English (India)
"As educators in the education community, we have exemplary educators and our SMART ambassadors, as we call them now, where we bring in best practises from teachers and we have a community of teachers and learners and administrators where they can see best practises, they can share things that work, things that do not work along the lines of using technology in the classroom, "says Nicholas Svensson, CEO of SMART Technologies.
That approach has shaped SMART's philosophy and its purpose-built solutions for K-12 education. The company is not just building technology for classrooms, but designing tools that give teachers time back and help administrators make better-informed decisions.
Recently, SMART was featured in Social Capital Insider for its purpose-built approach to technology and focus on solving two of education's most pressing challenges: saving teachers time and improving administrative outcomes.
Creating moments that matter in the classroom
Teachers today juggle preparation, instruction, assessment and classroom management, often leaving little time for personalised student engagement. SMART's solutions aim to reduce the friction of these tasks
From intuitive software and educational activities to connected workflows and interactive displays, the focus is always on simplifying the teacher's day.
"We sell technology into classrooms. And one of the things we have to keep in mind is, a piece of technology is useless unless it is being adopted and used. And so our real passion is and our purpose is, to create the moments in the classroom where somebody learns something," Nicholas explains.
Listening drives solutions for administrators
For school leaders, making data-driven decisions is essential, but challenging in a busy, complex environment. SMART supports administrators with tools like the SMART Admin Portal, which offers insights into classroom usage and operational efficiency.
"If a customer is having a problem or something is not quite working, we should make it our goal to help them solve it, whether it is caused by us or whether it is something else," Nicholas emphasises. "So that is when I look at connections that matter — do not just care about the sale but care about the outcome that the customer wants."
It is this philosophy of listening first, understanding the ecosystem and connecting stakeholders that defines SMART's approach to product development and customer support.
Building a people-centric culture
SMART's focus on listening does not stop with customers—it starts internally. Nicholas has fostered a culture where employee input drives decisions and innovation.
"Everybody is a little bit defensive about, 'Is there something wrong with my product? Let me prove that it is not me,'" he says. "But our response is: do not worry about whether it is you or somebody else; there is a problem. And in the course of doing that, we are going to learn something about the complexities of the ecosystem, the customer is going to be happy and we have achieved our goal."
This people-first approach has helped SMART increase employee engagement scores and ensures that every solution reflects real classroom and administrative needs.
Looking ahead
SMART continues to design scalable, flexible technology for classrooms worldwide. Whether it is collaborative interactive displays, software that streamlines lesson workflows or dashboards that track outcomes, the company's mission is clear: empower teachers and school leaders to focus on what truly drives student success.