Fair and Accessible Certification Exams: How Honorlock & HCSG Unlocked Opportunities in Food Service

March 19, 2025

Challenge:

Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) struggled to certify its food service workforce due to unnecessarily complex exams, accessibility barriers, and an unresponsive proctoring provider that hindered candidate success.

Solution

To address these challenges, HCSG launched eLuminate, an independent certification body, and partnered with Honorlock to create a fair, accessible, and user-friendly certification process tailored to the needs of food service managers.

Results

By leveraging Honorlock’s seamless proctoring, Chromebook compatibility, and multilingual support, HCSG and eLuminate dramatically improved certification accessibility and expanded career opportunities for food service professionals nationwide.

Challenge: Streamlining Certification for Food Service Managers

For food service professionals, career advancement often depends on certification—yet unnecessary barriers were making it nearly impossible for many to succeed.

Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) provides essential support services in housekeeping, laundry, dining, and nutrition for the healthcare and education industries. With over 45 years of experience, HCSG has built a reputation for improving operational efficiency, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enhancing financial outcomes for its clients. A key pillar of its success is a strong commitment to employee training and professional development, equipping team members with the skills and knowledge needed to deliver exceptional service.

However, when it came to certifying its workforce for Food Service Manager (FSM) and Long-Term Care Food Service Manager (LTC FSM) roles, HCSG faced significant challenges. Existing certification options were unnecessarily complex, testing skills and knowledge beyond the scope of food service managers. As a result, passing rates among HCSG employees were low, leading to increased assessment costs and frustration among candidates.

Compounding the issue, HCSG’s initial online proctoring provider introduced additional barriers to candidate success. Their initial proctoring platform lacked accessibility and was difficult for candidates to use. Meanwhile, a significant language barrier with the provider’s support further hindered the testing experience. Finally, HCSG felt that their initial proctoring partner was not responsive to their unique needs, leaving them without a viable solution to support their workforce’s growth and certification success.

Solution: A Purpose-Built Certification Program for Food Service Managers

To address the challenges in training, upskilling, and certifying its food service workforce, HCSG established eLuminate, an independent certification body dedicated to enhancing career opportunities within the food service industry. As a wholly owned subsidiary of HCSG, eLuminate was designed to fairly and impartially assess candidates while ensuring they possess the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their roles. Recognizing the financial burden of failed certification attempts and the unfair difficulty of existing exams, HCSG sought to develop a solution tailored specifically to the needs of food service managers.

eLuminate upholds a commitment to fairness, impartiality, and professional development, certifying any qualified individual who applies and passes the requisite exam—whether they work for HCSG or not. By focusing on the skills essential to food service managers, eLuminate provides a direct and practical pathway to career advancement for individuals in the industry.

By critically reviewing CMS guidelines, eLuminate removed content that was only relevant to registered dietitians, such as Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) and microbiology, and streamlined its exams to assess only the knowledge and skills required for food service managers.

eLuminate also ensures that its accredited certifications align with federal regulations, particularly those set by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

“With the pre-existing certification options, HCSG employees had an abysmal pass rate. We were just flushing money down the toilet. They were failing the exam because of the exact knowledge they didn’t need—medical nutrition therapy. That’s the job of a registered dietitian, not a food service manager.”

Jeannie Fissinger
Senior VP, Policy & Training Development
HCSG

The certifications meet the requirements of 42 CFR §483.60(a)(2)(i)(B)&(C), ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations while making the process more accessible for professionals seeking to advance their careers.

Because everyone does not have the opportunity to pursue higher education, eLuminate proudly offers two accredited certification exams to those committed to pursuing career advancement:

Food Service Manager Exam (FSM) – Assesses knowledge and skills in nutrition, food safety, and management in alignment with the latest Food Code and industry standards.
Long-Term Care Food Service Manager Exam (LTC-FSM) – Addresses the more stringent regulations specific to food service managers in long-term care facilities, ensuring compliance with CMS and other regulatory bodies. Successful completion of the FSM Exam is a prerequisite for the LTC-FSM Exam.

To create a seamless and accessible certification experience for their candidates, eLuminate integrated proctoring, testing, and digital credentialing into a streamlined technology ecosystem. Their ecosystem incorporates:

Honorlock (Proctoring)
Caveon (Assessment delivery)
Accredible (Digital credentials)
LearnUpon (LMS & eCommerce)

This seamless integration allows candidates to register, prepare, test, and receive credentials all within one ecosystem, eliminating friction points that previously caused delays and confusion. This tech-driven approach ensures that candidates complete their certification exams online, anytime, with live virtual proctoring that provides both security and convenience. eLuminate’s on-demand digital exam platform removes unnecessary barriers, making the certification process efficient, accessible, and user-friendly.

Key benefits include:

✅ Quick and convenient three-year certifications
✅ Expanded career advancement opportunities
✅ Easily verified and shareable digital credentials
✅ Reduced exam fees for employers and time costs for employees

Accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board Personnel Certification body, eLuminate’s certifications meet the ISO/IEC 17024 standard and fulfill the regulatory management component required in most U.S. states. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and industry expertise, eLuminate is revolutionizing food service certification, ensuring that professionals have a fair and achievable path to success.

Results: Breaking Down Barriers to Certification Success

Making Online Certification Accessible for All Candidates

For eLuminate, ensuring a smooth and accessible certification experience was essential—yet their initial proctoring partner created unnecessary challenges that hindered candidate success. Ease of use was a critical factor, as most test-takers were not tech-savvy. According to O*NET, 55% of food service managers have a high school diploma or equivalent, 17% have some college but no degree, and 15% have less than a high school diploma. Many have spent years in hands-on food service roles, but have limited experience with computers. Fissinger shares,

“The people in food service aren’t typically tech-savvy. The tend to more hands-on, so being comfortable taking exams online is essential. Ease of use is a critical factor for us.”

