# SmartCredit Guide **This page is the complete guide to SmartCredit at Crowned Credit — covering client enrollment, credit report monitoring, score tracking, and integration with our dispute workflow.** This page covers the essential guidelines and procedures for **SmartCredit Guide** at Crowned Credit. Use the sections below to quickly find the information you need. ## SmartCredit — Complete Guide **SmartCredit is the credit monitoring platform that Crowned Credit uses to access and review client credit reports.** Every client signs up for their own SmartCredit account, and our team accesses it to pull reports, monitor progress, and import data into DisputeFox for dispute processing. > 🚨 **HARD RULE — NON-NEGOTIABLE:** NEVER order, refresh, or buy a new credit report in any client's SmartCredit account. Ordering a new report costs the client money from their subscription. ONLY pull the existing/most recent report. This is read-only access. Violation of this rule is grounds for immediate removal from the role. --- ## What SmartCredit Does - Provides 3-bureau credit reports (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and live credit scores - Clients sign up through Crowned Credit's branded portal: **smartcredit.com/crownedcredit** - Our Dispute Team accesses client accounts to review report data and plan disputes - Clients use it to monitor their own credit progress between dispute rounds - Preferred over MyFreeScoreNow (MFSN) — SmartCredit provides higher data accuracy and better 3-bureau coverage ### SmartCredit vs MFSN Comparison

Feature	SmartCredit	MyFreeScoreNow (MFSN)
3-Bureau Coverage	✅ Yes (with Premium)	✅ Yes
Data Accuracy	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Higher	⭐⭐⭐ Good
Client Portal	✅ Clean, client-friendly	⚠️ Less intuitive
Branded Signup Page	✅ smartcredit.com/crownedcredit	❌ Generic
Preferred by Crowned Credit	✅ Yes — primary tool	❌ Fallback only

--- ## How Clients Sign Up Every new client must sign up for SmartCredit as part of their onboarding. This is initiated during the GHL onboarding sequence. 1. Client receives the onboarding email with the SmartCredit signup link 2. Client goes to: **smartcredit.com/crownedcredit** (Crowned Credit's branded signup page) 3. Client completes registration with their real name, Social Security Number, and billing information 4. SmartCredit sends a confirmation email to the client 5. Client shares their SmartCredit login credentials with their CSR via a secure channel (as instructed during onboarding) 6. CSR verifies that 3-bureau monitoring is active before the Dispute Team begins any work ### Basic vs Premium Plans

Plan	Bureaus Covered	What We Need	Action if Client Has Basic
Basic	1 bureau only	Not sufficient for 3-bureau disputes	Ask client to upgrade to Premium. Use the CSR upgrade script below.
Premium	Equifax + Experian + TransUnion	✅ Required for our full service	No action needed — proceed with onboarding.

> 📞 **CSR Upgrade Script:** > "To make sure we have everything we need to fight all 3 bureaus on your behalf, we'll need you to upgrade your SmartCredit plan to Premium. It gives us access to all three of your credit reports so we can dispute items across Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion simultaneously. Here's the link to upgrade: \[link\]. It only takes a minute and will make a big difference in your results." --- ## How to Access a Client's Credit Report SmartCredit uses session-based authentication — you log in directly as the client using their credentials. Each session is tied to a JSESSIONID cookie that identifies the active session. > ⚠️ **Session-Based Access:** You must log in as the client to access their account. Do not share sessions across team members — each login creates a new session. Always use a private/incognito window. ### Step-by-Step: Accessing a Client Report 1. Open a **private/incognito browser window** (Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N / Mac: Cmd+Shift+N) 2. Go to **smartcredit.com** 3. Log in with the **client's credentials** (username and password provided by the client during onboarding) 4. Once logged in, you are inside their SmartCredit account — you can now view their full credit report 5. Navigate to the **Credit Report** tab in the navigation menu 6. View the **existing report** — **DO NOT click any "Refresh," "Get New Report," "Update Scores," or similar buttons** 7. Review the report data and extract the information needed for DisputeFox import 8. When done: **log out immediately**. Never save client credentials in your browser. > 🛑 **STOP — Before You Click Anything:** > If you see a button labeled "Refresh Report," "Get Latest Report," "Update Scores," "Pull New Report," or anything similar — **DO NOT CLICK IT.** That action will charge the client from their subscription balance. Only use the data from the existing report already displayed on screen. --- ## How to Read the Credit Report The SmartCredit report is divided into sections. Here's what to look for in each one:

