Every year, over 50,000 individuals around the world change their name. Name changes happen for a number of reasons, individuals may have married or divorced, are transitioning, or simply fancied a change to their identity. For many official documents, the change of a name incurs cost and frustration. For digital credentials, the process couldn’t be simpler!
How much do name changes cost organizations?
Producing official documents can be a costly process. There’s specialized or watermarked paper, a printing process, an official seal or signature, the packaging and postage costs, and staff time to consider. Although initial documents are sometimes offered at no cost, requests for duplicates or amendments are often charged to the end-user and if not, that is still a cost to the organization to produce. One or two amended certificates are low-cost but scaling this up to hundreds or thousands can cost organizations a noticeable amount.
An organization with 250 students spends $5 per certificate for printing, packaging, and postage. The initial cost of issuing one certificate to each recipient equals $1250. 5% of students state there is a spelling mistake that needs correcting, totalling $62. A further 10% of students request a name change and the organization decides not to charge for these amendments. This set of changes totals $125 over a year. This one batch of certificates has cost the organization $1437 - not counting the time commitment from staff. For each additional certificate offered to the whole student body, this cost is then doubled.
Saving with digital credentials
Digital credentials are delivered instantly via email, incurring no additional cost for packaging and postage. The time taken to issue digital credentials is also drastically reduced. In The Digital Marketing Institute Case Study, switching to digital credentials saves staff 7.5 hours on average every month sending and managing certificates.
The time and cost saving benefits also extend to name change requests. Rather than reprint and send an amended certificate, simple name changes are automated and complex name changes appear on the dashboard for approval.
Using the organization example from before, the issuer signs up to Accredible’s Launch Plan with no integrations or extras at the cost of $996 a year for up to 250 unique recipients. The organization issues each of their 250 recipients at least two credentials, at approximately $1.99 per credential. 5% of students request a spelling correction of 1 or 2 characters that are approved automatically. 10% of students request a change to their surname, these are reviewed and approved via the dashboard. The cost savings between these two scenarios is $441, not taking into consideration the staff time saved. The issuer also benefits from the ability to issue an unlimited number of digital badges and certificates to their recipients, allowing them to offer more rewards to their students for no additional cost.
How to manage name requests
Name change requests that aren’t simple (1 or 2 characters) or have already had an automated change will appear on the dashboard for attention. The administrator also receives an email that details the credential and the requested change for immediate approval. The process is seamless and saves administrator inboxes getting filled with “can you please change my name” requests that lack full detail and take additional time to sort.
Further information for managing name requests can be found in the knowledgebase:
How to request a name change
Accredible have built name change request functionality directly onto the live credential page. Recipients need to sign in to prove they are the credential owner and then click the ellipse (...) for ‘More options’ and select the option for “Request a Name Change”.
Detailed step by step instructions are available in the knowledgebase:
In Summary
Name changes on official documentation seem trivial but result in additional costs and time commitments for organizations. Increase efficiency, save money, and simplify the management of certifications using digital credentials. Try Accredible today with a trial account and start issuing secure, shareable, and verifiable credentials to recipients, or to learn more about the platform, request a demo.
Further Reading
Simple name changes are just one benefit of digital credentials. Download the Feature Checklist for an objective view of current credentialing solutions and if they provide real value for the organization. Compare Accredible's features against other platforms in consideration and use findings to inform decision-makers.
