How to use
Certivenza
Getting started takes less than 10 minutes. This guide walks you through every step — from creating your account to downloading your first audit report.
How long does it take?
Steps 1–4 take about 10 minutes for a small team. With a CSV import you can have 50 employees set up in under 5 minutes. Compliance requirements (Step 5) are optional and take 15–20 minutes to configure.
Create your account
Sign up with your work email. You'll receive a verification email — click the link in it, then complete your profile by entering your name and a password. The whole process takes about 2 minutes.
- Go to certivenza.app and click 'Start Free Trial'
- Enter your work email and click 'Continue'
- Check your inbox for a verification link and click it
- Fill in your name and choose a password
- You're in — 14-day free trial, no card needed
Set up your organisation
After signing up, you'll be asked a few quick questions about your organisation — name, country, and industry. This helps us show you the right compliance document types for your region.
- Enter your company name
- Choose your country (US, UK, or both)
- Select your industry (Construction, Logistics, Food, etc.)
- Optionally upload your company logo — it appears in the sidebar
Add your employees
This is where you build your workforce. You can add employees one by one or import them all at once with a CSV file — perfect if you already have a spreadsheet.
- Go to 'Employees' in the left sidebar
- Click 'New Employee' to add one person — enter their name, job title, department, and location
- Or click 'Import CSV' to upload a spreadsheet of all employees at once
- Each employee gets their own profile page where all their documents live
Add compliance documents
For each employee, add the certifications and documents they hold — OSHA cards, food handler certificates, UK Right-to-Work, CSCS cards, driving licences, first aid certs, anything. This is the core of Certivenza.
- Open an employee's profile and click 'Add Document'
- Choose the document type (pick from 49+ pre-built types or create your own)
- Enter the expiry date (and optionally the issue date)
- Optionally upload the actual certificate file (PDF or photo) for safe storage
- Save — the document status updates automatically based on the expiry date
Set up expiry alerts
This is what makes Certivenza worth using. Tell it exactly when you want to be warned before a document expires — and it sends the emails automatically, every day it checks.
- Go to 'Alert Settings' in the sidebar
- Choose which intervals to receive alerts: 90, 60, 30, 14, and/or 7 days before expiry
- Enable the intervals you want and save
- Certivenza checks every morning and sends alert emails for any documents expiring in those windows
- Alerts are sent to the organisation admin email by default
Use the Compliance Matrix (optional but powerful)
The Compliance Matrix gives you a live view of every employee and whether they are 'Cleared to Work' based on the documents you've defined as required for their role. This is the advanced feature for teams that need to enforce role-specific requirements.
- Go to Settings → Compliance → Requirements to define what documents each job role must have
- Example: 'Forklift Operator' must have a current Forklift Licence and OSHA 10 card
- Once requirements are set, go to 'Compliance' in the sidebar
- You'll see every employee with a compliance score and 'Cleared to Work' or 'Not Cleared' status
- Red employees are a priority — click through to see exactly what's missing
Employee Self-Service Portal
Employees don't need to wait for HR to upload their documents. Each employee gets their own secure portal where they can view their compliance status and upload certificates themselves.
- When you add an employee with an email address, they automatically receive a portal invitation
- Employees sign in at the login page by selecting the green 'Employee' option
- Their portal shows which documents are required, missing, expiring, or valid
- They can upload PDFs or photos directly from their phone or computer
- Every upload goes into 'Pending Review' until an admin approves it
Review and approve employee documents
Every document uploaded by an employee goes into a Pending Review queue. Admins and members review each document and either approve it (makes it live) or reject it with a reason.
- Go to 'Pending Review' in the sidebar to see all documents waiting for approval
- Click 'Approve' to validate a document — it becomes the active certified version
- Click 'Reject' and write a reason — the employee is notified and can re-upload
- You can bulk-approve multiple documents at once
- When you approve or reject, the employee receives an email and an in-app notification
Invite your team
You don't have to manage compliance alone. Invite your HR manager, site supervisor, or office admin as team members so they can add and update employee documents too.
