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john-pero
Community Champion

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

With little fanfare other than pulling the plug on at least a dozen profiles (yeah there are certainly more but not that have noticed or complained) today Intuit rolled out the new criteria but in their way has not indicated up front ALL that will be required. 

 

"We’re changing the way we publish profiles. First, we need to confirm your information"

 

The bold is my emphasis but surely, first means one of more than one steps and I would really be interested in what the followup steps might be before I scan and send my ID to Intuit. I don't even need to provide a signature or whip out an ID when using a chp enabled credit card (even a stolen one, haha) anymore.

 

Just curious as to reasons for additional intrusion into our privacy and what in entireity the whole process now is

Solved
Best answer May 17, 2018

Best Answers
Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

Hey John,

 

We recently took steps to further improve our ProAdvisor Program and help ensure that small businesses are connected to the right ProAdvisors through the Find-a-ProAdvisor website. As part of those steps, we refined the criteria we use to verify ProAdvisors’ eligibility to participate on the Find-a-ProAdvisor website. As a result, we temporarily made some ProAdvisors’ profiles not visible to the public because we needed additional information to verify their eligibility. If your profile is not publicly visible on the Find-a-ProAdvisor site, please do the following to start the publishing process:

 

  1. Click on this link: http://qbproadvisor.com/profiletab
  2. Log into your QuickBooks Online Accountant account
  3. Click on “Confirm your profile”

View solution in original post

53 Comments 53
Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

Hey John,

 

We recently took steps to further improve our ProAdvisor Program and help ensure that small businesses are connected to the right ProAdvisors through the Find-a-ProAdvisor website. As part of those steps, we refined the criteria we use to verify ProAdvisors’ eligibility to participate on the Find-a-ProAdvisor website. As a result, we temporarily made some ProAdvisors’ profiles not visible to the public because we needed additional information to verify their eligibility. If your profile is not publicly visible on the Find-a-ProAdvisor site, please do the following to start the publishing process:

 

  1. Click on this link: http://qbproadvisor.com/profiletab
  2. Log into your QuickBooks Online Accountant account
  3. Click on “Confirm your profile”
Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

I received the same email, which I originally assumed to be spam, but found out it wasn't. I've been a ProAdvisor for 10 years, why does Intuit suddenly need to see my photo id? I pay my annual fees, pass the certifications, why is the id necessary? I don't feel comfortable uploading that online. I would like a better explanation of why that is suddenly necessary, and perhaps an alternate method of giving it rather than uploading online.

MichaelDL
QuickBooks Team

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

I appreciate your loyalty to the Pro Advisor program, @Anonymous.

Know that after this verification, your profile can be published and public again within just one business day. The Find-a-ProAdvisor site strives to create only reliable connections between QuickBooks users and those offering services and expertise. This will help potential clients to only come in contact with legitimate Pro Advisors like yourself.

At this time, there's not an alternative to uploading a photo ID, but rest assured, this data is protected by Intuit's world-class security technology. To get started with your verification, just head to the link here: https://qbo.intuit.com/app/verify

Thanks for coming by the Community. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any additional questions.

Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

I appreciate that Intuit is cleaning up the Find a ProAdvisor site, I didn't realize it needed it. However, I feel some warning should have been given. Let the ProAdvisors know what Intuit is doing and why, and give us a few days to comply by uploading our id BEFORE our profile is taken down. I confirmed my profile yesterday and uploaded my id, I was told it would take 5 business days to verify! I don't even know how long it's already been down, and it's going to be down another week. The Find a ProAdvisor site is literally my only exposure to new clients. Every client I have has come from there. 

Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

 @lynda, you probably share a similar perspective and maybe can give @Anonymous some insight? 

 

@Anonymous, thank you for sharing your feedback and how crucial the Find a ProAdvisor site is to your business and livelihood. I am sharing this with the ProAdvisor team now. 


