Pestworld Magazine Focusing on the Business of Pest Management
Beginning in 2020, companies earning and maintaining their QualityPro credentials work through a platform called Certemy. Each company has a dashboard within Certemy, which empowers QualityPro companies to take full control of their accreditation process. In the past, the application process required lots of e-mailing back and forth, and the requirements for the audit sometimes caught people off guard. Now, the specific steps necessary for accreditation are broken out and the documentation required is clear. Certemy puts companies and QualityPro staff on the same page in terms of progress, cuts all the paperwork out of the process and builds up companies’ personal connection to every step and the resources that are offered.
“Our process before Certemy involved a lot of back-and-forth email communications,” said Allison Allen, executive director of QualityPro. “It was an inefficient process for everyone. Certemy is streamlining the process via online applications and renewals, integrated document management, automated task reminders, real-time status tracking and digital certificate delivery.”
In their own words, Certemy is a leading provider of cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for professional credentialing and compliance management. An active member of the credentialing community, Certemy is a proud member of The Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE), and the Association of Test Publishers (ATP). As with all our program partners, we have chosen to align ourselves with a company that we are confident will take care of our customers and help us grow.Opens in modal lightbox
HOW DO YOU USE IT?
The feedback we have received is overwhelmingly positive. Each company has one space where each of their credentials (QualityPro, GreenPro, QualityPro Schools, QualityPro Food Safety, QualityPro Public Health Mosquito and QualityPro Public Health Rodent) is apparent. Companies are presented with a step-by-step list of everything they need to submit for each credential. Their progress is visually apparent, which is helpful because the steps do not need to be completed in sequential order. Given QualityPro’s status as the mark of excellence for the entire pest management industry, we require a pretty exhaustive cross-section of your company’s operations, from your hiring practices to your advertising. While QualityPro’s online toolbox offers templates of all documents and procedures we require from companies, we really do want to see what your company is doing to meet with the nationally-recognized program standards. Previously, these proof documents would be delivered to QualityPro headquarters either through email or in print as a large package to be holistically verified by our team and thereafter either approved or sent back.
In the new paradigm, everything exists within the online credentialing platform. Each credential a company can be assigned comes with a list of what specific documents or information we’re looking for and a place to provide it either by uploading a document directly to us, or by filling out a dynamic form. Information uploaded can then be further edited or re-uploaded in the case of a particular credential step being rejected or incomplete. Companies are in constant contact with the QualityPro team during the verification process and can receive instant feedback either on individual steps or on the verification of the whole credential package.
Following on after accreditation the platform continues to serve a vital role in the process of QualityPro yearly audits. Companies called for audit before last year will be familiar with the experience of packaging up all of the proof documents necessary to prove ongoing compliance with the standards and mailing them to the QualityPro audit team for review—no longer. In the new system proof, documents can live permanently online in the audit credential and be updated each year in exactly the same way as your initial accreditation process. Preparing for the audit is as simple as taking the documents you were already working with and uploading them to us directly. As with all activity on the platform, communication with the team is constant and results come much faster with everything available to us directly.
HOW DO I CHECK IT OUT?
If you are earning or maintaining a QualityPro credential, log in today to see your dashboard: https://qualitypro.certemy.com/entry/login. If you want to check it out, we’ve set up a preview version of the U.S. credential that anyone can sign up for at https://tinyurl.com/QualityProPreview. Companies participating in the preview will have a chance to experience the process firsthand and see how simple and user-friendly accreditation is now. QualityPro offers companies a nationally-recognized credential to demonstrate their commitment to excellence in all aspects of pest management. Companies are equipped for growth with a wealth of resources for both running their business and marketing the mark of excellence to customers. If you or someone you know has been considering applying for QualityPro, try that test credential or apply at www.npmaqualitypro.org/apply today.
QualityPro is administered by the Foundation for Professional Pest Management, an independent organization that has been developing good business practices and standards since 2004. Designed specifically for pest management companies in the U.S. and Canada, we are proud to certify over 500 of the best companies in the pest management industry. QualityPro is endorsed by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). For more information, contact us at [email protected].
PHOTO: RANJITH RAVINDRAN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
