Online Application Portal
Mercy Ships
As a non-governmental organization, their business model is based heavily on volunteers, therefore the application & screening processes represent their main tool to ensure they have the right people for each position onboard the ship. The Mercy Ships recruitment process concerns more than just doctors and nurses; they also need volunteers for operational crew such as medical support staff, technicians, sea crew, cooking staff and more.
Developers
UX Designer
Development weeks
Projected decrease in processing time for applications
Projected decrease in manual data- processing tasks
Challenge
With an average of 2,100 applications submitted each year, Mercy Ships needs to easily communicate with applicants, as well as access and analyze a vast amount of data on a daily basis in order to support their ever-growing list of applicants. During the application process, the applicant is reviewed by internal staff and sometimes external consultants in order to validate the volunteer’s qualified for the role for which they are applying and their cultural fit onboard as a volunteer. If approved, the applicant is accepted for service or placed on a waitlist. Prior to joining, the applicant also goes through a secondary approval stage to ensure the availability of financial resources for their time of service. The entire process requires a close and well-established communication flow between the applicants and Mercy Ships. The usual email-oriented communication mediums were inefficient and prone to loss of information, which also reduced their capacity to analyze any application-specific data.
Goals
- Optimize BackOffice performance
- Improve customer digital experience
- Spend less time processing data, more time analyzing data
- Create an agile solution that improves efficiency
Solution
Truewind developed an application portal that provides online support and extends the functionalities of the former application process. This user friendly solution handles all application-related interactions from the point of submission through the beginning of the volunteer’s service with Mercy Ships.
This Portal not only innovates, accelerates, and improves the
overall application process, but allows and enhances data analysis capabilities by collecting and sharing applicant and application-related data. It also facilitates the communication flow between applicants and staff, providing a task-based submission process
that enables a set of reporting functionalities and reduces the
management effort of tracking the application progress.
Results
The Online Application Portal is now the main platform to handle all application related interactions with Mercy Ships. Since its official launch, the Portal has had more than 3,500 applicants processed, with van estimated decrease of 30% in applicant processing time.
(…)I am very impressed with this application portal
and I have been working applications for 6 years. As
an applicant, I think it is perfect because it allows
you to find all the information you need without
having to sift through your entire email inbox.
Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class healthcare services, capacity building and sustainable development to those with little access in the developing world. Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries, providing services valued at more than $1.53 billion,
treating more than 2.71 million direct beneficiaries. The Africa
Mercy is crewed by 400 volunteers from up to 40 nations, an average
of 1,000 each year. Professionals including surgeons, dentists,
nurses, healthcare trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. With offices in 16 nations, Mercy Ships seeks to transform individuals and serve nations. For more information: www.mercyships.org.
