It’s a busy day in Montgomery County Domestic Relations Court. Dozens of people are waiting for their divorce hearings. Receptionist Sheila Jarvis keeps it running.
Not only does she answer the phone, she answers questions from people filling the hallways while they wait for their hearings. But she no longer has to check people in because this court now has kiosk check-in. Montgomery County is the first to use court kiosks in Ohio.
Robin Lehman is Operations Director for the Domestic Relations Court and remembers how it used to be before the court went with kiosks last summer. She says, “The receptionist would call back to the magistrate or the magistrate would call the receptionist and let people know when they were there. Now, it automatically comes up on their computer screens and shows when the parties have arrived."
Here's how it works:
- You type in your name
- Type in your birth date
- List the number of witnesses you have
- The machine points you in the direction of your courtroom
Miamisburg attorney Steve Yuhas is in the Montgomery County Domestic Relations Court every day. He says, “Well honestly, the receptionist is tremendous, so even before the kiosk system it worked fine, but this makes it better for her.
Yuhas says other courts would get kiosks if they were smart.
Montgomery County paid Connected Technology Solutions in Wisconsin $25,000 for the hardware and software. The company had primarily been known for healthcare kiosks and used Montgomery County Court as its test case.
Lehman says the Dayton Municipal Court is looking at doing a similar system and the Atlanta Municipal Court has contacted Montgomery County to get more information.
