Certifications

To recognize professional managers, the MSMA has established the Certified Mail and Distribution Systems Manager (CMDSM) program. This accreditation process provides for an individual to be evaluated, tested, and certified on the body of technical knowledge and management skills necessary for performance in the profession.

MSMA has also developed a new certification and exam for suppliers – Certified Mail & Distribution Systems Supplier (CMDSS).  The CMDSS Certification incorporates Supplier themes as they relate to doing business with Mail & Distribution Management within companies.  While the CMDSS exam maintains the same integrity elements of the CMDSM exam, it is tailored to include quality assurance, customer relationship management, business ethics, negotiation, selling and presentation skills and other topics salient to Supplier excellence.

Why is professional certification important?

Management of mail and distribution systems today calls for many more skills and knowledge than in the past. With the changing attitudes of executive management toward the importance of employing managers with higher skill levels, a new breed of mail management professional has emerged. Organizations of all sizes are beginning to recognize that they cannot afford to entrust the management of their mail and distribution operation to unequipped managers. A professional manager is required in order to achieve an efficient mail operation that is capable of providing maximum quality services at minimum cost.

The objectives of the Certification Programs are:

• To raise professional standards and management skills.

• To establish for employers, as well as people in the profession, a defined body of knowledge for effective performance in the profession.

• To establish guidelines for achievement and a learning experience path for people to follow in developing their career in this profession.

• To award recognition to those who have demonstrated a high level of competence and ethical fitness for the profession.

• To improve the performance in the profession by encouraging participation in a continuing educational program for professional development.

This trend accounts for the growth of the latest professional management field of specialization – the professional Mail and Distribution Systems Manager. These professional managers should be of a caliber comparable to the level of the other professionals with whom they must interface and serve in the best interests of their common organization.

The accounting, legal, data processing, training, human resources and other executives have long been accepted by professionals and recognized through a certification process. This is due to the awareness of a body of technical knowledge required by professionals in each field in order to perform effectively in their field. Certification programs are designed to provide an accreditation for the technical knowledge required in the Mail and Distribution industry.