Driving global environmental, social and governance change
GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) is a leading organisation dedicated to assessing and benchmarking the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance of real estate assets worldwide.
To support sustainability leadership in real estate and infrastructure, GRESB launched a certification programme to recognise professionals with expertise in managing the GRESB reporting process.
Since 2023, GRESB has successfully delivered its certification exams via Synap and is now expanding its offering by bringing training courses onto the platform. We spoke with Anna, the Head of Credentialing and Education, of her experiences with the Synap platform.
Overcoming obstacles to deliver global exams
This was GRESB's first time delivering a certification exam and they had several considerations when searching for a comprehensive online assessment solution.
First time delivering exams
GRESB had never delivered an exam before, meaning they required a platform that came with strong and responsive customer support to help them set up and manage their certification process effectively.
“Coming from a marketing operations background, I've worked with a lot of different tools and platforms. Synap has been the best customer engagement and experience I've had, especially in terms of the the quickness of the response.”
Global accessibility
As a globally recognised certification provider, GRESB needed a platform that could be accessed by professionals and stakeholders in various countries. They also wanted a solution that could support multilingual capabilities to cater to their diverse user base.
Scalability
The number of professionals seeking GRESB’s certification was increasing, requiring a platform that could handle significant growth without compromising performance. It was essential to have a system that could support both a small group of initial users and scale efficiently as demand grew.
Exam security
Since the certification exam plays a crucial role in validating sustainability expertise, GRESB needed a secure system that could protect the integrity of the assessments. They also wanted the flexibility to implement proctoring solutions in the future to further enhance exam security as their programme expanded.
User experience
A seamless experience was critical for both administrators and test-takers. GRESB required a platform that was intuitive and easy to use, reducing the administrative burden of exam setup and providing a smooth testing experience for candidates.
Efficient onboarding and tailored support
After extensive research and evaluation, GRESB selected Synap. The platform stood out due to its intuitive design, powerful reporting capabilities, and the ability to integrate with their existing workflows. Additionally, Synap's reputation for excellent customer support reassured GRESB that they would have the guidance needed to successfully implement their certification exams.
GRESB’s onboarding process with Synap was seamless and efficient. From the outset, the Synap team provided outstanding customer support, working closely with GRESB to tailor the platform to their needs. The onboarding materials, including comprehensive help guides and detailed API documentation, played a crucial role in ensuring a seamless transition to Synap.
“Will's been fantastic with thinking things through with us and also working with developers on our side to help implement things. The onboarding process was great! I think the materials has also been fantastic - very easy to use with the videos.”
Transforming certification exams with flexible and scalable features
Synap provided GRESB with a versatile and comprehensive online exam platform. The platform’s flexibility, automation, and integration capabilities played a key role in enhancing GRESB’s certification programme.
Flexible exam features
Synap offered a range of exam options, including auto-graded multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and timed exams. GRESB also used dynamic exams to generate unique exam for each candidate from a large question bank. This ensured a rigorous and fair assessment process, maintaining the credibility of GRESB’s certification.
"The flexibility with exams in terms of having timed exams, the kind of the flexibility around the question banks and the tagging features and just the ability to build the exams in the way that we want, has been great.”
Open book exam
Synap supported GRESB’s need for an open book exam as part of the assessment process. Given the complexity and volume of the resources available, spanning hundreds of pages, GRESB wanted to encourage their test takers to access and use these resources during the exam.
This approach not only reflected real-world scenarios where professionals rely on extensive documentation, but also reinforced critical thinking and practical application of knowledge.
Continuous exam updates with versioning
Synap’s exam versioning feature became a vital tool for GRESB, allowing them to quickly and easily make changes to active exams. This feature provided the flexibility to correct minor errors and refresh content, ensuring that exams remained relevant and accurate. The ability to make these updates without disruption to the users was particularly valuable as GRESB continued to refine its materials and processes.
“There's always some type of little mistakes, maybe that you make in the phrasing or something really small in the question bank. Then being able to just go in and refresh everything, it's been a very, very useful functionality for us."
