Case Study: Shelby County achieves rapid online permitting and improved customer experience with Accela Online Citizen Services

Shelby County, Tennessee Meets COVID-19 Head On and Improves Customer Experience for Community Development Services

Shelby County, Tennessee’s Division of Planning and Development — which serves Memphis, unincorporated Shelby County and several municipalities — was mid-rollout of a customer-centric initiative to unify planning and building services when COVID-19 forced office closures. The county needed to maintain timely, transparent community development services and remove physical barriers to permit and plan submissions during the pandemic.

Working with Accela, Shelby County fast-tracked Accela Online Citizen Services (the COVID-19 Response Solution) to let customers register accounts, complete forms, upload documents and submit applications from any device. The solution launched within weeks, producing 91 new user accounts and 55 applications in the first week, enabling staff to work remotely, improving customer experience and positioning the county as a model for resilient digital service delivery.

Shelby County

Nidia Logan Robinson

Deputy Director in the Division of Planning and Development