One major issue was device accessibility. HCSG’s previous proctoring platform did not support low-cost Chromebooks, discriminating against those employees who relied on more affordable technology. This limitation disproportionately impacted lower-income individuals who couldn’t afford expensive laptops, creating a financial barrier to career advancement. Fissinger reflects,

“If you have to have a laptop to get certified, that’s a lot of money, period. It’s a barrier for people that are lower income.”

To make matters worse, HCSG’s former provider required strict adherence to scheduling exams and penalized both HCSG and candidates, when exams had to be rescheduled for any reason. As frontline workers, candidates often needed to reschedule because they had to cover a shift at the last minute or an emergency popped up. Over their time with their previous provider, HCSG paid approximately $14,000 in rescheduling fees for their employees. With Honorlock, it’s a moot point. Not only are there no rescheduling fees, but candidates do not need to schedule exams at all— Honorlock provides on-demand proctoring— and can take their exams when and where they are ready. Honorlock saves HCSG significant resources and sets candidates up for success.

With Honorlock, eLuminate was able to eliminate these unfair obstacles for candidates. Honorlock fully supports Chromebooks, which are widely available in HCSG facilities and are the most affordable option for many test takers. The switch to Honorlock led to immediate success, with:

✅ 562 successful exams proctored in just a few months
✅ 99%+ exam initiation success rate
✅ Successful completion of exams in 43 states

eLuminate tracks real-time success from usage to efficacy with the Honorlock Analytics Hubs^TM that offers actionable insights such as “Usage by State,” as seen below:

HCSG realizes significant gains in moving to Honorlock as well. In particular, they value the overall improvements in the testing process, the freedom from scheduling, and the convenience and flexibility of an on-demand solution.

“Using Honorlock has been beneficial. It has eased the concerns of our testers, especially those with testing anxiety. The convenience of allowing employees to test when they are available has been a significant improvement. Testers no longer have to worry about scheduling conflicts or cancellations due to staffing issues. Overall, the entire testing process is much smoother for both the testers and myself. I tested on our previous proctoring systems. I wish I had been able to use Honorlock back then!”

– Laura Llamas | People Development Manager | HCSG

Removing Language Barriers with Clear, Multilingual Support

Language barriers were another critical challenge with their previous proctoring solution. Many test takers struggled to understand verbal directions from the company’s proctors and support agents, particularly when delivered with strong accents, as was typical. Without written instructions to follow, candidates were left confused and frustrated. In short,

“Testers simply didn’t understand what they were being asked to do.“

It was such a significant issue that Fissinger adds,

“People didn’t want to take the test because they couldn’t understand what the heck they were saying.”

“One of the biggest hurdles that we had was that proctor and support interactions were not written, only spoken. Testers didn’t understand what the proctor was saying most of the time, and the proctor would just repeat the sentence over and over.”

Elizabeth Lydon
Credentials Coordinator
eLuminate

Honorlock solved this issue by providing step-by-step written prompts allowing candidates to read, follow, and translate instructions in real time. Honorlock’s chat support enables instant guidance and multi-language support, ensuring candidates can quickly resolve any issues. Lydon explains,

“Honorlock has prompts that show the user exactly how to complete each step. I watch exam session recordings every month, and I can see that the response time is a lot better. The user gets the tools to fix any issues on their own.”

Additionally, Honorlock offers real-time multilingual translation support in over 50 languages, including Spanish, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), French, German, Arabic, Hindi, and more. The examples below illustrate this feature in Spanish and French. This flexibility drastically improved the test-taking experience and reduced unnecessary delays.

Fast, Reliable Support That Exceeds Expectations

Beyond language accessibility, Honorlock delivered exceptional response and resolution times, creating a seamless experience for eLUMINATE’s test takers. Unlike their previous proctoring provider, where candidates often waited 30-40 minutes just to start their exam, Honorlock’s support team provides:

✅ Response times averaging under 15 seconds
✅ Issue resolution averaging under 7 minutes
✅ 94% satisfaction rate

Lydon attests,

“With Honorlock, it’s instant. Candidates just open the chat, and the proctors are there. The response times are incredible.”

HCSG agrees,

“I have been using Honorlock for a while now, and I have to say I love it. Connecting with the proctor is a breeze and the testers do not experience connection difficulties. Our pass rates have improved because the testing process is quick, simple, and less stressful. The testers are able to take the exam immediately rather than waiting several days to take the exam. It’s convenient and easy to fit into their daily schedules. I highly recommend Honorlock.”

– Jeanne Hanlon-Martinez | RD & People Development Manager | HCSG

A Partner That Listens and Innovates

Finally, eLUMINATE found a true partner in Honorlock, unlike their previous provider, where product improvement was not a priority. Fissinger shares,

“When I worked with the other proctoring company, we’d make suggestions, and their response was always, ‘Oh, too bad! That’s not on our timeline. We’re never going to look at that.’ Meanwhile, the needs—like supporting Chromebooks—were critical for our success.”

Honorlock, in contrast, is continuously improving and values customer feedback. Fissinger adds,

“I value explaining the difficulties we’re having and sharing what we need; then they would address the difficulty and make the product even better. I like that we are able to give input on product development.”

Lydon exclaims,

“What I love about Honorlock is that you folks are constantly making your product better. It’s a great product, and I’m really happy we switched.”

By removing unnecessary barriers, eLuminate and Honorlock are not just helping food service professionals earn certifications—they are creating life-changing career opportunities. Learn more about how Honorlock can do the same for your organization.