 Explore the QB Community > Home > Product Help > Talk about your business

BartonBooks
Level 1

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

This is crazy that we were not given any notification. I have heard every excuse you can imagine as to why some were affected not others, specifically the strictly "online proadvisors" seem to be up and running fine in my area. I was told if you had changed your email in the past that might have given them the verification they needed and why some of the people were not affected. How does that make sense? My email has remained the same, my clients give reviews, I have online clients, I keep my certifications up to date, I call for help or to add products for clients several times a year......and you have done all of this for me without being comfortable with who I am?

lynda
Community Champion

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

@BartonBooks:

I also was affected without notification.  I did not find out till I did my weekly check of this site and found my Profile was still there, but all of my 56 reviews were gone. I freaked out! It took many years to get 56 reviews and I have now dropped to third place.

 

I went to the diamond team and asked for support. That’s when I was told that they were updating the site (probably for security reasons but this is a guess on my part).

 

Now you you have to upload a drivers license or passport to have them approve/reload it.  I am sure there is a reason they did not announce it to us too, but I do not have an answer for that either.

 

If you do all the steps and there is still an issue with it, contact your support team.  They are truly top notch.  They found my reviews and are fixing my issue.  I still have to upload my license but it’s a step in the right direction.

Rustler
Level 15

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

Maybe someone at intuit is finally going to try to clean up the ranks of those certified.

 

But you would think, that a verification of identity would happen when you either take the test, or pass it.  Oh wait, don't you automatically get to be a pro advisor when you join up (pay the fee)? It is the certified distinction that requires testing.

 

Non proctored testing at that. Hmmmm .... maybe that is coming too, a test where you are on video,  showing that the person on  video taking the test, is actually the one with the ID and credit card to pay for it.

lynda
Community Champion

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

Just to clarify:

 

Anyone can sign up for the online ProAdvisor program for free.  You get all the perks and the program, QBOA. You have to take the test to become certified and listed on the site for ProAdvisor leads.  These are awesome as they can become customers.  The advanced test is much harder and only 10% of ProAdvisors take and or pass it.  That lists you at the top of the search engine.

 

For  desktop ProAdvisor ‘s there is an annual fee.  First year is the best but for years 2+ the fees are a bit higher.  If memory serves correctly, you have the same rules to be listed and certified (take the tests). That is what we are concerned with.  Not being listed.  

 

One can only speculate as to what happened that caused Intuit to force us to prove our identity.  The fact that they did not notify us made the issue worse.  But, again, there may have been a very good reason for that too.

Annavon
Level 2

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

I am really irritated by this whole thing.  It feels like an invasion of privacy.  So, if I don't want to comply, I have to stop being a Proadvisor?  Does QuickBooks really want to alienate the people who are actually helping to promote their product?  I don't get it. 

raafat
Level 3

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

Hi, 

I am a proadvisor from 2015, and it was very interesting to work with QuickBooks. suddenly,  they stop publishing my profile without any alert or notification and asked me to upload my Passport id and I did, then they asked me to send my company shareholders agreement.

 

Just one question do you think our shareholders will accept to share these private data? and after I talked to your agent many times they told me without negotiation, you have to upload. otherwise, we will not accept to share your profile.

 

That's mean your staff not reliable and not professional. By the way, why they need this information? is it FBI or accounting firm? Your way not acceptable at all, and I will share this information with my clients and with my 10 of staff as a proadvisor to don't upload any private information because in this way you attack our privacy. 

 

we accept to confirm our personality by ID. nothing else. otherwise, we have alternative accounting software and we will leave yours. 

Thanks for understanding, but we don't have any options to do.

 

good luck

ClaudiaWest
Level 3

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

If your goal is to create reliable connections between QuickBooks users and those offering services and expertise, why won't you accept my CPA license as proof of identity.  If the State of Michigan believes that I am qualified to render these services, what's the problem? 

 

And since when does my driver's license proof that I am qualified to advise others in the use of QuickBooks (I also thought it meant that I was qualified to drive a car)? Isn't that the purpose of your tests? 

Rustler
Level 15

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles


@ClaudiaWest wrote:

 

And since when does my driver's license proof that I am qualified to advise others in the use of QuickBooks (I also thought it meant that I was qualified to drive a car)? Isn't that the purpose of your tests? 