A custom certificate for LinkedIn sharing
With Synap, GRESB automatically issue a professional, custom-branded certificates featuring a QR code for easy verification. Candidates can also share their achievements on social media, particularly LinkedIn, therefore increasing the visibility and recognition of their certification.
"The customised certificate has been definitely a great piece of feedback from the end users. So when the users pass the exam, the certificate they get, they can share it on their LinkedIn profile.”
Sub-portals for creating clear user pathways
To better serve distinct user groups, GRESB utilised Synap’s sub-portal feature. This enabled the creation of separate areas for different use cases, such as learning and application processes. One sub-portal focused on the training and certification of real estate professionals, while the other supported B2B applications, such as applying to become a solution partner.
“The importance of having the sub portal there is just because they are really very different use cases, so having that separation is also really useful.”
APIs and Stripe integration to automate the purchasing journey
GRESB leveraged Synap’s APIs to integrate the platform with their existing systems, including the use of Stripe. This allowed GRESB to automate the creation of discount codes for users who passed exams, ensuring a smooth and personalised experience for each participant.
Additionally, APIs were used to automate candidate exam enrolment - once a user applied a discount code during the checkout process, they were automatically enrolled in the exam, eliminating the need for manual enrolment and enhancing efficiency.
Delivering training courses on Synap
GRESB is now consolidating all training materials within Synap, so that candidates can access training courses, educational materials, and the exam within a single platform, creating a seamless user experience. By leveraging Synap’s course functionality and resource collections, GRESB can offer structured and asynchronous learning, enabling candidates to engage with materials at their own convenience.
“Obviously, if the training can be in the same platform or area as the exam. I think from a user experience perspective, it also just is pretty natural for that all to exist in the same place, so that was really the second step for us.”
The results: Enhanced efficiency, recognition, and scalability
The adoption of Synap has significantly enhanced GRESB’s certification process, providing measurable benefits in terms of efficiency, user experience, and future scalability.
Professional recognition
The exam improved benchmarking performance by providing users with the skills to navigate sustainability reporting effectively. This led to better decision-making, stronger sustainability strategies, and a competitive edge for professionals.
The ability to issue verifiable digital certificates through Synap added value for GRESB’s certified professionals. Candidates could easily share their achievement on LinkedIn, enhancing their credibility and visibility within the sustainability and real estate industries. This also strengthened GRESB’s reputation as a leading certification provider.
“A lot of individuals use credentials to put it on their CV to show how well they know the GRESB assessments and reporting process.”
Enhanced user experience
Synap’s intuitive design makes it easy for candidates to navigate, access exams, and get instant feedback. Admins appreciate the platform’s flexibility, with reporting and analytics tools that allow quick tracking of performance across various areas. Anna also expressed satisfaction with gaining access to regular new platform features that enhance the exam process and workflows.
“I think that some of these other testing platforms are very dated. That's one thing that we get a lot of feedback of people saying that Synap is very easy to use... Synap is constantly evolving and having (access to) the new features being added is also great.”
Significant time savings while scaling
With automated grading and streamlined user management via APIs, Synap reduced the administrative workload for GRESB. The platform also simplified candidate registration, exam scheduling, and certificate generation, allowing the GRESB team to allocate their resources more effectively.
"The automation aspect of it...automated scoring and results, and not having to deal with that has been very, very useful as we scale up.”
Scalability for future growth
As demand for GRESB’s certification programme continues to grow, Synap has provided a platform that can scale effortlessly. The system supports increasing numbers of candidates while maintaining optimal performance, meaning GRESB can expand its certification programme without technical limitations.
"The potential for scalability and all these different use cases which, in the end, a lot of these cases have worked out. So, I think you guys have been very open for ideas as well.”
Expanding GRESB’s certification programme for future success
GRESB aims to expand its certification programme by introducing new topics and proficiency levels. Moreover, GRESB plan on using more of Synap’s exam features that are available, including Synoptic proctoring, to further enhance exam security and integrity.
Additionally, GRESB plans to reach a broader audience using the multi-lingual feature, specifically a Chinese version of the certification programme, making it more accessible to international users. With these developments, GRESB is positioning itself for continued growth and success in the certification space.
