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:

More Transparent Candidate Communication

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.

Smarter Reminders

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.

Instant Access to Help

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.

Accurate Report Timestamps

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.

Smarter Bounced Email Handling

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.

Candidate Form Prefill

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.

Knowledgebase is Live in Portal

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.

Other Improvements

• The subject lines of closed and completed notification emails are now clearer, so your team can easily recognize their status at a glance.
• We’ve fixed an issue where some check requests were closing prematurely, ensuring checks stay open as intended.

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:

More Professional & Flexible Reference Forms

• Display your company logo on reference forms - Your branding comes first. Now, when your references complete a form, your company logo will be displayed at the top. This adds a professional touch and helps reassure your contacts that the request is legitimate.
• "N/A" option for reference form questions - Not all questions always apply. Each form question now includes an "N/A" option, making it easier for references to accurately and quickly respond, which should improve completion rates and report clarity.

Improved Data Handling & Report Clarity

• Smarter handling of missing data - Whenever a candidate hasn’t provided necessary information or connected their account, generated reports will now clearly display "N/A" instead of leaving you guessing. This offers clearer insight when reviewing or sharing results.
• Extra email validation across candidate and reference forms - We’ve enhanced our email validation to increase the chances your messages get delivered to the right people from the start. This reduces bounce backs and missed communications for both candidates and references.

Reliability, Stability & Email Updates

• Reference forms now hosted on AWS - As part of our ongoing commitment to reliability, onboarding and reference forms have moved to AWS infrastructure. This means better uptime, faster loading, and more consistent performance—especially at high volumes.
• Email sender domain change to getsmilechecks.com - All outgoing emails now come from our dedicated domain, improving deliverability and building trust with your contacts.
• Updated default email and booking links - We've standardized support to support@getsmilechecks.com. Any replies or booking queries will go straight to our team so you get help even faster.

Bug Fixes & Recipient Improvements

• Reference report recipient fixes - We’ve fixed a bug where reports were not redirecting to the correct recipients or where it was tricky to add more recipients. Delivering reference reports is now more reliable.
• Reference link structure fix for reopened checks - When reopening a previously expired reference check, the correct updated link format is now always used, avoiding confusion and ensuring references get to the right place.

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.

We’re excited to share a set of updates that improve your Smile Checks experience with a focus on smoother ordering and even better reference collection. Here’s what’s new this week:

Simpler, Faster Reference Questionnaires

Newly added references will now receive our redesigned questionnaires, purpose-built to be more concise and effortless to answer. This lets your respondents complete references more quickly and easily, boosting completion rates. These changes also lay the foundation for upcoming improvements to the workflow and future features. If you’ve noticed changes to the format or flow, this is all part of preparing Smile Checks to deliver you (and your candidates) even smoother experiences.

Better Credit Order Management

Managing your Smile Checks balance just got easier:

• If you have a pending credit order, the Get More Credits page will now show your pending order instead of starting a new one. This avoids confusion and prevents accidental duplicate orders.
• You can now cancel pending credit orders directly from your dashboard. If you spot any older pending orders you don’t need, just cancel them for clarity.
• For orders voided or cancelled (including through e-wallet or bank transfer), we now automatically expire these with our payment processor right away—rather than 24 hours later. This means you’ll see the final status of orders faster and can move forward without waiting.

Reference Security and Compliance Updates

Smile Checks now also logs the IP addresses of references providing feedback. Capturing this extra layer of information strengthens your compliance, supports fraud prevention, and can help with future verification needs.

Other Improvements

We’re making ongoing tweaks to our email delivery systems to keep your reference invitations and notifications landing in inboxes instead of spam folders. Reliable communication matters, and we’re committed to getting it right.

We've also reflected in our portal how our Philippine reseller partner, Pareto Consulting, handles credit orders. This makes compliance and transactions clearer for customers in the Philippines.

We’d love to hear your feedback as you use these improvements. Your insights help us continue building a smarter, user-friendly Smile Checks experience. Stay tuned for more updates soon!