Sorry for interrupting but this struck me as funny.

How can an un-proctored test, that you can take and fail multiple times, certify anything?

any one can take the test, under anyone elses login, or use your phone life line as much as you want while taking the test.

but intuit gets their money

 

for samples from certified folks, first paragraph that starts with bold font

http://onsale-apparel.com/Rustler/certifications

ROFL

 

john-pero
Community Champion

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

Not that I think they should start charging for QBO Pro Advisor certification. And I am appreciative that now we only need recertified based on new features instead of testing on things we know we know. BUt then in this vein of getting something for nothing, why can't we 20 year users of desktop (started on Win95) catch a break and be able to be certified without charge? And especially when we are already shelling out over $700/year for payroll and "free" annual desktop upgrades

Rustler
Level 15

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles


@john-pero wrote:

Not that I think they should start charging for QBO Pro Advisor certification. And I am appreciative that now we only need recertified based on new features instead of testing on things we know we know. BUt then in this vein of getting something for nothing, why can't we 20 year users of desktop (started on Win95) catch a break and be able to be certified without charge? And especially when we are already shelling out over $700/year for payroll and "free" annual desktop upgrades


Follow the money John, follow the money

lynda
Community Champion

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

@Rustler   I have to jump in here because you are putting people down who have taken these tests.  These tests are NOT easy.  

 

The advanced test, in particular, is difficult.  Now, was I thrilled that I had to identify myself after all these years to prove who I was to keep my ProAdvisor site listed?  No.  But apparently, there was an issue, or Intuit would not have had to ask for this identification.  

 

Have you taken a look at the new testing?  A lot has changed over the years.  You can no longer take the test over and over and over again.  

 

I, for one, am grateful for the ProAdvisor program.  It has generated business for me.  The leads come from the site and you are listed based upon how many certifications you have, as well as a list of other things you need to do to stay at the top of their list.  Every year, I read the pdfs and watch the videos.  I can honestly say I learn something from that content every year or I am reminded of a feature I forgot about.  

 

Lynda

 

But don't come down on those of us to take the time and take the tests year after year.

Rustler
Level 15

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

@lynda

No not at all.

 

I am calling into question the validity of certification (from a user standpoint) for an un-proctored test.

 

In fact if you read that blog entry I distinctly say there are a very expert advisors, the point being made is that not all certified people are.  And those quotes prove it.

 

And while I have no doubt about your integrity, or that of many others I consider worthy of the certification, the fact remains, that that there is the opportunity for fraud when taking the test.  An un-proctored online test.

 

But let's face reality, when a new user sees the appellation, " Pro Advisor" they think that means something beyond joining the club.  And the user, the user perspective is that they can depend on that certification and the answers provided or accounting services rendered.

 

 

raafat
Level 3

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

Hi all,

 

You know guys, QB team did this website just to let us talk and the company didn't care or hear for whatever we write. I  have another solution now, easily we can all ask all proadvisor to leave this website and surely the company will hear our voice. 

 

This is the bad company experience I met ever in my work life.

 

No respect, no response, nothing to hear from us and all wrong procedures they take without notifying us.  Thier are a lot of competitors and we can work with them like SAP, Oracle, ....etc. So why we need to be a member and serve this company for free?

 

 

ParkwayInc
Level 6

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

@Rustler,

 

While I can understand your perspective regarding the QuickBooks Online testing, especially the old version where it was virtually impossible to fail it, I can tell you that the new version has been dramatically improved. 

 

Helping People Gain Confidence:

From a business perspective, Intuit made a very intelligent decision to provide both the regular and the advanced tests.  Accounting can be very scary for a lot of people, and a large part of the challenge is learning a new software. By creating the testing, the way, they have, Intuit provided users a way to "buy into the experience" by spending the time to take a test and to become certified.  

 

Gaining a new skill:

Every time we hire a new employee, the first thing we do is help them become certified on QuickBooks Online.  Not only does it serve as a good introduction to what our company does, it also ensures that even if things do not work out with Parkway, they leave with a new skill that can help them throughout their career.

