Communicating with New Certificants

We recently polled a few of our clients to get a sense for how certification programs communicate with their new certificants. Do they mail a packet? Have agencies moved to electronic orientation? Here’s what we heard.

Respondents mail an initial package of information to new certificants including an introduction/cover letter, paper certificate, and sample press release. Some organizations also include information on the value and/or benefits of certification, information on how to market the credential, brochures for the new certificant to share with their clients, and coupons or discount offers. Only one organization also places a welcoming phone call.

The initial information package is the organization’s first contact with a new certificant. To make the most out of this opportunity we think that the items listed above are critical, but that more emphasis should be placed on how individuals can maximize the value of their new certification. We were also surprised that organizations did not list recertification information as an important component. Making sure certificants will maintain their credential is as important as recruiting new certificants.

While printing and mailing the welcome packet is necessary in part – especially if a paper certificate is included – emailing some of the information can save printing costs and is environmentally friendly. Perhaps sending a small initial package with critical printed materials could be supplemented with one or several follow-up emails. The emails could be used to educate certificants on how to get the most value from their new designation, remind them to keep on track with recertification requirements, or provide other ongoing information. For organizations with manageable volume we love the idea of a personal phone call to welcome new certificants.

How does your organization welcome its newest certificants?

Governance Survey – Initial Results

We recently issued a governance survey to more than 800 certification organizations. The goal of the survey is to provide valuable information about a variety of governance issues specific to certifying agencies—like you—including:

• General governance structure
• Compensation
• Leadership selection processes
• Volunteer training and orientation

If you have not yet completed the survey, we encourage you to send in your response in the next few days before the survey closes. Individual survey results are confidential and will not be shared. Aggregate results will be distributed to all survey respondents that provide their email address at the end of the survey.

Respondents will also be eligible to receive a Barnes & Noble gift card.

While responses are still coming in we thought we’d share a few of the early findings:

• Most certification boards/committees have one public member and have no plans to add additional public members

• Many organizations describe themselves as having administrative independence from parent organizations or other groups, but there are some areas of decision making where autonomy is less common.

• There is a strong interest in accreditation (NCCA, ANSI and ABNS)

• Some of the challenges identified include: competition, leadership selection and orientation, and increasing employer support for credentials.

If you would like to complete the survey, but have not received it, please contact us.