- Go to 'Settings' → 'Team Members'
- Click 'Invite Team Member' and enter their email address
- Choose their role: Admin (full access, can invite others) or Member (can manage employees and documents)
- They'll receive an email invitation and can set up their own login
Download your audit report
When an inspector visits or you need to prove compliance to a client, Certivenza generates a complete audit report in one click — showing every employee and the status of their documents.
- Click 'Audit Report' on the Dashboard
- The report downloads instantly as a file you can print or email
- It shows employee names, document types, expiry dates, and status
- Perfect for OSHA inspections, client audits, or internal reviews
You're all set — Certivenza is working for you
From this point on, Certivenza runs automatically in the background. Every morning it checks your documents and sends alert emails for any that are approaching expiry. Your dashboard always shows the current picture. No more spreadsheets.
Quick feature reference
Where to find each feature in the app.
Sidebar → Dashboard
Compliance score, expiry count, recent activity, upcoming expirations.
Sidebar → Compliance
Live 'Cleared to Work' status for every employee. Filter by department.
Sidebar → Employees
Add, edit, import, and view all employee profiles and their documents.
Sidebar → Documents
All documents across all employees in one list. Filter by status or type.
Sidebar → Doc Types
View the 49+ pre-built types or create custom ones for your industry.
Compliance → Pending Review
All employee-uploaded documents waiting for admin approval or rejection.
Admin → Alert Settings
Choose which expiry windows (90/60/30/14/7 days) trigger email alerts.
Admin → Notifications
In-app notification centre — document uploads, approvals, rejections, expiry.
Sidebar → Audit Log
Immutable record of every action taken in your account. Admin only.
Sidebar → Settings
Org details, logo, team members, invites, and your own profile.
Compliance → Requirements
Define which documents each job role must hold. Admin only.
Dashboard → Audit Report
Full printable compliance report. Great for inspections and client audits.
Employees → Import CSV
Bulk upload employees from a spreadsheet. Download the template first.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from new users.
I added a document but the status shows 'Expired' — is that a bug?
No — that's correct. The status is automatically calculated based on the expiry date. If the expiry date you entered has already passed, the status will show 'Expired'. Update the expiry date once the employee renews their certification.
Can I delete an employee?
Yes. Open the employee's profile page and scroll to the bottom. There's a 'Delete Employee' button. This will also delete all their documents — so only do this if the person has genuinely left.
I uploaded a document file but I can't open it. What do I do?
Go to the employee's profile, find the document, and click the download icon. The file opens in a new tab. Make sure you're logged in — file links require authentication for security.
How do I change an employee's email or job title?
Open the employee's profile and click 'Edit' at the top right. Update any fields and save. Changes take effect immediately.
What does 'Pending Review' mean on a document?
All documents uploaded by employees via their self-service portal are flagged as 'Pending Review' until an admin or member approves them. Go to 'Pending Review' in the sidebar to see and action all outstanding documents. Documents added directly by admins are auto-approved.
How do employees log in to their portal?
Employees use the same login page as admins, but select the green 'Employee' button instead of 'Admin / Staff'. They receive a portal invitation by email when they are added to the system — this contains a link to set up their password.
An employee says they didn't receive their portal invitation. What do I do?
Ask them to check their spam/junk folder first. If it's not there, open the employee's profile and look for the 'Send Portal Invite' option to resend the invitation email.
I'm not receiving alert emails. What should I check?
First, go to 'Alert Settings' and confirm the alert intervals are enabled (toggles should be on). Second, check your spam folder. Third, make sure the expiry dates are entered correctly — alerts only fire for documents expiring within the window you set.
Can I track documents for employees in both the US and UK?
Absolutely — Certivenza is built for both markets. Use the relevant document types for each employee. US employees get OSHA types; UK employees get Right-to-Work, CSCS, DBS, etc. They can all live in the same account.
How do I cancel my subscription?
Go to 'Billing' in the sidebar and click 'Manage Subscription'. You can cancel from there. You keep access until the end of the period you've paid for.
Ready to get started?
Free 14-day trial · No credit card · Full access from day one.