Angela Connell-Richards: 0:23

Welcome, superheroes, to another episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast. I'm your host, Angela Connell-Richards, and today we're diving into the crucial topic that could mean the difference between success and failure in your RTO journey choosing the right RTO consultant. I've seen firsthand what happens when RTOs put their trust in the wrong consultants. Recently, a potential client came to us after their initial registration audit with They had. been working with a consultant for over two years and during that they had never, ever, been to the ASQA website or read the user guide from ASQA. they are facing a tribunal hearing just to try and get her RTO across the line.

Angela Connell-Richards: 1:17

This is a very hard lesson in the phrase buyer beware, because in the world of compliance you truly pay for what you get. So I've seen this time and time again where a client has come to us because they've hired a consultant. They've thought they were going with the cheaper option and then ended up paying a lot more because either they were non-compliant so they needed to do rectifications or the consultant just kept adding more onto their bill. So we need to be aware of, and it really annoys me, when RTO consultants are not serving their customers. They're not looking after them, they're just there to take their money, and that's definitely not what we do here at Vivacity. So what are the risks of choosing the wrong consultant? Well, not all consultants are created equally. Some promise the world but deliver a disaster, and we've seen many of those. And the last thing I want to do is work with a client that's gone through a disaster. But we'll do it if we've got time, if we've got time to get them prepared. In the case of this client, a recent client, we actually recommended that they withdraw their registration and start again because there were so many critical non-compliances that they it was just irreparable, like there's so much work that they've got to do, and the big part was with this consultant that they hired. They only saw the consultant twice in that two-year period and they were only provided the forms and documentation, the policies and procedures, the day before the ASQA audit, so they weren't even trained on how to use all the materials before they went to audit.

Angela Connell-Richards: 3:08

Now the big thing is, when you're audited by ASQA, you are audited not the RTO consultant. It is the CEO, the fit and proper person, the director of the organisation, it is not the RTO consultant. They need to ensure that you're ready to be able to run an RTO or continue to run an RTO if you're going for re-registration. So what are the risks of choosing the wrong consultant?

Angela Connell-Richards: 3:38

Not all consultants are created equally. Some promise the world but deliver disaster. Many RTO owners don't realise that poor advice can cost them their business, their investment and their peace of mind. The consequences of bad consulting is you could fail your audit, like that is the biggest, like we won't take anybody to audit if we don't think that they're ready. Now. We may get some minor non-compliances because you have the idiosyncrasies of different auditors who have their own opinion on how things should be done. But we are prepared for the worst case scenario when it comes to working with our clients and going to audit.

Angela Connell-Richards: 4:20

The other one is having non-compliant systems and documentation that you then need to rectify, expensive rework and legal battles. Like this client has ended up going to tribunal and now they've had to hire a lawyer and they haven't even got their ASQA bill yet. So there's a lot more to come when they've even got to consider the bill that they're going to get from ASQA. So possible ASQA sanctions whereby, yes, we're going to approve you, but you're only allowed to have two units of competency for the first two years and we're not going to let you deliver training online or something like that, so they could restrict different things that you could do. Also, you could get rejection of your registration or even cancellation of your registration due to not being prepared for re-registration. Okay, what are the red flags when hiring an RTO consultant? So before you sign that contract, look for these warning signs Lack of transparency. If they can't clearly explain their methodology or avoid answering direct questions, be wary. Like they really should know their process.

Angela Connell-Richards: 5:37

Just to start with Number two, no emphasis on compliance education. A good consultant teaches you the standards, not just hands you over the templates and say, bye off you go, you can go do your audit now. Like you should know how to implement those documents into your organization not just you, but your whole team. They promise quick fixes. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There is no quick fixes when it comes to RTO compliance. There is so much involved with compliance and your RTO and there's so many variances. It all depends on where are you located. What training products do you have in your scope? Who are your learner cohort? Do they have disabilities? Are they from a non-English speaking background? Are they international students? There are so many variables that you need to take into consideration. There is never a quick fix.

