REGULATORY
Applicant Experience Keeps Getting Better
example, a reference can respond on a smartphone. Effective responses from references, in particular those who are Professional Members, are critical to the decision-making process for licensing applicants. References truly do put the self in self- regulation, when they help us in this process. As well as being web based and mobile friendly, the work experience record itself is more structured and easier to understand. There’s less chance an applicant will fill it out incorrectly, which decreases the cycles of clarification and correction that add time to the process. Our online tools are continuing to get more and more stable and reliable. There’s less likelihood of hang-ups or freezes during the process, and it’s simpler to resume an application. In the past, some applicants didn’t realize their application process had begun — so they started a new one, which created confusion on both ends. It all leads to the final stage in the approval of an application: reviews by admissions staff members and the APEGA Board of Examiners. We’ve been working hard there, as well. In fact, reviews of applications are up 60 per cent in the first eight months of 2015 over the same period in 2014. Becoming an APEGA Professional Member is a huge step in a person’s career. We’ve reacted to processing problems and shortfalls, and we’re confident that the applicant experience will continue to improve as we continue to build better processes and tools. In fact, we expect to rollout a whole new online application system in 2016.
In measurable ways, the application and registration process is becoming a better experience for potential APEGA Members. In our Registration Department, we have improved our tools and our service, increased our staff allotment, and tackled problem areas brought to light by the more than doubling of the annual application volume over the last decade. The improved experience begins — at the beginning. Not long ago, a potential Member could expect to wait weeks before hearing from APEGA, after pressing the electronic send button on a new application. That’s not the story today. Every new application received in the last several months has been responded to in fewer than five business days. Some responses arrive the same day. When applicants follow up by phoning or emailing APEGA, they can also expect quicker service. Two full-time staff members now field phone calls from applicants, along with email comments and questions. An on-going backlog in emails has been eliminated. Before, an applicant might have waited a week or two for a response. Now, responses are usually sent within 48 hours. Online chat response might even be in APEGA’s future. Because application tools have improved, applicant problems have been reduced. Among the big changes in this area are the work experience record and its reference requirement. The record is now web based and mobile friendly, and that includes reference gathering — a common source of delays in the past. Before, it might take weeks or even months for references to respond. Now, because the system is simple and convenient, references often respond the same day. Between meetings, for
OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE
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As Registrar, Ms. Moen believes strongly that she and the Regulato- ry leaders need to be accessible to APEGA Members and the public. She’s spent a lot of time over the past two years talking directly with Members, applicants, and members of the public who want to share their thoughts and opinions on the direction APEGA is taking. “I want them to have confidence in me. I want them to under- stand my motivation, my professionalism, and my desire for APEGA as a self-regulatory body,” she says. “We regulate with the intention of protecting public interest, but also with the intention of improving the professions. So for us to improve the professions, we need to have that interface. That’s absolutely, very, very important to me.” Ms. Moen emphasized that Members can expect through 2016 to start to see more on the KPIs that are being implemented across the Regulatory portfolios. “This is self-regulation, after all, and all Members play a role and should have a fundamental understanding of APEGA’s performance.”
hard results. And the successes are beginning to be revealed in the Regulatory Group. One reason is the evolution of the Regulatory Group’s leadership team. A considerable number of new faces have joined the seasoned voices already at the table. “We went looking for the best and most qualified people, and we’ve ended up with a pretty diverse organization,” says Ms. Moen. “Regulatory team members come from different business, professional, and technical backgrounds. There’s a broad diversity of education, background, culture, age, and gender. It all adds up to an incredible diversity of perspective, and they’re applying that in their roles across all the Regulatory portfolios.” This reflects well on APEGA as a regulatory body. “I really feel it’s very important that we, to some degree, can represent the demographic of the professions we’re governing,” notes Ms. Moen.
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