Areaka Jewell: All the agencies that I have been to put a lot of work into building their pre-read packets as they should because it's the very first impression that assessors get from your agency before they even arrive. Now for anyone listening who might not be familiar with that term pre-read packets maybe if your accrediting body calls it something different or maybe you guys don't do that. A pre-read packet is simply just a compilation of information sent to assessors ahead of time to help them prepare. Things like information about your agency, maybe your current accredited status or status of any standards, Maybe any issues that might need to be addressed. Contact information, hotel details, basically anything that helps them know what to expect. And like I said, most agencies put a lot of work into these. But then, they send them out via email. And that's where things can start to get a little messy. Let me pause here for a second. Hello, friends. I am Areaka Jewell, and welcome back to another episode of Accreditation Made Easy. Today we're talking about pre-read packets and specifically why I think there's a better way to send them. So let's start with what I typically see. Most agencies will attach the pre-read packet to an email and then send it out to the assessor. Seems simple enough, right? But depending on the size of that packet, ⁓ that email might not even go You might exceed the ⁓ size limit of your email provider or you end up splitting it up into multiple emails and that's where things get little messy. ⁓ when it does go through, the accessor has to click on the attachment ⁓ attachments plural, download it, and then remember where they saved it. It's just not the smoothest experience. Now, if you compare that to using PowerDMS, when you upload your pre-read packet there and share it, everything in one place. Your assessor log in and it's right there. No downloading required unless they want to. They could download it or print it if that's their preference, but no searching through emails or where they saved it. Just clean, simple access. Another big advantage is accessibility because PowerDMS is web-based. Assessors can access the packet wherever they are, whether they're at their desk, they're on the road, they're at the hotel, And that matters for things like hotel, directions, schedules, maybe contact information, things they're likely gonna need while they're traveling. Now here's something that a lot of people don't think about. When you share your pre-read packet through PowerDMS, are also verifying their access ahead of time. You're making sure that assessors can log in before the assessment starts. So you're not troubleshooting on day one, because I will say without a doubt that the number one issue that I see as an assessor on day one of any assessment is assessor login issues. So if you can get that out of the way ahead of time, all the better. And don't stress thinking by giving them ⁓ access ahead of time, going to see your assessment. You only give them rights to to the pre-read packet or the resources that you're providing, not the assessment until it's time. Another good thing is the control that comes with using PowerDMS. You're not just sending a static file and hoping it gets open. You control what the assessors see and when they see it. There's also flexibility. If something changes last minute, you update it in PowerDMS, ⁓ That's the version that everyone is going to see. So you don't need to resend any attachments. There's going to be no confusion over which one is the most current version. Now, PowerDMS is a great option for delivering your pre-read packet, other resource materials that you might have. Maybe it's menus, maybe it's guidebooks or policy manuals or whatever. I remember back in the day, you used to literally have to have a resource table with those printed copies of things. Maybe they were too big to put in the paper standard file. Maybe they were just additional resources. But once PowerDMS went electronic, that kind of went away. But I still think those resources are useful. Now, PowerDMS is one option. It's not the only option. Another approach that I've used and I actually really like is uploading your pre-read packet to a platform called PubLoo. Spelled P-U-B-L-U-U. PubLoo. Small caveat here, they offer a free trial but then it's a paid service. But what that does is it turns your document into a digital flipbook style experience. So instead of scrolling through a PDF, assessors can actually click through it like pages in a book. just feels more polished and a lot more intentional. What I personally like to do ⁓ embed the PubLU version inside PowerDMS. And by the way, PubLU even gives you the option to embed, so it's super, super easy. So when I embed it into a document in PowerDMS, ⁓ still have the control and the assessor gets that enhanced viewing experience. Best of both worlds. PubLU ⁓ will also provide you with a shareable link so you could also do it through email. But then remember, you're gonna lose that control piece that PowerDMS offers. And if you're building or refreshing your pre-read packet and you wanna see how others are doing it, I actually put together a digital bookshelf inside PubLoo and I have about nine or 10 real life examples from other agencies. You can see the different formats they use, the different styles. And even the example that I'm going to put in the companion document is from Publu. Don't forget to check out the link to the companion document that I'm gonna put the link for in the show notes to this episode. At the end of the day, this really comes down to one thing. You've already put in the work to build the packet. Most likely it's a lot of work. And if not you, then whoever in your agency created it likely put a lot of work into it. Either way, it's about delivering it in a way that is just as smooth. Because remember, when it's easy for assessors to access and review, everything just runs so much better. So don't forget to check out the companion document. And if you're already subscribed to my paid content hub, ⁓ I talked about in PubLU with the pre-read packets. But if you're not subscribed to my paid content that I'm talking about and you want preview, I offer a 30-day, no strings attached trial. So just head over to www.accreditationacademy.net forward slash sign up and select free trial. All right, that's it for today's episode. It's all about the reasons why I think PowerDMS is the way to go for sharing your pre-read packet and other resource materials. I hope that this episode has been helpful and practical for you. And until next time, friends, Let's keep making accreditation easy, one step at a time.