If you ask most agency staff what takes the most time in their day, certificates are near the top of the list. Client requests come in by email, by phone, sometimes by fax. Someone has to pull the policy, verify the limits, issue the cert, save it, send it, and document that it was sent. Repeat this dozens of times a day and you start to understand why CSRs feel buried.
Where the Errors Come From
Most certificate errors aren't careless mistakes. They're process failures. The CSR is working from memory, pulling the wrong policy version, using a template that hasn't been updated, or sending to the wrong holder. Without a documented process enforced by the system, variability is inevitable.
How CSR24 Changes the Equation
CSR24 — Applied's client self-service portal — allows certificate holders to request and, in some cases, generate certificates directly, without agency staff involvement. When configured correctly with Epic, this can dramatically reduce the volume of inbound certificate requests hitting your team.
The key phrase is "when configured correctly." I've seen agencies that have CSR24 installed but don't actually have it connected to their Epic data in a way that makes self-service possible. The tool exists; the workflow doesn't.