Section	What It Shows	What to Look For
Credit Scores	Current scores from all 3 bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)	Score per bureau, key score factors, score trend over time
Accounts	All open and closed credit accounts	Late payments, collections, charge-offs, incorrect balances, closed accounts still reporting negative
Inquiries	All hard and soft credit pulls	Unauthorized hard inquiries (can be disputed), excessive hard pulls in a short period
Public Records	Bankruptcies, civil judgments, tax liens	Outdated items past their reporting limits (7 years for most, 10 years for Chapter 7 bankruptcy)
Personal Information	Name variations, current and former addresses, employer history	Inaccurate addresses or name variations that could indicate a mixed file or identity issue

### Credit Score Range Reference

Score Range	Category	What It Means for Our Clients
800–850	Exceptional	Best available rates, easiest loan approvals — clients with this score rarely need our services
740–799	Very Good	Near-best rates, most lenders approve — goal range for clients we help
670–739	Good	Standard rates, most credit products available — achievable for most of our clients in 6–12 months
580–669	Fair	Higher interest rates, some rejections — where many clients are when they start
300–579	Poor	Worst rates, frequent rejections for credit and housing — most of our clients start here

### What Items Are Disputable?

Item Type	Disputable?	Reason
Late payments	✅ Yes	If inaccurate, not yours, or past the 7-year limit
Collections	✅ Yes	If inaccurate, paid, settled, or not yours
Charge-offs	✅ Yes	If inaccurate balance, wrong account info, or past 7 years
Hard inquiries	✅ Yes	If unauthorized or unrecognized
Bankruptcies	⚠️ Difficult	Can dispute inaccuracies; harder to remove if legitimate
Accurate, recent negative items	❌ Generally no	Bureaus will verify and maintain accurate information

--- ## Monitoring Setup & Progress Tracking SmartCredit's monitoring feature alerts clients when there are changes to their credit report. This is useful for tracking dispute results in real time. ### Setting Up Monitoring Notifications for a Client 1. Log into the client's SmartCredit account (incognito window) 2. Go to **Settings → Notifications** 3. Confirm that email alerts are turned ON for: - New accounts opened - Account derogatory updates - Score changes - New inquiries 4. Verify the client's email address is correct — alerts go to the client's email 5. Log out ### How to Track Client Progress Over Time - Log in to the client's SmartCredit account at the start of each new dispute round - Note the **current score for each bureau** and compare to the previous round's scores - Record the updated scores in the client's DisputeFox profile and in their GHL contact notes - Share progress updates with clients through GHL SMS or the onboarding communication sequence --- ## Troubleshooting

Issue	Likely Cause	Fix
Can't log in with client credentials	Password changed by client or incorrect credentials shared	Contact the client to reset their password and reshare. Do NOT attempt to reset it yourself.
Only 1 bureau showing (not 3)	Client is on Basic plan	Ask client to upgrade to Premium. Use the upgrade script above.
Report is very old / not updated	Report hasn't refreshed since a past round	Check the report date. If within current round window, use existing data. Do NOT order a new report.
Account shows "suspended" or "on hold"	Client's SmartCredit subscription payment failed	Notify the client that they need to update their billing information with SmartCredit directly.
Wrong client account accessed	Logged into previous client's session still active in browser	Always use incognito mode. Log out immediately when finished. Never use the same browser window for multiple client sessions.

--- ## Key Rules Summary - 🚫 **NEVER order a new report** — it costs the client money. - 🔒 **Always use incognito mode** — never save client credentials in the browser. - 👤 **One session per team member** — do not share sessions. - 📊 **Log out immediately** after you are done accessing a client's account. - 📝 **Update DisputeFox and GHL notes** with score data after every review. - 📞 **Client must upgrade to Premium** before full 3-bureau dispute work begins.