Here at Ferrus Computers Services, we are so proud to provide software services to some of the most proficient income assistance departments in the country. We work with amazing income administrators who run organized and compliant programs. We have noticed that these administrators tend to have certain practices or habits that they do on a regular basis that help them to succeed at work. We thought it might be helpful to share some of these tips & tricks with other administrators who are looking to up their own compliance game!
So here are our 5 Habits of Highly Effectively Income Assistance Administrators:
- Know the ISC (Indigenous Services Canada) Manual – Unsurprisingly, the departments that regularly review their ISC manuals have higher rates of compliance. These administrators take personal responsibility for learning their compliance guidelines. Furthermore, when they aren’t sure about a rule, they ask for clarification from their FSO (financial service officer). Rates and rules can change on a yearly basis (or even mid-year) so IA administrators stay on top of these changes by reading all the ISC briefings or updates that come out throughout the year (and communicate these changes to their software providers).
- Organization – This one isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but it’s very true. The most effective departments tend to be organized. We remember hearing about an auditor who could predict the outcome of a compliance audit by simply observing the physical organization of an office. The departments with good systems and organization practices always ended up having higher compliance scores because they knew they could readily locate all their important signed documents. With ASAP software, users can take their organization one step further by organizing their digital files within the ASAP document management system.
- Pay Attention to Financial Balances – It sounds simple, but the best IA administrators know what they owe their applicants at any point in time. Certainly, some of them have very large caseloads to manage, but they still pay close attention to their financial information. They review their balances before they issue payments in order to avoid overpaying their applicants. Then, at the end of the month, they review their payables to assure everyone has been fully paid and balanced out.
- Review Reports – Similar to the above point, the most effective IA administrators get in the habit of printing reports on a monthly basis. Within ASAP, users are recommended to review payables reports, payment reports & ISC reports on a monthly basis. These reports offer a lot of information in a summarized format, which makes it easy for IA administrators to catch potential data entry errors and resolve them before they submit their ISC statistical reports.
- Use their Software Support – Finally, even though these IA administrators are competent and confident in their work, they still are not afraid to ask for assistance. All trained ASAP Users have access to ASAP’s unlimited support program (called the Technology Assurance Plan) where they can call anytime during office hours to ask questions, check a file or simply get a second opinion. ASAP IA administrators can rest easy knowing that they always have access to the support they need.
So those are the 5 habits we see in our most successful IA departments. What are your recommendations for running a highly effective & complaint department?
