ASSOCIATIONS 11
It is about visibility and authenticity !
All too often we receive membership certificates that land up on the office wall or in a drawer , never to be seen by our customer , because we go to the customer , not the other way round . Also , hard copies can be electronically manipulated enabling a non-member to claim membership of an official body when they are not .
IOPSA has now subscribed to the PrivySeal Digital Accreditation Service which means that registered Plumbing companies who are members of IOPSA , will now be able to add their IOPSA Seal to their quotes , invoices , statements , marketing materials , vans , website , social media , and email footers .
The IOPSA Seal won ’ t display online if the member is no longer in good standing with IOPSA . The Seal makes genuine members of IOPSA extremely visible . Anyone can scan the QR code on the Seal or the linked Membership Certificate to check with PrivySeal if the membership is currently valid . So , there is no need to check the IOPSA website or call IOPSA . Simply put , if they cannot show you an IOPSA PrivySeal with the current date and time , they are not an IOPSA member . Only genuine members will be able to access an IOPSA PrivySeal .
This is an intelligent use of electronic systems as well as reducing the false claims made in the marketplace by unqualified persons , who will soon start to stand out like the proverbial ‘ sore thumb ’.
A few of the current users of this service are : the architects ( SACAP ), quantity surveyors ( SACQSP ), mechanical engineers ( SAIMechE ), professional accountants ( SAIPA ), business accountants ( SAIBA ), landscape architects ( SACLAP ), IT professionals ( IITPSA ), IT security professionals ( ISACA ), occupational safety professionals ( Saiosh ), as well as the South African Qualifications Authority ( SAQA ), UNESCO , the IMM Graduate School , Institute of Directors , Henley Business School , University of KwaZulu-Natal and many others .
Of course , the benefit is not only to the customer but to the IOPSA member as such visibility contributes to providing authenticity to your company , its people , and your brand in an instant . Imagine being added the trust to prove expertise on your website and elsewhere , especially when customers are looking for a qualified plumber and members of an established 30-year-old IOPSA .
Sadly , we live in a world and country known for short cutting , dishonesty , and corruption so it is to IOPSA ’ s credit that they have made their genuine and current members so visible . We chatted with PrivySeal founder , Stephen Logan , about this service and how it came about .
“ PrivySeal makes qualifications , licensing , and membership visible , reducing qualification fraud and helping the public identify genuine and current professionals . Our certificates and seals are only issued where the professional or other issuing body , like IOPSA , say that the person or entity is eligible . The issuer , in this case IOPSA , is in full control protecting both their IP , Corporate Identity and most importantly their genuine members .
Given that our digital credentials completely automate the issue , revocation and re-issue of the certificates and seals , members view their IOPSA Seal as a competitive advantage and will ensure they meet the requirements to continue to be eligible for the IOPSA Seal , including subscribing to the IOPSA Code of Conduct .
Given the importance placed by Government on protecting genuine qualifications , as seen by the creation of a separate register for both misrepresented and fraudulent qualifications , making genuine qualifications visible in this way protects the profession and ensures that the Public has recourse when things go wrong .
As the Public becomes aware of PrivySeal , as the trusted Seal of Authenticity , those that have an IOPSA PrivySeal will find that it provides them with a competitive edge ,” Logan concluded . PA
“ Members view their IOPSA Seal as a competitive advantage .”
November 2021 Volume 27 I Number 9 www . plumbingafrica . co . za