As consumers, we typically look for reviews or references for products we intend to purchase. Research shows that 93% of consumers will read online reviews before making a purchase and 97% said reviews factor into their buying decisions. In fact, 92% of consumers hesitate to make a purchase if there are no reviews available.1
We see similar behavior if we seek the services of a professional. If we need our home re-wired or require cardiac surgery, we want to be confident the electrician or the surgeon has the right skills to deliver a successful outcome. Knowing these professionals have received the appropriate training with the corresponding license or degree to validate their skills establishes trust and confidence.
While implementing or upgrading a software solution is not necessarily equal to life-saving surgery, we still want maximum return on our software investment and a successful business outcome. It makes sense to apply the same logic to our decision-making process when we look to staff a project team – have they had the right training or experience and do they possess the right skills?
Fortunately, in the software space, it’s an established industry practice for companies to institute certification programs to validate the skillsets of practitioners working with their products.
Beyond the statistics that highlight the ways certification can increase productivity, innovation, and quality of work, there are other important reasons to ask for a practitioner’s credentials:
- Validation of skills and knowledge: Evidence of expertise in the specific software being implemented ensures practitioners have the necessary skills to handle the project effectively.
- Project success: Relevant experience increases the likelihood of a smooth and successful implementation, reducing risk of delays, errors, and costly mistakes.
- Cost effectiveness: Qualified resources save money in the long term as hiring someone who lacks skill can lead to inefficiencies, budget overruns, missed deadlines or the need to hire additional help.
- Confidence and trust: Verifying credentials helps build trust and confidence in the practitioner’s ability to meet the project’s needs and deliver the expected results.
The OpenText role-based certification program is designed to match real-world job roles, arming practitioners with essential knowledge and skills. By emphasizing role-based certifications, we enable our network of OpenText Professional Services as well as the OpenText Partner Network to build capable and highly skilled workforces.
So, we’ve established the importance of credentials when we are making any kind of investment or purchase. They are critical in helping us validate we’ve got the right practitioner with the right skills for the job. How can we verify the practitioner we’re considering for an OpenText project is sufficiently prepared to effectively implement our software? Ask to see their digital badge.
Drive success with trusted OpenText expertise
“When it comes to our customers, it’s a win-win: if they are successful, OpenText is successful. If we can ensure our practitioners have the expertise needed to implement our products on the OpenText Cloud, it will result in more effective deployments and increased customer success,” Paul Duggan, President, Chief Customer Officer, OpenText.
Certified experts, whether from OpenText or our OpenText Partner Network, can reduce risk and assure success. Verify credentials and make sure to have the right skills on the project team! Contact us for more information.
1 https://www.dixa.com/blog/3-important-statistics-that-show-how-reviews-influence-consumers/
