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How Fit4 Emergency saves time & costs by switching to digital certificates
For Fit4 Emergency, a provider of workplace first aid and fire safety training, the stress often started long before the actual course day.
Their entire certification process was based on paper, which created multiple operational headaches:
This didn’t just lead to high costs for paper, printers and storage, it also consumed enormous time resources, taking the founder away from both family and the actual core of the business.
They decided to tackle these challenges by introducing digital certificates with Virtualbadge.io.
From the very start, it was important not just to be a customer buying an off-the-shelf product, but to become a partner in shaping the solution. Virtualbadge.io worked on implementing custom requirements, provided personal support, and even took care of complex coordination with German authorities to secure occupational insurance association approvals for first aid courses.
With the new digital approach, certificates could now be issued and archived securely online, with participants able to validate them at any time. This means any attempted manipulation is immediately visible, while fit4 emergency can access its digital archive instantly.
By adopting Virtualbadge.io, Fit4 Emergency achieved:
For founder Carsten Heckmann, making the leap to digital was long overdue:
“I can only recommend taking the same step we took. Jump on board. Whether you’re providing first aid courses, fire safety training, or any other kind of certificate.”
For Fit4 Emergency, a provider of workplace first aid, fire safety training and general first aid courses, the stress didn’t start on the day of the course – it started long before. Even while training was underway, an enormous amount of administrative work was happening in the background.
As founder Carsten Heckmann recalls, their previous process was entirely paper-based. Customers would come in, and the team faced a flood of paperwork. Countless paper certificates had to be purchased each month, printed out and manually managed. Any time there was a small error – perhaps a misspelled name or a participant needing a new certificate – it triggered repeated letters or lengthy email threads requesting corrections. Each adjustment required new certificates to be issued, signed and resent.
Beyond the obvious costs of time, paper and printing, there was also a huge need for archiving. Whenever someone came back asking for a replacement certificate, Fit4 Emergency had to search through files to track down exactly when the participant attended. They needed to verify whether a new issue was even possible. This often meant requesting copies of ID cards to prove authenticity before anything could be sent out again.
All of this took up enormous amounts of time and money. Carsten found himself investing heavily not just in paper, printers and filing systems, but also in hours that pulled him away from his family.
That’s when they decided to go digital by partnering with Virtualbadge.io. For Carsten, it was never about simply buying a product off the shelf. He wanted to be part of shaping a solution that fit the realities of a regulated training business in Germany.
From the start, Virtualbadge listened closely to every need, even ideas that were only mentioned in passing and implemented them without hesitation. Through direct, practical support, including coordination with German authorities to meet all requirements for occupational insurance association (Berufsgenossenschaft) approvals.
The results came quickly. Within just a few weeks, Fit4 Emergency had switched over to a fully digital system.
Now, every certificate is:
If someone presents a fake document, it becomes immediately obvious. Should a business ever face an inspection or need to prove that certificates are valid and tied to real participants, Fit4 Emergency can pull records from Virtualbadge.io’s platform in seconds to confirm exactly who attended which course.
Fit4 Emergency now enjoys a streamlined, secure process that dramatically cuts costs, saves time and protects their reputation.