Angela Connell-Richards: 6:38

Number four no references or proven track record. Always ask for client testimonials and check for real world results. Do they have any testimonials? If they don't, that's another very scary, weary thing that you should be concerned about. Number five they do everything for you. A consultant should work with you, not just hand over all of the documents and disappear Like when ASQA. As I said earlier, when ASQA come to audit you, they're auditing you, not your RTO consultant. They want to make sure that you know what you are doing within your RTO. You understand your training and assessment strategies. You understand your policies, procedures, forms and documentation and how to implement them within your RTO.

Angela Connell-Richards: 7:34

Number six check their LinkedIn profile First of all. Do they have a LinkedIn profile? If they don't have a LinkedIn profile, what are they hiding Like? Why don't they have a profile that clearly explains who they are? Look at their experiences, endorsements and professional connections. A well-connected and respected consultant is a very good sign.

Angela Connell-Richards: 8:02

Number seven is their website compliant? So this client who came to us, we checked out the consultant that they used previously. I went to their website and the website was unsecure. They didn't even have a secure URL, so I had to take the risk to go through this unsecured website to see what they were. I couldn't even find anything on the website about who owns the organisation or who are the consultants, and they talked about that they have a team of consultants, but there was no evidence in there of a team of consultants. The other thing that was on the website there was no photos of them. There were stock photos that they used across the website. There was no photos of them. There were stock photos that they used across the website and there was no photos of them. Who are you working with? When it comes to working with a consultant, you want to know who it is that you're working with, so ensure their website meets privacy and security standards, including having a visible privacy policy and secure contact forms on their website. You want to make sure that your details, any data that you're entering, is going to be secure and you're not going to be hacked later on.

Angela Connell-Richards: 9:15

Okay, number eight check for Google, facebook and LinkedIn reviews. Look for consistent positive feedback and beware of multiple negative reviews or complaints about poor service. If they don't have any reviews? Why not? Are they hiding something? You should have your reviews on your website, so any good consultant would have their reviews on their website through, like. We have a plugin on our website that has Google reviews and Facebook reviews that go into the website and they're actually from all of our real clients that we have been working with. So you should be looking at, like, what sort of feedback they've got. Before we go and audit a client, an RTO, we will actually check out their Google reviews and see what sort of feedback they've got on their RTO. And I tell you, I've seen some really bad Google reviews on RTOs and that makes me very wary. Asqa do the same thing. Asqa auditors will check your reviews out as well, because they want to know what's going on and whether students have been not treated right when it comes to their training. So you want to know who you're working with.

Angela Connell-Richards: 10:29

Number nine beware of cheap upfront pricing with hidden costs. Some consultants offer a low initial price and later add extra fees for essential services, saying things like well, now you need to pay extra for that. If you want the icing on top, now you need to pay extra for that. If you want the icing on top. You need to pay extra for that. They're not clear and transparent, upfront about what are all the costs involved with starting an RTO or re-registration. What are all the processes in there? Number 10, clients returning for fixes. If clients are frequently returning to redo their initial registration because of consultant errors, that's a major red flag.

Angela Connell-Richards: 11:17

Okay, now that we've talked about the red flags, let's look at how to choose the right RTO consultant. First of all, do your homework. Visit the Asgore website and read the user guide for RTOs yourself. Make sure that you're well prepared. Now the problem is with this client that came to us, which spurred on. The reason why I'm doing this podcast is because I hate it when I see people who have just been used by a consultant and just to get money out of them, like they're not actually there to ensure that they're being looked after, like that's.

Angela Connell-Richards: 11:58

Our core values is above and beyond, and ethical integrity is another one and we want to make sure that. Open and honest. We want our clients to be open and honest, but we are also open and honest and we'll be brutally honest if we think you're not ready to go to audit. We want to make sure that you're fully prepared. We also want to make sure that you actually understand what are the ASQA requirements and what are the requirements of the legislation. The thing is with this client, the consultant they hired didn't train them in anything and was made it easy. They were so naive and didn't understand what their rights were and what were the requirements of the standards, that they just believed anything that the consultant said, okay.

