Can you believe that we are 10 years old?  Neither can we!  It is exciting to know this month represents our 10th birthday as a company.  Would you like to know where it all began?  Yes, it all started on Interstate 65 driving under Lakeshore Dr in Homewood, Alabama.  The acronym READI came to Dr. Mac Adkins as he contemplated what to call the online readiness tool.  Shortly after arriving safely home, he purchased the URL and registered READI.INFO. That my friends is where it all began.  So what's happened in the past 10 years?  A LOT!  Stay tuned for tomorrow's post "Top 10 Milestones of the Past Decade". 

Happy 10th Birthday SmarterServices

Are you a current client who uses READI?  Well as you know we are currently undergoing a company and product name change.  The new name for READI will be SmarterMeasure.  We want to reassure you that all of the old urls will continue to work including your custom READI link.  When your account comes up for renewal we will redo the look of your custom user interface (free of charge)removing the READI logo but the url will continue to work.  If you have additional questions, you can contact us at namechange@SmarterServices.com.

Although we do not require you to change out your information immediately, perhaps you would like to go ahead and update your website about READI.  For your convenience, we have updated all of the documents under the resource tab on the admin panel.  If you would like the new logo for your website or literature, contact us at namechange@SmarterServices.com and we'll be happy to provide that to you.

Are you READI for SmarterMeasure?

You may have already noticed but recently we added another item on the dashboard admin view. After logging into the admin panel, look under Recently Started Assessments (as seen in the screen shot below).  The % Complete column has been added.  This reflects the percent to which the student has completed the assessment. 

New Feature for READI

Beginning in April 2010, eLearningToolBox will begin our transformation into a smarter company.  Over the past several months, we've been working behind the scenes to reincorporate, change out literature, displays, and begin work on the websites.  Now we are notifying clients and partners of the upcoming changes.  Do you have questions?  Well with change usually come questions...and lots of them.  We've started the list below but feel free to contact us at info@SmarterServices for more information.  We are looking forward to continuing our relationship.

Q. Will our custom user interface for READI change right away?  If not, when?
A. No.  Over the next 12 months we will change out your custom user interface when your account renews. 

Q. Will our custom url for our READI site be affected?
A. No. It will still link directly to your custom user interface.  You shouldn’t notice any change.  All existing URLs will continue to work indefinitely as well as URLs based on the new product names.

Q. Will the name changes affect the Account Manager assigned to our account?
A. No.  You will continue to deal with the same person you always have.

Q. Will email addresses with the company change?
A. We will have new email addresses to include all the same prefixes with @SmarterServices.com; However, you can still reach us at the old email addresses. (sales@SmarterServices.com, support@SmarterServices.com, tara@SmarterServices.com, etc).

Q. Has the company’s address changed?
A. Yes.  The new physical address for our corporate office is 314 Shady Nook Dr, Deatsville, AL, 36022 and the post office is PO Box 220111 Deatsville, AL 36022. 

Q. Has the phone number changed?
A. All direct lines will remain the same but we do have a new toll free number. 
It is 877.499.Smarter (7627).

Q. What impact will the name change have on the vendor status with our organization?
A. If you need an updated W9, you may contact your Account Manager or email info@SmarterServices.com.

Q.  Will all product name changes happen overnight?
A.  Yes.  On the switch over date, all product names will be changed; however, the websites will evolve over time.

eLearningToolBox is Smarter!

Thank you for being one of the valued clients of eLearningToolBox.  We are committed to being an organization that is responsive to the needs of our clients.  Over the past year we have seen our set of tools evolve into services that extend beyond the eLearning enterprise.  Many of our schools use READI for all of their students because it measures traits and skills that are necessary for any student learning in this digital age.  PostCourse.com is being used enterprise-wide and not in just distance learning programs.  FacultyFinder.com is being used to find local, full-time faculty as well as distant adjuncts.  As our vision for our services is continuing to expand to provide even more tools to improve retention and enable data driven decisions, we feel that our name as eLearningToolBox  is a poor descriptor since it limits us to just eLearning activities. 

As a result of this expansion of our services beyond just eLearning, we are changing our name to SmarterServices.  Our new mission is to organize and analyze data that empowers people to make smarter decisions.   This mission is congruent with the efforts at many educational institutions to be smarter by making data driven decisions. 

Our new web presence will be SmarterServices.com.  In addition to our company name changing, we are also changing our product names to fit within a consistent naming convention as indicated below: 
New Name                      Formerly known as
SmarterMeasure (.com)     READI.info – Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator
SmarterSurveys (.com)      PostCourse.com
SmarterFaculty (.com)      FacultyFinder.com
SmarterProctors (.com)    TestProctors.com (in Beta form)
SmarterRetention (.com)   RetentionRadar.com (in development stages)

With any change come questions.  You may be asking yourself, why is eLearningToolBox changing their name?  No, we haven’t been acquired by another company.  No, new management hasn’t taken over.  No, we aren’t outsourcing any of our work, products, or developing.  Yes, we are still the same hands-on company that will continue to provide you with excellent service and evolving products!  Yes, we are experiencing growth and want to expand our reach!  Yes, we are getting smarter about the way we do business!

Keep up with all the progress on our Facebook fan page – SmarterServices, follow us on twitter SmarterServices, and watch our blog and website. 

Smarter in 2010