Qc34.

SC.gov Unveils Innovative New Website

The new sc.gov incorporates responsive design and is available on any device at any time.

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he SC.gov Portal team provides state and local governments in South Carolina three enterprise services that are the founda-tion of its self-funded business model: Palmetto Pay, Palmetto

Site Builder, and Palmetto Event Registration. All three of these services provide cost-effective eGovernment solutions to state and local govern-ments in South Carolina with no setup fees and no maintenance fees.

Palmetto Pay provides reliable, secure, and convenient 24/7 online payment processing for citizens and businesses, with the option to pay with credit/debit cards or electronic checks. Palmetto Pay meets or exceeds Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards, providing peace of mind for government, businesses, and citizens that their payment information is fully protected. With more than 113 state and local partners processing more than 700 payment services,

Palmetto Pay is the premier eGovernment payment processing option in South Carolina. In the state’s fiscal year 2013, citizens and busi-nesses processed more than 1 million transactions through Palmetto Pay, for licenses, fees, court fines, utility bills, property taxes, permits, and many other government payments.

Through Palmetto Site Builder, SC.gov provides a no-cost, user-friendly Web presence to state and local governments. Regardless of size, location, or technical expertise government entities across South Carolina can provide a Web presence to reach their constituents. SC.gov provides hosting, design assistance, training, and support at no cost to state and local governments, helping them to conserve valuable resources.

Focus on Solutions

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SC.GOV PORTAL REPORT 2013 | 3

t’s exciting to see our agency partners praised in the media and industry and to see projects receive

awards recognition. No project generated more buzz in the past year than the Secretary of State’s UCC Online – online filing, search, and document retrieval of uniform commer-cial code documents.

“We are extremely pleased with the success of UCC Online. Online filings and searches save time and money for both businesses and govern-ment,” said South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond. “We look forward to working with SC.gov to provide additional online services for our constituents.”

The primary users of the UCC Online appli-cation are banking institutions, law firms, and business owners.

UCC Online allows businesses and citizens to file, search, and retrieve UCC documents electronically at https://ucconline.sc.gov/UCCFiling/.

UCC Online Provides• Convenient 24/7 access

• Immediate filing confirmation• Quicker UCC search processing time• Immediate search resultsBusinesses can also file UCC documents elec-

tronically by sending XML documents through a Web service API.

The Office of the SC Secre-tary of State (SOS) was able to accomplish two strategic goals by providing this online service: reduce costs and provide the public with effective around-the-clock service via the Internet. UCC Online provides an in-house filing and reporting system, document and application management, and premium bulk data service. UCC Online has significantly reduced SOS staff time spent performing UCC filings and searches. The delay normally expe-rienced by customers from having to mail in filings is eliminated.

Over the last 12 months, UCC filing online adoption has grown to 47.5 percent and online UCC searches adoption to 97 percent.

In May, The Outstanding Partnership

Merit Award was presented to the SOS by the International Association of Commercial Administrators for the partnership between the SOS and SC.gov in developing the UCC Online system. In 2012, the UCC Online system was

honored with a national Digital Government Achievement Award, by the Center for Digital Government and an Elite Achievers Award, sponsored by the South Carolina Chapter of Government Management Information Sciences (SC.GMIS). Helping our agency partners earn the recognition they deserve is always a goal. However, SC.gov’s top priority for initiatives like the UCC Online project is simple: deliver a solution that helps our agency partner save time and money while providing citizens and busi-nesses better service. n

Awards and Recognition for UCC Online

SC.gov and Secretary of State project teams showcase the DGAA

and GMIS awards.

More than 110 state and local government entities partner with SC.gov to use Palmetto Pay, a quick, easy, and secure method

for accepting online debit/credit and electronic check payments for more than 700 government services. These payments can be received through online e-commerce applications via the Internet or over the counter. This service authorizes payments, disburses funds to appropriate bank accounts, and provides government partners with enhanced reporting capabilities.

SC.gov has enhanced the customer interface by adding a feature known as Responsive Design. Users making payments are presented with a payment screen that automatically adjusts to the type of device they are using. Instead of having to manually scroll

through and resize payment screens, the application determines the screen size of a device and adjusts the Web page accordingly, providing a vastly improved user experience when making an online payment. Responsive Design works on any device whether a customer is using a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

In 2012, more than 977,000 payments were processed through Palmetto Pay, compared to fewer than 27,000 payments in 2006. In August 2013, the Center for Digital Government awarded SC.gov the Best Fit Integrator Long-Term Service Award for Palmetto Pay. For more information about Palmetto Pay including features, benefits, statistics, and partner references, please visit http://scinteractive.sc.gov.

SC.gov Offers Award-Winning Mobile Payment Processing Solutions

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InsIghts is published by South Carolina Interactive. Your questions and comments are welcome. Please contact us at:

1301 Gervais Street, Suite 710 | Columbia, SC 29201(803) 771-0131 | SC.gov | http://scinteractive.sc.gov

The SC.gov team understands the importance of investing in improving the communities where

we live and work. Our work – bringing eGovernment solutions to businesses and constituents – is just the beginning. We are also very active with community organiza-tions and initiatives.

Members of the SC.gov team joined with Habitat for Humanity to unload trucks of donated furniture and helped build a Habitat Home for a family with three young chil-dren by constructing the floor structure of the house. We have volunteered at Harvest

Hope Food Bank – sorting canned goods, boxed food, toiletries, and baby supplies and donated resources to provide holiday gifts for four children through the SC Youth Advocacy Program. We have participated in local races for charity, donated blood, read to under- priveleged kids, and organized fundraisers for homeless and wounded veterans. Within the past year, as a team we’ve contributed more than 100 hours to our community efforts.

The impact we have as a volunteer team brings new meaning to partnering with the state of South Carolina.

SC.gov Cares – Commitment to Community

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S.C. DNR

Today, this multichannel licensing system is getting a complete overhaul. SC DNR and SC.gov have been working together to create an upgraded DNR Online Customer Service Portal that will replace the current online DNR licensing solution and the in-house sales system currently being used by DNR. The first service avail-able through the new DNR Online Customer Service Portal allows customers to apply for lottery hunts. The application is designed responsively, which means the application view conforms to any device: desktop, laptop, and mobile.

The first lottery hunts to be accepted through the new application were public alligator and Wildlife Management Area alligator. Addi-tional hunts will be added as the seasons open. South Carolina sells more than 6,600 alligator hunt applications each year to residents and out-of-state hunters. “We’ve employed the latest technology to benefit hunters, anglers, and all those who enjoy wildlife-related recreation and activities. This latest advancement in customer service is part of our commitment to provide convenient, secure, and user-friendly online services to the public,” said Don Winslow, deputy director of Outreach and Support Services with DNR. n

Focus on SolutionsPalmetto Event Registration is SC.gov’s newest enterprise

offering. Governments now have the ability to provide customized, online event registration for any event they host, such as conferences, classes, seminars, and training. Palmetto Event Registration provides a wealth of features, like a configurable registration form, early and late registra-tion options, name badge printing, and custom email notices to event attendees.

SC.gov’s enterprise eGovernment services allow citizens and businesses the convenience of interacting with state and local governments 24/7/365, whether it is to make a payment, visit a website, or register for an event. With SC.gov’s unique self-funded model these services are offered at no cost to government entities, making SC.gov a valuable resource for eGovernment solutions in the state of South Carolina. For more information visit http://scinteractive.sc.gov. n

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SC.gov employees construct the floor structure of

a new four bedroom Habitat for Humanity home.