 

Parkway's New Hire Process: 

Recently, I hired a new employee, Mary and as usual the first thing we had her do was to go through the ProAdvisor training and to take the test.  Mary spent the first couple days going through taking notes and saving questions that she had along the way. After each section, she and I would review the data and I would show her real-world examples of what the lesson was trying to teach her. Fast forward to exam time, Mary was very disappointed that she didn't pass the test the first time around, but she dug back in and passed it the second time.  If you had seen the look on her face, the sense of accomplishment that she had, you would never question why the exams exist.  

 

Advanced Certified Matters:

Even with the redesigned exam, the QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor certification really is just a membership card, which is why the true professionals take the Advanced Certification as well.  The QBO Advanced test is no joke and I almost did not pass it the first time I tried.  So, if your concern is toward the validity of the testing being provided, just do like I do, tell everyone about the benefits of becoming certified and explain that if you are really looking for a true QBO expert make sure that they are advanced certified! 

 

 

One last question, I know that you are not an accountant by trade, so the certifications probably do not mean as much to you, but have you taken the certifications yourself? Are you advanced certified in Desktop or Online?

 

Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

@ClaudiaWest

 

I completely understand your perspective. I can remember at least half a dozen times I've provided proof of identification by way of Student ID and Association ID (both of which require a drivers license and other documents to acquire), but am told it's not acceptable. 

 

From what I understand, everyone who has taken the ProAdvisor test needs to provide a driver's license to ensure all ProAdvisors are evaluated the same way. A license is a fairly standard source of documentation (with inherent checks), so my guess is that's why the request has changed. 


Getting Started with QuickBooks Online

Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

@raafat

 

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts about changes to the ProAdvisor certification criteria. The QB Team (including myself) frequents this site often and we keep a close eye on conversations. We listen and respect your opinion, and I am glad that you are expressing your thoughts. I do plan on sharing it with the ProAdvisor team tomorrow. 

 

I'm happy to keep the conversation going here if there are any specific points you want to discuss. 

 

@john-pero, thanks for starting this conversation. 

Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

@ParkwayInc, good perspectives!

 

Not only are ProAdvisor Certifications a mark of professional merit, it's something that motivates bookkeepers, CPAs, and QuickBooks users to continue growing their skills and repertoire.  

 

Having goals motivates everyone in any industry. 

Rustler
Level 15

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

@ParkwayInc

 

No I have not taken the exam, I have no need or reason to. The number of times I have been asked to take on a business as a client still staggers my mind, and that is with no certification or advertising at all.

 

Again, you are discussing this from a consultants viewpoint, a consultant with integrity, but not seeing the situation from outside your environment (a concept called mirror thinking if I remember right). If I call in a network consultant, and I see his msft certifications, I can at least be assured that he know the difference in network protocols, etc.

 

Not so with the buy it badge - but a user does not know that.

 

When I first started with QB I asked questions on the community forum, and those folks with badges (back then they were displayed with the log in name) would answer. To me, they had certification, they sounded like they knew what they were doing - I followed their directions and concepts. In the first 18 months of the business I had to redo the company file from scratch to fix all the so called expert directions - twice!

 

And all the other consultants who read those wrong answers, stayed mum on the sidelines.

Let me guess, professional courtesy, right (rhetorical).

 

The test got harder- good it should not be simple.
You no longer can take it 99 times until you pass - how many times can you take it before you forfeit your money and are locked out for a period of time?

 

None of that addresses the not so pure of heart, the ones who just want clients. Those who do not have the integrity to do it themselves.

 

Un-proctored certifications leave the door open to fraudulent test taking and certification.

Anonymous
Not applicable

New criteria for publishing Pro Advisor profiles

Hey all,

 

I am glad that everyone is sharing a diversity of opinions on the ProAdvisor certification and the merits of test-taking in general. I also appreciate everyone sharing their personal, individual experiences wit the process. 

 

I will say this as a reminder though, keep it professional and not personal, or I will have to close this thread. Many thanks. 

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