We’re rolling out a set of impactful updates this cycle with new checks, process enhancements, and a few important bug fixes. Here’s what’s new and what’s improved.
We’ve just launched the Neighborhood Check, a new check to conduct on-site verification, linked with secure Google Maps integration for address accuracy. This strengthen due diligence for roles requiring high financial or location trustworthiness.
If selected as part of your request for a candidate, they will now be prompted to submit an authorization letter and confirm their address location. This helps ensure that verifications are accurate and authorized, adding an extra layer of integrity when confirming local references or addresses.
Additionally, the Negative Media Check has gone live, which is an automated search across public and social media for high-risk or damaging information. This allows organizations to flag potential negative news mentions automatically, strengthening risk assessment and due diligence capabilities for your screening process.
Select the new Neighborhood Check and Media Check as part of your check request anytime:
For Academic Checks, candidates will now be asked to submit a photo of their Transcript of Records (TOR) and authorization as part of their form submission. This change is designed to reduce follow-ups and prevent delays during academic verification, simplifying the experience for both candidates and verification teams.
Reference URLs for closed and unfulfilled reference forms also now direct users to a separate page, replacing the previous thank you page. This resolves confusion and provides a clearer indication of status for all parties.
For Philippine businesses, the Smile Checks signup form now requires TIN (Tax Identification Number). Updating your Company Information will also require this information to proceed. By collecting this information upfront, we help speed up account verification and compliance.
We have resolved an issue where check requests were being marked as complete if only Identity Check remained pending, ensuring checks are not closed prematurely.
We have continued to optimize how bounced emails are handled for both candidates and references, resulting in improved communication reliability.
These updates aim to give users more comprehensive background screening tools, reduce candidate friction, and minimize delays in your verification processes. Clearer process flows and reliable automation mean less time spent on follow-up and less room for error.
As always, we appreciate your feedback and look forward to hearing how these changes work for you. Stay tuned for more improvements soon!
We’ve just released a set of updates to make Smile Checks even more transparent and helpful for both administrators and candidates. Here’s what’s new:
You’ll now see a notice in the candidate update log if an email sent to a candidate couldn’t be delivered. This means you can quickly spot communication issues and reach out through an alternative channel or correct the candidate’s email address. No more wondering if your candidate received their onboarding instructions.
The Day 8 reminder email has been updated to automatically include the candidate form link, but only if there are still background checks pending that require additional information. This ensures your candidates get the nudge (and information) they need to keep things moving, without unnecessary email clutter.
The knowledgebase link is now available right on the dashboard. This makes it easier than ever to quickly find answers to common questions, troubleshoot issues, or learn about best practices without leaving Smile Checks.
We fixed an issue where the report’s generation time could appear incorrectly due to a server time zone misconfiguration. Now you can trust that the time shown reflects your actual processing timelines, which is important for record-keeping and planning.
We hope these improvements help you move candidates through the process more smoothly and give you more confidence in the communications and data you rely on every day. As always, thanks for using Smile Checks and letting us know how to make it better for you.
Identity and employment verification from social security data sources is currently unavailable due to data provider server downtime. We will advise when the data source is once again available. Thank you for your understanding.
Update @ September 11, 4:38 PM - Identity and employment verification is available once again. Thank you for your patience.
We have several updates this week designed to create a smoother and more transparent Smile Checks experience for both HR administrators and candidates.
We now automatically monitor and respond to bounced emails sent to candidates or references. If an email bounces, Smile Checks will pause all further reminders to those recipients and our Customer Support Team will proactively follow up to resolve any issues with contact information or availability. This reduces confusion for your team and ensures important requests don’t get lost due to incorrect email addresses.
We’ve improved the candidate experience by prefilling First Name, Last Name, Mobile, and Email fields on the candidate form for all new checks. This saves time for your candidates, reduces the risk of data entry errors, and helps move checks along more quickly.
Quick support is now just a click away. Our new (alpha) Knowledgebase is now linked directly from the “Help!” section within the Portal. Both HR admins and candidates can access instant answers to common questions. The Knowledgebase is in early development, but available to everyone — let us know what information you’d like to see next.
We hope these updates help your workflow and support candidates more efficiently. As always, your feedback is welcome and essential in shaping the future of Smile Checks.
We’re excited to announce several improvements aimed at enhancing your Smile Checks experience, streamlining communication, and making our platform even more robust for your workflow. Here’s what’s new:
We hope these updates level up your experience with Smile Checks. As always, we welcome your feedback—let us know how we can keep making Smile Checks the best it can be for you and your team.