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For any organization, selecting and implementing a new system can be a daunting task. For professional certification organizations and occupational licensing boards, choosing the right credentialing management system can be especially challenging because the software options for credentialing boards are limited. As a result, many boards are tempted by neighboring solutions, like Salesforce, Appian, or an association management system. And with enough elbow grease and customization, their IT teams will “just make it work”—eventually.

Technology selection, in general, has well-known methodologies, which we will not cover here. Our focus is on sharing the insights we have gained in implementing our software for over 50 different credentialing organizations. Certification and licensing organizations have common characteristics that will shorten the selection timeline and eliminate ill-suited options if addressed in the selection process.

Why Traditional Customer Relationship and Credentialing Management Systems Fail Certification and Licensure Boards

Understanding credentialing boards common traits can make the technology selection process better. Almost all boards:

• Manage multiple processes – initial eligibility, renewal, reinstatement, audits.
• Manage a process with time/date constraints – All of these things need to be done within a time cycle.
• Require users to submit information and track activity – Demographic information, proof of completion, etc.
• Communicate with end-users – Send confirmations, reminders, and notices via mail, email, and text.

When we look at these requirements, most customer relationship management, learning management, or association management systems may perform one or two of these activities natively. Since they are not designed for credentialing, these systems tend to require custom work on the process management component—which is core to the board’s operations. Therefore, you will want to narrow your final list of technology providers to just the credentialing management systems that support all of these functions without custom development.

What Are Credentialing Eligibility Requirements and Processes?

To qualify for a certification or license, the candidate must demonstrate that they meet the “4 Es”, education, professional experience, ethics, and exam. Each of these eligibility requirements has specific implications in the credentialing management system selection process. Based on our experience configuring hundreds of credentialing processes, here are a few key questions in each eligibility component.

The Hidden Fifth E: Exceptions

Over the years, we have observed many certification and licensure boards cast a wide net by allowing exceptions to their rules. Behind the scenes, staff are managing workarounds and manual processes. The most common “exceptions” we have seen are:

• Criminal history.
• Test accommodations requests.
• Reinstatement process.
• Fee waivers, late fees, paper checks, employer payments.
• Application fails audit.

Your credentialing management system should be flexible enough to build online processes around the most common “exceptions” so that you minimize manual “workarounds” which consume staff time.

Understanding the Complexity of Your Program

In the technology selection process, reflecting on how your program manages each “E” requirement will give you insight into how flexible and powerful your system needs to be. If your program is “exam only,” you won’t need a robust system. If your program accepts multiple combinations of education levels and work experience, you may want a system that makes it easy for applicants to choose the best pathway for their situation. Representing how complex your application requirements are will assist you in narrowing the possible credentialing management systems so that you don’t “over buy” or “under buy.”

What Are Your Program’s Renewal Requirements and Process?

Most credentialing programs require completing continuing education (CE) as a part of the renewal process. We have seen programs manage CE using two methodologies, approved continuing education provider programs and/or practitioner-submitted continuing education. Organizations may also include continuing competence requirements beyond continuing education.

Additional Considerations in Credentialing Management System Selection

Beyond the initial eligibility and renewal requirements, we have observed several common business requirements typical of how the certification or licensure board operates. Your credentialing management system should be able to support:

• • Complaints and investigations – The means for the public to submit a complaint and the board/agency to conduct an investigation. The system needs to have the means to gather that information from the public, assign an investigator, and track the investigations process.
    

• • Personally identifiable information (PII) – This data may be in the form of a social security number, a combination of name, address, and last 4 of the SSN, or a tax document. The system needs to have the means to encrypt the relevant data fields or file attachments and allow the PII data-based system access visibility. In addition, the technology provider needs to have the means to accept PII data transfers securely.

• • Certificate printing – Some organizations have very detailed certificate printing specifications for wallet cards or wall-mounted certificates. You may also allow credential holders to download a PDF. The system should either support the loading of these templates for download or printing or integrate with a third-party fulfillment organization.

• • Communications – Most programs send out confirmations and reminders. The system should create templates for standard communications, conditional triggers for when they are sent, and offer tracking to confirm delivery. You may also want an integration with a system designed to send out marketing communications. Be cautious in using your credentialing system to send out marketing emails. If they are not opened, your emails will be flagged as spam and end up in the junk folder.

• • Reporting – Most programs have reports that they need to provide third parties and operational metrics for program management. The system should give you visibility to all of the data fields in the system and allow you to build reports to meet those needs.

• • Integrations – Most programs integrate with a test administrator and a payment gateway/eCommerce solutions. Your system should support integrations and have existing APIs for industry-standard vendors.

Choosing the Right Credentialing Management System

As you work through your technology selection process, keep in mind there are many different credentialing management systems in the market—some more robust than others.

As you review your eligibility requirements, renewal requirements, exceptions, and general operational requirements, look for a system that can deliver this functionality through configuration, not coding.

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