Angela Connell-Richards: 12:45

Number two look for industry experience. Work with someone who understands compliance inside and out. They've got experience in running RTOs. They've had experience in auditing. They've had assessor, an RTO sorry a training manager, a CEO, a training coordinator, an RTO manager like. I've worked in all of those areas. I've worked as a trainer assessor. I delivered cert two to diploma in business, so I've got a lot of experience in the training sector over 30 years. So you want to look at how much experience do they have and have they actually got relevant compliance experience and are they passionate about that? Do they have a podcast? Do they have a blog? Do they talk about what they do for a living? Is it clear on their website? You want to know who you're working with.

Angela Connell-Richards: 13:47

Number three ask for case studies. Have they successfully helped RTOs pass audits before. Ask for case studies. What are they? Who have they worked for before? What were the scenarios? Where were they when they began with the consultant and where were they when they completed with the consultant? Are they there? Are they still clients like?

Angela Connell-Richards: 14:07

We have an ongoing membership in our part of our process is we really want to look after our clients ongoing, so we have a membership program where we look after our clients with all of their training. We deliver four webinars a month. One's trainers, pd. We have vet compliance, pd. We also have the eight critical drivers to RTO success. And number five we actually have a workshop that we deliver every month on the at the moment is the revised standards. So we're teaching you how to implement into your RTO. So, yeah, ask for case studies.

Angela Connell-Richards: 14:44

Number four ensure they align with your business goals. They should help you build a sustainable and compliant RTO, not just get you across the line. They should be there to help you build this business. And that's for initial or re-registration. It's like, let's face it, we cannot survive on compliance alone. We need to have a successful business. So you should be looking at a consultant that can also coach you in the business side of running your RTO, and that's where we go back to industry experience. Do they actually know how to run an RTO and do they understand all of that Now? Next one is ongoing support. Compliance isn't a set and forget process. Your consultant should offer continuous guidance and training and coaching and mentoring to ensure that you are maintaining your compliance requirements and professional development as well, and that you have updated policies, procedures and documentation that is compliant with the standards, and they're continually updated so that they are always compliant.

Angela Connell-Richards: 15:59

Okay, now let's talk about cost cutting. You know, if you're looking for a cheap consultant, that could be the most expensive mistake you ever make, because it could end up costing you way more than it would have if you just hired the good consultant, the one that's going to provide you with all of that training and support. Then the consultant who's just going to go. Oh, now I just go, I've got you on my line. I'm going to now add more to the bill and sell more to you. And now you're stuck because you're working with me. So don't cut corners. Really think about the consultant and who you're working with, and whether they are going to suit you and your organization and your team, and are they going to support you.

Angela Connell-Richards: 16:48

Rework, legal fees and appeals can cost tens of thousands of dollars. It's not little. Your ASQA fees alone can be, I've heard, like $50,000 just for your audit. So you want to make sure that you've got the right person who's not going to waste Asqua's time and you end up paying for a very expensive audit because you've had to go back and forth with all of your non-compliances to get them rectified. Now the stress, time and reputation damage are not worth.

Angela Connell-Richards: 17:25

The initial savings you really need to think about well are not worth the initial savings. You really need to think about well. Who's going to best support you through this process, whether it's initial or re-registration. Who's going to best support you and your team, train them on what they need to do and make sure that they're fully aware of what they need to know in order to be prepared for an audit. Many RTO owners who choose a cheaper consultant end up paying far more when they return to a reputable consultant to fix their registration application. We've seen that many, many times. You've already paid out all this money to your consultant and then you need to find another consultant who can now fix everything, and sometimes it is more work for us to fix everything than it would be for you to just start again. And case in point is the reason why I'm doing this podcast this client that came to us recently. So, when it comes to setting up your RTO, choosing the right consultant is one of the most important decisions you will make.

Angela Connell-Richards: 18:36

If you don't do your due diligence, you could end up in a situation like our potential client stuck in tribunal hearings and trying to fix two years of mistakes. Don't gamble with your future. Invest in quality, invest in compliance and invest in the right consultant for you and your team. If you want to work with an experienced team that knows what it takes to succeed, reach out to Vivacity. We've helped hundreds of RTOs and we get it right the first time. We also guarantee our policies, procedures, forms and documentation. If there's any non-compliances with our docs, we will rectify them no additional cost, and we will make sure that you are prepared for audit. So thanks for tuning in to the RTO Superhero Podcast. If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe, share and let's make compliance your superpower.