New site for sore eyes

After a mass of planning and preparation we are excited to announce that the new DHAA website and member portal will be launched next month

By Christina Zerk

IN THE NEXT few weeks we will be making the switch to a brand new DHAA membership portal and website. Why are we making the change, what is going to be different and how does this affect you? Read on and you’ll find out...

A major review

The new website has provided an opportunity for us to review and refresh our current content and structure. The changes will make content easier to find and access. The biggest improvements will be apparent in the member portal. Our main public facing website will still feature our Find A Professional page (where members can display their workplace details for patients to search and find a practice) along with information on the DHAA, our profession, all of our events, latest news and Bulletin publications.

New member portal

With just a simple click you will be taken to our Member Portal, an area designed exclusively for our members where you can find information and services tailored to you.

Industrial relations and drug advice lines are here, along with a revamped CPD log that has had a few changes. Our first big change is to our member profile which has a brand new look. Your member number will now display at the top of your profile along with your current membership type (for our students and new graduate members). You can now view your upcoming event registrations, update contact and personal details, view invoices, update your employment details (the ones that will display in the Find A Professional search) and lastly, you can manage email and communication preferences.

Revamped events

Another noticeable change is that we will be able to streamline and manage all our events directly from our website. Meaning that you can register for an event directly from our page (or your member portal) . You will no longer be required to select your ticket category either, as the site will automatically apply member and student discounts to event registrations. You will be able to log into your profile and view all of your upcoming event registrations and attendances will be automatically reflected in your online CPD log.

CPD Log Our new CPD log will have two separate tables. Firstly there’s an editable table where you can enter all of your CPD hours from any event or seminar that you attend, as well as upload any certificates or supporting evidence. A second un-editable table will display all of the CPD events run by the DHAA that will update after attending and show the event details, These events will be backdated to include all events starting from the 1 December, 2019 – keeping it inline with the new three year CPD cycle that has just started. While it doesn’t allow us to display your CPD certificate here (these will still be sent to all attendees), we are looking at ways to add a feature allowing you to print an attendance summary detailing attended DHAA events to be used as supporting evidence.

Our own online groups

Another particularly exciting feature is a new area called Communities, These are similar to Facebook groups or online forums where you can ask advice and upload resources to share with other members. This is a new tool for us meaning that our member communities will be an area to keep an eye on in future as things are developed. In the meantime, this area will be utilised a lot behind the scenes by board directors, state committees, special interest groups and staff to communicate and collaborate by sharing resources used to make DHAA advocacy and events happen.

Membership management

Perhaps a littles less exciting than our sexy new website and membership portal ,this upgrade has come with brand new membership management software. This will be a massive help behind the scenes and will make membership communications, event management and renewals an much easier process.

So now you know what to expect what do you do now? How do you access the new website? To make it easier we have put together a little checklist of things to do in preparation for the new website launch.

Improved profile management

The all-new communities section

New Website Preparation Checklist

Things to do straight away from the old website:

• Download your CPD log. We have prepared a video instructional on how to do this if you are having problems.

• Make sure your membership is up to date. Our members will be the first to know when the new website, to ensure you don’t miss out check your membership is active

• Check your contact details. The email address you use to log into your DHAA profile is where you will receive updates about the new website including details on how to log into your new members area. If you need to update this email address please email membership@dhaa.info

When our website goes live:

• Follow the prompts in the email to log into the new portal.

• Head to ‘My Profile’ and review your details, updating any old or incorrect information.

• Make sure that you have a postal address listed – this is especially important if you have your indemnity insurance coverage with us.

• Update your education details

• Head to the ‘Employment’ section, review and update your employer details for our ‘Find a Hygienist’ page. Make sure there are no spelling errors, incorrect capitalisation and remove special characters {like these} from the postcode. We do not edit or alter the information you provide so if you have made a mistake this will display to members of the public.

• Update your email preferences! You will be choose exactly which emails you receive from us. This includes our newsletter, event invitations, member benefits discounts, employment opportunities, and messages from our sponsors.

Once you have made it to the end of this checklist you are ready to head off and explore the new website and members area. Happy browsing!