Technology has revolutionized the way information is accessed and shared. Most businesses have changed the way they operate to benefit from information sharing and consumers have come to expect business to operate in a more efficient fashion now that information is readily available. For example, when consumers re-purchase, they expect their existing information to be available for re-use; when mortgage lenders investigate clients, they can access a credit history across other financial institutions.
In principle, evidence sharing is the ability for SEM agencies to share evidence about their clients with other agencies. Historically, SEM agencies have tended to deliver single programs and thus have operated in isolation of other agencies delivering different programs. Clients would have to provide the same evidence about themselves and their family members multiple times. Any evidence changes, such as a change in address, would need to be communicated by the client to the various agencies working with the client. The principle of evidence sharing is widely accepted by SEM agencies. SEM agencies understand that clients do not want to have to fill out the same information repeatedly for different programs and that all associated agencies should be informed when client information changes.
Most SEM agencies recognize the complexities involved in implementing any level of evidence sharing. There are some SEM agencies who want to collect information once and make sure it is reflected across all programs and agencies automatically. Other SEM agencies are not ready to accept sharing at that level. These agencies may want to be made aware of changes to evidence on other programs and agencies, but still be able to decide whether or not to take on the new evidence. There is also the complexity of finding common ground in the evidence captured across agencies and programs. Though agencies are likely to capture similar information, they may not capture that information in identical formats. Any solution which supports evidence sharing has to take into account the different needs and concerns of SEM agencies.