Employee certifications play a key role in businesses of all sizes: They ensure regulatory compliance, foster workplace safety, and encourage professional development through employee training programs. But keeping track of professional certifications — and their expiry dates — can be a time-consuming process, especially when you have to deal with third-party certification providers and ongoing certificate renewals.
Using cloud-based certification tracking software can help your HR team keep track of employee skills and credentials without the need for clunky Excel spreadsheets.
Let’s take a look at the key features of certification tracking software, and how you can use it to meet compliance requirements and improve onboarding workflows.
Certification tracking software is a type of software that employers use to assign and keep track of employee certifications — from in-house employee training programs to third-party certifications. For example, you might require some of your employees to maintain a first aid certification or a Salesforce Administrator certification.
These certifications help determine which employees are qualified to perform certain tasks, and to address any impending skill gaps at your organization.
Traditionally, HR teams have had to process employee certifications manually, verifying them for authenticity and keeping track of each individual certification expiration date. But as certification requirements have gotten more complicated, it makes sense to digitize the process with a user-friendly certification management solution.
Workplace certifications range from industry-specific credentials to mandatory training programs that apply to all of your employees. You can use certification management software to track any of the following:
Although licenses aren’t the same as certifications, you can use the same software to track licenses, such as driver’s licenses or occupational licenses. For example, maybe your delivery drivers need both a commercial driver’s license and a forklift operator certification, and it’s convenient to track both of them in the same place.
Certification tracking software offers several benefits over tracking certifications in a spreadsheet, including increased accuracy and reduced human error. Depending on the functionality of your system, you can expect the following three benefits.
First, certification tracking tools help you maintain compliance by identifying expiration dates in advance and sending out reminder notifications to employees. They can also help you ensure the accuracy of employee-uploaded certifications by verifying them against your records or a third-party database.
Certification tracking software can help you reduce the workload for your HR team by allowing employees to upload documents themselves to a cloud-based portal. Instead of relying on an Excel spreadsheet to check an employee’s certification status, set up custom rules and permissions based on their certification level.
Many certification tracking solutions offer customizable reports and custom badges so you can track an employee’s progress and provide recognition for every new milestone they reach. Not only does this incentivize other employees to level up their skills, but it can help with human resource planning and employee retention.
Different certification tracking systems have their own set of features, so it’s important to compare their functionality and pricing before choosing one. Here are three things you’ll want to consider when choosing between platforms.
What kinds of certifications do you plan to incorporate into your system? For example, you might need to assign certifications based on roles, and make some certifications mandatory while others are optional. For off-site training, consider providing a list of recommended vendors or third-party certifications you’ll accept.
You’ll use certification tracking software to remind your employees when a certificate is missing or about to expire. You may also want to send a notification to their manager to alert them about an upcoming expiration date and avoid compliance issues. Choose a platform that supports notifications by email and SMS to ensure a timely response.
Your certification tracking software should include document management tools so you can keep a record of certifications all in one place. Convert PDF documents into fillable online forms, collect e-signatures on official certifications, and provide a digital copy to all of the relevant parties. Use templates to save time and reduce human error.
Rolling out certification tracking software will be easier if you’ve already digitized your business practices and are using human resources automation software. Even if you aren’t, it’s easy to get started with certification tracking in four easy steps.
Some of the certifications you need to keep track of will be provided by the employee during the onboarding process or earned as they move through their learning modules. Use an onboarding checklist to determine which certifications each employee needs, and use a progress tracker to see how far along they are in the process.
With RapidBee, you can create a custom onboarding journey for employees to make sure that every employee is properly certified for their job from Day One.
Employee training is an ongoing process, and employees may need to acquire new and advanced certifications over time or renew existing certifications on a regular basis. Use a learning management system (LMS) to make it easy for employees to learn new skills and stay up-to-date on new software solutions and changing industry expectations.
RapidBee allows you to create custom training programs for your employees, helping them rise through the ranks of your organization and close skill gaps along the way.
Employees want to be able to view and manage their own certifications, without having to contact your HR team to verify documents or schedule training sessions. When you provide a self-service portal, employees can log in to check the expiration date of their certification and upload third-party certifications digitally.
If there’s an issue, RapidBee’s AI-driven chat and ticketing system can automatically resolve simple queries and route complex cases to the right agent.
Integrating your certification tracking software with other apps allows you to make the most of your tech stack and eliminate data silos. With the right tools and integrations, it’s easy to scale up your HR management software as your company grows.
RapidBee integrates with document management systems like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Google Drive, so you can utilize existing investments. Plus, integrates it with ADP, Workday, and other HR platforms to create a seamless tech ecosystem.
Certifications are key to ensuring that your employees are up-to-date on their workplace training programs and in compliance with industry standards. But with so many different certifications to keep track of, verifying and managing certificates can get complex.
RapidBee’s certification tracking software makes it easy to track employee certifications in real-time by providing document management, training management, and onboarding tools in one user-friendly portal. Our built-in training tracking features ensure the timely completion of e-learning modules, while our automatic renewal notifications help you optimize compliance management and adhere to industry standards.
RapidBee is designed to be used alongside new technologies, making it scalable and future-proof, while seamlessly integrating with existing systems to minimize disruptions and ensure continuity. Request a trial today to see RapidBee in action!