Renewals are one of the most important business processes that licensing authorities handle. They can also be one of the most time consuming. To protect the public and ensure its trust in practitioners of a field, licensing bodies rely on reviewing members’ skills and their understanding of professional standards. But with so much information to be collected and reviewed, and often many disparate requirements, staff and registrants alike often find the renewal process lengthy and time-consuming. Regardless of whether your licensing authority operates with an annual renewal season or on a rolling schedule, being able to handle renewals efficiently is a must.

Time constraints and lengthy processes aren’t the only problems with manual processes, though. Accuracy is also a key factor. Many people mistake efficiency for working quickly. However, the only standard shouldn’t be the speed at which work gets accomplished. Efficiency is about getting the highest value work completed accurately using the least resources possible.

License Management Software can help.

Renewals are an integral part of a licensing authority’s work, and completing them in at timely, effective and efficient manner is important. Practitioners rely on the renewal service to legally practice, while the public relies on up-to-date registries for current information. One of the best ways to ensure that best practices are always being followed is to take advantage of modern software developments. When it comes to renewals, the right license management software offers your licensing authority:

• An Automated Process that Saves Staff Time
• More Consistency
• Improved Record Keeping
• Added Convenience for Staff and Members

An Automated Process that Saves Staff Time

Members need to meet many requirements during the renewal process. However, manual reviews don’t always cover every aspect of an application that they should. What’s more, manual reviews are costly and time consuming. A good license management software streamlines the renewal process. It also automatically lists pending renewals and attaches supporting documents to the appropriate member profile. Staff can click through each renewal during the review process to approve it or flag it, saving time and money. In the event your licensing body allows for automatic renewals after all requirements or declarations have been met, a good license management software automatically approves these renewals without needlessly diverting staff from other tasks.

Automating Creates Consistency

Another advantage of using robust license management software is that it automates the process, which delivers improved consistency. The same criteria apply to every renewal. Handling renewals manually, on the other hand, can result in an inconsistent application of the requirements if the renewal process relies on individual judgement for what constitutes acceptable competency requirements. Applying the same criteria to all applicants is crucial to reducing bias. Automating the process also enforces deadline dates and late fee penalties consistently. An automated renewal process treats all renewals in a fair, unbiased and consistent manner.

Improved Record Keeping

Record keeping is another vital aspect of renewals that license management software can handle more efficiently. Software tracks virtually every change that occurs and attributes it to the current user or login id. Whether it’s something as simple as accepting a name or address change to a member’s profile or more complex such as reviewing and accepting their uploaded documents, license management software will keep a detailed record of who reviewed, accepted, declined, or input changes to registration renewals (or all other member or College records, for that matter).

Added Convenience for Staff and Members

Rather than having staff sift through renewal paperwork, license management software keeps members’ documentation in an online folder. There is far less physical paper being pushed around the office, and members’ complete registration and renewal histories are always available. Staff don’t have to flip through paperwork, compare it to the requirements and manually tick off items they still need to receive from a member; they can see at a glance what has been provided and what has not. This frees up staff and resources to focus on other tasks. It also helps members to keep their registration process in order by showing what they’ve provided and what requirements they still need to meet.

Renewals are an important part of every licensing authority’s mandate. Completing renewals in a timely and accurate fashion ensures members are practising according to the latest professional standards. An appropriate license management software simplifies the renewal process for both the licensing authority and its staff. It streamlines the process, ensures consistency, and creates exhaustive records for future auditing if necessary. By holding all renewal applications to the same exacting standards while simplifying the review and approval process, license management software makes handling renewals efficiently simple and effective.