The North Carolina Board of Landscape Architects Selects Certemy for Professional Licensing Management

LOS ANGELES—July 16, 2020—Certemy, a leading provider of professional licensing management software for state licensing boards, announced today that Upton Associates, the company that manages the North Carolina Board of Landscape Architects (NCBOLA), has selected Certemy to automate professional licensing for 1,300 landscape architects statewide.

“We needed to go paperless, eliminate duplicate data entry, and automate all our manual workflows in a central system of record that our staff and professionals could access from work or home,” said Barbara Geiger, owner of Upton Associates and Board Administrator of the NCBOLA. “Certemy was the most affordable solution of many that we reviewed. It was also the only system that combined ease of use with advanced features that were clearly developed by regulatory experts.”

What problems will Certemy solve for NCBOLA?

• Eliminate paper.
  
  
• Avoid duplicate data entry.
  
  
• Lower printing and postage costs.
  
  
• Reduce phone calls and emails from professionals inquiring about their application status or wondering what they need to do next.
  
  
• Speed processing times for license applications and renewals.
  
  
• Track and audit continuing education (CE) submissions.
  
  
• Create a public registry of state-licensed landscape architects.
  
  
• Change application and renewal requirements without programming or expensive software change orders.
  
  

Why did NCBOLA choose Certemy?

NCBOLA selected Certemy after testing several other licensing management software vendors. Upton and the Board chose Certemy for the following reasons:

• Cost — As a smaller Board with a limited budget, NCBOLA needed a solution that addressed their business needs at a reasonable cost. Certemy was significantly less expensive than other solutions that Upton evaluated on behalf of the NCBOLA. Certemy offers affordable all-in-one annual pricing that includes implementation, training, support, and monthly platform updates. Also, because Certemy’s instant configuration features allow Board staff to change application and renewal requirements without programming, Upton and the NCBOLA knew they would not have to worry about unexpected change fees down the line.
  
  
• Ease of Use — It was clear to Upton and the NCBOLA that Certemy has been designed by industry experts who understand the requirements of regulatory Board staff and professionals seeking to acquire or renew licensure. Upton and the NCBOLA also wanted a solution that would allow professionals to complete their licensing requirements on their smartphones.
  
  
• Workflow Automation & Data Centralization — The NCBOLA has been on a mission to go paperless and eliminate duplicate data entry for several years. Certemy will provide end-to-end automation of all NCBOLA’s licensing workflows — and store all related documents and data in a central system of record that staff and professionals can access 24×7. Certemy will also provide automated real-time alerts that will keep Board staff and professionals on time and on task — resulting in faster turnaround times and fewer phone calls and emails from confused professionals.
  
  
• Continuing Education (CE) Management — NCBOLA was looking for a comprehensive approach to CE management. Certemy will make it easy for landscape architects to review the Board’s CE requirements and submit their required hours. A common source of professional frustration — and the cause of many inbound phone calls and emails to Board staff — is knowing which CE classes are board-approved for a credential requirement. Certemy provides a CE Marketplace option that automatically presents professionals with a list of pre-approved CE classes for each CE requirement they must complete. The marketplace eliminates professional frustration and saves countless hours for board staff who no longer have to provide this information by phone or email.
  
  

Learn More

Learn more about Certemy’s professional licensing management solution at certemy.com/solutions/professional-licensing-management-software. To see a short video of Certemy’s licensing management software in action, visit certemy.com/l/licensing-management-product-tour-video.