Many organizations work to develop credentials and certifications for professionals across the globe. These include professional associations like the American Society of Interior Designers, or credentialing bodies and certifying boards such as the Dental Assisting National Board.
The work these organizations do is crucial to maintaining industry and safety standards, as well as helping individuals achieve the education and qualifications they need.
Many times, associations that offer some sort of credentialing relies on a credential management software to house information and streamline processes. With all of the credentialing software providers on the market, it may be hard to differentiate between services.
What do associations truly need from a credentialing management software? And what specific products and services should they be looking for? We’ll cover all of that and more, here.
At its core, the purpose of credentialing management software (or a credentialing management system) is to centralize an organization’s data, automate workflows, and promote greater relationships with constituents.
The nitty-gritty of the software gets a little more complicated than that. Credentialing bodies, associations, and regulatory organizations need technologies to track the vast amounts of information and communications required across their constituents. Associations must navigate relationships with members, candidates, certified individuals, and outside companies to name a few.
Today, there is a new generation of enterprise-class credentialing management software on the market. With this technology, organizations can manage a variety of credentialing tasks (as well as general management) in one streamlined system. This leads to improved productivity and greater value to constituents.
Simply put, credentialing management systems cover a lot. But, it’s important to remember that whatever system you choose fits the exact technical and administrative needs of your association or organization.
When an association offers credentialing, both the organization and its constituents must navigate a multi-step certification process. A credential management software can offer varying levels of support along the way to ensure maximum organization and ease.
Many associations need a management system that will centralize all of these steps (application, verification, purchasing, exam-taking, exam results, receiving certification, and certification maintenance) into one system.
Sometimes, it’s not enough to have the processes and information centralized––associations also need them automated. This means there is no need for manually inputting data or personally sending communications to constituents. Instead, the credential management software will have a series of automated processes to accomplish this.
It’s important to note that associations also require support throughout the entirety of the credentialing journey––a timeline that may grow over time. Credentialing is not a one-and-done system, but instead a process that extends throughout the entirety of a career.
Medical professionals, for example, are not just tested once and then allowed to practice until the end of time. Instead, they must consistently pursue continuing education credits, certificates, and credentials to continue practicing under the highest level of care and regulatory guidelines.
This means that credentialing management software must be able to support the constituents of an association in achieving testing results not once, but also allow them to jump back into credentialing years later.
With these needs in mind, let’s consider the top features associations should consider when choosing a credential management software.
A credentialing software is nothing if it doesn’t fit into your company’s workflow. This is why integration capabilities should be first on your list when looking for new software.
Perhaps you’re an association that utilizes an association management software, or AMS. In this case, you should be prioritizing a credential management software that will integrate with your AMS seamlessly, without the need for additional manual processes or high programming and maintenance costs.
Alternatively, you may be in the market for both an association management software and credentialing management software. In this case, you should look for an all-purpose credential management program that has AMS capabilities built-in or available as an add-on.
In our ever-changing work and technological landscape, it’s crucial to commit to a credential management software that operates in the cloud. Some software is maintained in-house or locally, meaning they can only be accessed via specific servers, browsers, or computers.
With a cloud-based, mobile-first interface, your association leaders and constituents can access your program from anywhere, at any time. As a credentialing body, this kind of access has huge payoffs for members in terms of usability, accessibility and efficiency.
Many times, credentialed individuals must log their continuing education and activities into a portal or profile as part of the credentialing or certification maintenance process. Say one of your constituents recently completed a course that can be applied to their certification. With a mobile-friendly software, they could simply open their phones, log into the system from their car, and input the information immediately.
Credentialing, by nature, is always changing. Because professionals want to be on the cutting edge of their profession, educational requirements, courses, and certifications will shift over time, as well. Therefore, you need a credential management software that will allow for these shifts and changes as your credentialing program evolves.
Having a configurable credential management software means you will have a living product––something that can grow with and support your association over a long period of time. Look for sustainable software that allows for consistent change. This way, when changes inevitably arrive, you won’t have to start from scratch or pay for custom (and expensive) programming.
Credentialing management software should provide all the benefits of a CRM (customer relationship management system), but without the need for heavy custom programming. Oftentimes, a generic CRM software needs complete personalization, a process that requires a lot of time and money.
Therefore, many associations will choose to opt for software that doesn’t require personalization from the ground up. However, when shying away from expensive CRM programs, you need to be wary of pivoting to any lightweight (essentially unusable) alternatives. There is another option––software that lives between complete customization and bare-bones generality.
That’s where credentialing management software comes in. This kind of software comes with built-in features specific to the business of credentialing, and allows for associations to choose from a collection of productivity modules to address the individual needs of their credentialing programs. These include areas such as finance, e-communications, e-commerce and membership management.
Any credentialing management software can compile data, but only great ones can analyze it.
“Getting data into any system is relatively easy, you can enter it in, import it…the hard part is actually getting it out in a meaningful way and creating powerful reports.”
Arj Devadas, ACGI’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
To get the most out of their credentialing systems, associations should prioritize this reporting ability. Developing an understanding of their constituents, programs and sales data will lead to huge insights that reach beyond the credentialing timeline.
Say you want to better understand how your association’s membership has grown over the last year. Or maybe you’re wondering how much money you’re losing due to COVID-19 restrictions and cancellations?
By opting for a credentialing management software with analytics capabilities, you will be able to know this and more, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the health of your organization.
ACGI’s enterprise-class software will exceed your association’s needs and manage complex requirements in your unique credentialing management timelines.
Certielligence, our comprehensive credential management software, automates your association’s workflow, expedites the processing of candidate applications, manages certification renewals, and is built to be responsive to customers and constituents.
We offer a fully integrated system, partnering with e-learning and testing sites to ensure everything is in-app. With all data feeding into Certelligence, your organization has a 360-degree view of its candidates and overall credentialing program.
Along with providing a centralized space for your data, we also take that information and create custom reports to better serve the future of your organization.
Looking for software to check all of your boxes and more? ACGI is here to help you with your certification, accreditation, and credentialing necessities. With our Association Management software, Association Anywhere, and credentialing-specific software, Certelligence, we offer clients enterprise-class software and unmatched support. Contact us today to request a demo.
For more insights on association management and credentialing software, head to our blog.
