What is a Digital Credentialing Software?
Digital credential software is a centralized web platform designed explicitly for issuing certificates and digital badges. It encompasses a user-friendly graphic design tool with ready-made templates. They simplify the certification process by facilitating digital credential creation, distribution, and storage with streamlined automation.
How Do You Decide on Digital Credentialing Software?
Credential automation allows businesses to free resources from tedious tasks, shorten processes, and enhance the student learning experience. If you are wondering how to choose a digital credentialing software, look no further.
Digital Certificates: Online Credentials on a Certificate
Paper certificates signify proof that learners have acquired the skills they have studied for. Digital certificates are proof that can be sent online without fuss. These online credentials can be duplicated if their printed versions are lost or damaged. Furthermore, they can be easily accessed through a digital storage device for hard-copy purposes and reference.
Identify What Your Business' Credentialing Needs
When evaluating your business’s credentialing needs, two critical aspects warrant consideration: the type of credentials and the credentialing process.
Type of Credentials
- Determining the type of credentials you aim to issue is pivotal. Some credentialing software exclusively generates digital certificates, while others may incorporate badges or even blockchain certificates.
- Consider how your clients intend to utilize these credentials. While some may require printable formats for manual submissions, others might seek seamless integration by linking or uploading them to professional profiles.
By knowing the type of credential you wish to reward your clients or students, you are one step closer to deciding which credentialing software is best for you.
The Credentialing Process
Visualizing the credentialing process for your platforms is essential. From the initial onboarding phase to maintaining meticulous records of issued credentials, each step needs consideration.
- Evaluate the scale of recipients your business serves. The chosen software must seamlessly handle the current client volume without constraints.
- Assess the number of users requiring certificate issuance. The software's capacity should match the demand without compromising efficiency.
- Examine the software's guidance on certificate issuance. Some platforms offer straightforward procedures, while others might necessitate a demonstration.
- Align the software's credentialing process with your company's expectations. Companies vary in their preferences: while some prefer automatic certificate distribution via email post-webinar, others opt for issuing certificates upon completing an online test.
This scrutiny of both credential type and the credentialing process empowers businesses to make informed decisions regarding their choice of credentialing software.
Match Features with Your Business' Credentialing Needs
What features do you wish to prioritize in credentialing software? This can be a secure database, automated compliance processes, or compatibility with other multiple platforms.
Additionally, delve into industry-specific requirements:
- For Continuing Education Providers: Prioritize functionalities enabling credit tracking for students.
- For Learning Management Systems: Seek integrated features for interactive training and comprehensive completion tracking within a unified software interface.
- For Higher Education Institutions: Look for software supporting stacked credentials, facilitating students to organize digital badges and certificates efficiently.
Furthermore, if multiple specialized users will utilize the software, consider features tailored to their needs:
- For Software Developers: The ability to further customize the customer experience through CSS, HTML, or other coding languages.
- For Analysts: The ability to export data collection and reporting for record-keeping and growth analysis.
- For Customer Support Service: Opt for software with features that ensure easy accessibility to recipient and certification data, facilitating support representatives in efficiently handling credentialing issues.
Aligning the software’s features with your specific business needs and diverse user requirements enhances the effectiveness of the chosen credentialing solution.
Balance Your Budget with Your Business' Credentialing Needs
Digital credentialing software typically offers pricing models based on the volume of credentials sent or made or through subscription plans. When comparing different software solutions based on pricing, several critical factors merit consideration:
How many credentials do you need to send monthly? Compare it with monthly subscriptions that often differed by the number of credentials sent.
How much will it save you time and money? Some organizations have to send out more than thousands of credentials per month. Let us say an organization has to send 10,000 certificates to their CE program students. Two CE providers take about five days to print, mail, and manage 10,000 certificates. Each certificate will cost $4.50 for the paper, ink, packaging, and mailing. That would be $45,000. The labor costs of the two administrators would be the total of their hourly wage multiplied by their working hours ($30 x 8 hours x 5 days x 2 admins), which will be $2,400. The monthly cost would be $47,400, with the yearly cost of $568,800.
Furthermore, investigate if the software offers a free account or trial period. Availing a free account allows experimentation with the software’s features and functionalities without immediate commitment, aiding in decision-making regarding its suitability for your business’s credentialing needs.
Can the Digital Credentialing Software Work with Your Existing Platforms?
Digital credentialing software has to be integrated with frequently used apps, platforms, and other services. By being integrable to these tools, automation through integration shortens processes, allowing resources to be delegated to more essential tasks.
During the evaluation of credentialing software, meticulously examine their extensive integration library. Compile a comprehensive list of available apps and platforms compatible with the software. Evaluate the depth of integration options to ensure seamless automation across various operations.
How Are Their Customer Support Service?
Assessing the customer support offerings of digital credentialing software is crucial. Evaluate the availability of their various support channels to ensure prompt assistance in critical situations.
Prioritize platforms offering immediate connections through phone or chat for urgent queries. Confirm the responsiveness of these channels to address and resolve issues swiftly. A reliable support team that efficiently manages tickets is indispensable for resolving complex situations promptly.
In cases where immediate connections aren’t feasible, verify the availability of comprehensive articles or video resources within their knowledge base. These resources serve as valuable self-help guides, enabling users to troubleshoot common issues or navigate through functionalities independently.
What to Look For in a Digital Credential Platform
Initially, we guided you on the process of selecting digital credentialing software. By comprehensively identifying your business needs, prioritizing essential features, and aligning them with budgetary constraints, you are well-positioned to make an informed decision. Considering the software’s integration capabilities with your existing tools and assessing the efficiency of their customer service further streamlines your credentialing processes within your workflows.
Now, let’s delve deeper into the additional advantages worth exploring:
What Does It Provide for Free?
Credentialing software often offers free resources, such as certificate templates, to facilitate the customization of certificates and badges. At SimpleCert, our platform provides a comprehensive library of free certificate templates and an initial allocation of 10 credits (where one credit equals one created certificate) upon signing up for a free account.
Straightforward Expenses with No Hidden Costs
Transparent pricing structures with a dedicated FAQ can clarify the rules on what has costs and what doesn’t. At SimpleCert, our pricing model ensures transparent expenses, encompassing only monthly subscription fees and optional purchases of additional credits and templates.
Does It Promote Itself On Your Platform?
Some credentialing software might self-promote on their users’ platforms, especially within free account usage. While specific promotional strategies may be subtle, they compromise the professional appearance of certificates and congratulatory emails. SimpleCert prioritizes our users’ professional image and expertise by refraining from self-promotion on their platforms, aiming to uplift their credibility and professionalism without intruding on branding elements.
To learn more, visit how SimpleCert is an effective digital credentialing software.