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Showing posts from March, 2014

Employee Spotlight - Wivina Lo

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Our Employee Spotlight series will highlight a different member of the SmartSimple crew every week. Take some time to get to know the wonderful and diverse team behind the SmartSimple platform. Wivina Lo is a Developer who started at SmartSimple in May 2012. She sat down with us this week to impart her best productivity and subject matter tips, her hobbies, and her favourite movie (or shall we say, movies). That's Wivina on the right! Productivity and subject matter expert tip : 1. Use system calls whenever you can. If you need more than what the system functions currently offer, make a request or create a ticket with Development. We can accommodate the request if it's common throughout the platform. 2. If you have problems searching for Level 1s in the SmartSimple mobile app, check with the administrator to see if the mobile settings of the UTA have been set up properly. What is your favourite part about working for SmartSimple? It's a very cozy environm

How to Use PDFs Offline with SmartSimple

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SmartSimple’s PDF blog series highlights the fantastic functionality that SmartSimple system users can enjoy around their uploaded PDFs. Each post in this series will take a look at a different feature that’s already built into your system!  Did you know that you can generate fillable PDFs in your SmartSimple system that you can download, fill in offline, and then use to populate data in your system? This feature is called the PDF Parser , and it is especially useful for those in the following roles: Applicants or reviewers using grant application forms in low-lying areas or regions with poor Internet connections. Program Offers who prefer to write recommendations in a form offline.  C-Level or Board members who perform reviews and wish to not log into the system.  Find out how you can use this helpful feature with these comprehensive steps (note that the first step requires Internet access): Generating the PDF Open the Documents tab within any grant record in your sy

SmartSimple's 2014 Community Conference Registration Now Open!

Have you heard? SmartSimple’s Community Conference 2014: Venture into Your Future is open for registration and you’re invited! Visit our registration page today to sign up for exciting sessions about SmartSimple and hot topics related to you, our clients and associates. This year’s conference will take place April 9, 2014 from 9:30 AM – 4 PM at Victoria College on 91 Charles Street West in Toronto, Canada. Venture into Your Future will explore topics including big data, training videos, our top secret new Machine Learning Project, undiscovered but useful system features, and all the new frontiers for SmartSimple in the coming year. Just check out our full agenda for more! The last official day to register is March 28, 2014 . Questions? Find out more about this year’s Community Conference by contacting us at info@smartsimple.com or 1-866-239-0991.

SmartSimple Makes Connections at the 2014 Grants Managers Network Conference

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SmartSimple is heading to sunny California! We are delighted to announce that we will be taking part in Making Connections , the 9th annual Grants Manager Network Conference from March 17-19, 2014 in San Diego, California. We will be participating as a session exhibitor in this three-day marathon of enlightening demonstrations, workshops and lectures on all the hot issues affecting grants management in 2014. Learn more about the GMN Network and the 2014 conference at their main website . SmartSimple will be represented by Relationship Manager Sarah Jane Nicholson , Director of Strategic Accounts Todd Lapin , and Director of Business Development Gary Modlin . We will be showcasing the power and flexibility of GMS360 ° , SmartSimple's grants management software. Visit our booth or email  sales@smartsimple.com  to arrange a one-on-one discussion. Be sure to check out our  main site  to learn more about SmartSimple and GMS360 °.

Employee Spotlight - Monika Dhankani

Our Employee Spotlight series will highlight a different member of the SmartSimple crew every week. Take some time to get to know the wonderful and diverse team behind the SmartSimple platform. Monika Dhankani is a Business System Analyst and has been working for SmartSimple since July 2013. Monika is one of the first employees to be hired at our inaugural American office in New York City! For this week's Employee Spotlight, Monika tells us her best productivity tip, what she likes best about working for SmartSimple, and surprising random fact or two (or, rather, four)! Productivity or subject matter expert tip: Keep your work priorities flexible enough so they can scale to any changes in your requirement specifications. What is your favourite part about working for SmartSimple? The work environment is really nice and everyone is supportive of you. What are your hobbies? I love singing, dancing, painting and cooking. I love to cook for foodies. What is your fa

10 Simple Tips for Improving User Experience (Part 2)

The following post has been contributed by our Web User Interface & Graphic Designer, Mark Bridger. Read the first post from this two-part series! We at SmartSimple are always striving to ensure our users have the best possible experience when using our products. Effective user interface design makes the user’s interaction with a system as simple and efficient as possible. Here are the last five usability principals all designers should use in creating interfaces: 6. Recognition over Recall Make objects, actions, options, and directions visible or easily retrievable. Avoid Using Codes : If a user wants to apply for a grant, use “Grant Application” as a label, instead of an arbitrary code. This way, the user doesn't have to learn or remember your coding system. Avoid Unnecessary Hurdles : Ensure every page has a purpose; there should be no unneeded intermediary pages. Visual Representation : If you are selecting visual elements such as layouts, images, and video,