The SmartSimple Blog

On Wednesday, October 24, we here at SmartSimple opened our office doors to welcome clients, colleagues and collaborators. We spent the day discussing important company news, unveiling new software features, and exchanging ideas in open group conversations. For those who were unable to attend or are interested in a rundown of the sessions we hosted, we've compiled helpful briefings of each discussion to bring you up to speed. Our engaged audience. (Don't mind the cobwebs - they're only Halloween decorations.) Opening words by Michael Reid Company co-founder Michael Reid detailed the eye-opening history of SmartSimple, from its humble beginnings as a lean startup to its current standing as an international company with 40+ employees across Toronto and Dublin. As a humourous way to illustrate just how far SmartSimple has come, Michael unveiled the very first server the company used. A rusty relic, compared to today's technology! Arcadia: SmartSimple’s Ne...

As a frequent user of SmartSimple, you may have come across the term ‘UTA’ multiple times. Chances are you use several UTAs as part of your customised system. But what does it mean, and what makes it integral to your SmartSimple experience? UTA stands for Universal Tracking Application , which is a customisable application used by SmartSimple as a powerful information gathering tool. They can be used in a variety of ways, including case management, grants management, programs management, helpdesk applications and contract tracking. Level 1 Each basic UTA consists of an entity, which is something that is being tracked. In SmartSimple terminology, the thing to be tracked is called the  Level 1 entity . For example, this can be a project or a case. Once you define the Level 1 entity, you can create any number of activities associated with it. The Level 1 entity defines how the application should be structured. You can create different types of Level 1 entities wi...

Managing your organization’s companies, departments and users can be tricky. That’s why SmartSimple offers a built-in Relationship Management program: to help you organize the hierarchical structure of your staff and contacts. Setting up New Branches Under the Organization menu, click Internal Users to display the hierarchy of users within your company. Enter a new branch by selecting the New Branch tab and filling out the information. The system will check for duplicates, at which point you’ll be asked whether you want to merge with an existing branch or create an entirely new one based on the information you wrote.  Users & Groups The relationship manager supports an unlimited number of contacts, which you can enter manually or by exporting from your Microsoft Outlook account. Creating groups for your users greatly simplifies how you manage your contacts. Simply select Roles & Permissions under the Configuration menu and click User Groups to...

If your company requires you to contact and book third party transportation and interpretation services, SmartSimple has the solution for you. We've made the easy step-by-step process even easier with our online video guide: Transportation Services A drop-down list of service providers will be made available to you upon completion of the claimant’s information and referral sources. From there, you will be able to fill out trip information, appointment details, duration of transportation, and billing. Translation Services Under the Interpretation drop-down list, you will find a selection of available translation service providers. Upon choosing your service, you will be able to customize details such as gender of interpreter, language, special needs, wheelchair accessibility, and billing. You will receive a confirmation number after successfully submitting your request for either type of service to your selected provider. For more of SmartSimple’s online...

You have questions, we have answers. Here at SmartSimple, we’re excited to introduce our online training videos to better help you understand our services. Whether you want a quick overview of our latest update, or the best tips and tricks to set up a new program, our videos cover all bases. Want to get started? Check out our comprehensive video guides now: SmartSimple’s Cloud Calendar Learn how to manage your online calendar by changing your calendar type, adding events and tasks, and associating different contacts and users. Getting Started with SmartSimple Relationship Management Maintain users for your business with our easy organizational hierarchy tool. Structure your organization by company, branch and division, as well as your staff by department and role. You can also associate external contacts with your company. Booking Transportation and Translation Services with SmartSimple If your business needs to access transportation and translation ...

Join us on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 to learn about new features, opportunities for collaboration with SmartSimple partners and ways to enhance your SmartSimple experience. We will be hosting 8 concurrent sessions, running from 9:30am-4:00pm at our office location (111 Peter St.). Feel free to join us for the full day or for the sessions that peak your interest. There will also be prizes and raffles for attendees who participate in the Open House! Please note that all sessions are first come, first served and run for one hour. Please visit the events calendar on our website to learn more about the sessions and to register. Your last day to register is Monday October 15, 2012. Please feel free to bring along any colleagues whom you think might benefit. If you have any questions, please contact us at 416-591-1668 x100. Looking forward to seeing you there!

SmartSimple is excited to attend CASRAI’s first annual Reconnect conference, taking place form October 10-12 at the Delta Centre-Ville in Montreal We look forward to learning from some of the top minds in the research community. What is Reconnect12? The theme for Reconnect12 is Occupy Impact. Speakers will be addressing a growing issue within the research community: impact measurement. What is the impact of a system this wide and diverse, and how can it be improved? While the main purpose of Reconnect12 is to tackle the difficult issue of impact measurement, it also offers an opportunity for CASRAI’s peers and colleagues to reconnect, hence the name. This two-day conference will be attended by researchers, scholars, evaluation officers, and other stakeholders with an interest in finding informed solutions to these impact issues. Who is CASRAI? CASRAI is the Consortia Advancing Standards in Research Administration Information. In other words, they’re a non-profit organization that ...