How Clariti Helped Michigan's Liquor Control Commission Fast-Track License Approvals and Renewals

When a state government’s legacy system becomes more of a problem than a solution, it’s time for a change.

That’s what Erika Hoppes, a business analyst in the state of Michigan's liquor division experienced with their outdated system. It was custom-built to a point where it was no longer viable for future use. 

“The anticipated cost of upgrading was going to increase significantly,” she recalled. “The support for that system and the resources required [started] dwindling. We really were looking at something a little more modern. And as far as maintenance was concerned, we needed to make sure that we had a system that actually had support.” 

Amid their hunt for a new system, the division came across Clariti’s cloud-based permitting and licensing solution. And having faced constant issues and frustrations with their resource-draining legacy system, were drawn to the solution’s base licensing functionality that would help solve their needs without too much customization.

Erika recalls being all too happy to hear of the system’s existing functionalities that would help solve the divisions challenges faster than if they were to update their legacy system.  

“They have this package that a lot of [governments] are using that comes standard with essential functionality that limits the need to customize things on their end.”

"With the go-live-date we were working toward, it made so much sense for us to go ahead and use an existing package.”

Together, “They worked all night long to get up an implementation approach, and by the time they showed up, they had a plan they were ready to implement and a plan B if necessary."

“They made sure we were taken care of and ensured it happened within our timeframe. It isn't always the case with every company that you’re working with. Not everybody makes themselves available.” 
- Erika Hoppes, State of Michigan Liquor Control Commission

Since 2015, Michigan’s Liquor Division has depended on Clariti’s built-in functionalities - the Accounting Package, Dynamic Rules Engine, and Letters Engine - to carry out daily operations.

Accounting Package

Using the Accounting Package, the division is able to carry out accurate compliance reporting, and ensure they efficiently meet state requirements. 

“It was necessary for us to have a system that allowed us to match payments and split that out. We needed it for our reporting and managing of fees that come back out through our Sigma system.”

"As far as the accounting side of it, with the way that we have to report on our fees and make those payments and the visibility of those types of things, it has worked out really well.”

Two Powerful Engines

With the use of two powerful engines - the Dynamic Rules Engine and Letters Engine - accelerating department tasks is made simple, and staff benefit from improved efficiencies. Using the Dynamic Rules Engine, the unit can easily establish its own rules and workflows to meet their unique process requirements; and with the Letters Engine, staff no longer need to manually draft essential documents, as the engine automatically crafts all physical correspondence needed for the permitting and licensing process. Both engines work to enhance efficiencies and are scalable to suit the department’s needs, helping to ensure licensing demands are met. 

Erika describes that with the Letters Engine, “[the department] generates renewal notices for each business based on the type of business or status, [and it] packages that up and puts it into a PDF for us, allowing us to scrub the PDF for accuracy."

“The letters engine side of things is impressive. We’re coming into our first triennial year with our system and we’re going to be renewing in the neighbourhood of 30,000 licenses." 
- Erika Hoppes, State of Michigan Liquor Control Commission

Support as Good as the Solution 

“Clariti was great to work with. The support has always been really great for our development team and for us. They know us and make it a point to know our systems."

“Anytime we had a question on anything in the system that was their cup of tea, they were on it. Within 24 hours, we usually had an answer, and we could move forward. As far as customer service goes, they are one of the best vendors I've ever worked with.”
- Erika Hoppes, State of Michigan Liquor Control Commission

You can learn more about Clariti's Business Licensing Solution, and how it can support your unique license management needs here.