Create/Submit, Edit, Delete Contact Records

Create/Submit, Edit, Delete Contact Records

Create/Submit, Edit, Delete Contact Records

Most users can create and submit contact records, unless they have a Trainee security level or their access rights have been limited by an Admin or Supervisor.

Create/Submit Contact Records

Steps to create and submit a contact record:

  1. Click on "Contacts" in the left hand menu.
  2. Click on the "New Contact Form" button.
  3. If your agency has more than one contact form you are presented with the option to choose a contact form, select one by clicking on the name.
  4. By system default (unless already changed by you) you will see the contact record content in a tabulated format. This means that the contact record content is divided into separate areas which you get to by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page (people, content, issues, resources, finish).
    1. If you prefer to see all contact record content in one page instead (so you can scroll up and down on), select the "Show as Single Page" link in the upper right hand corner of the page
  5. If you select an existing Help Seeker Profile from the Profile list, the system will populate any information stored in the profile into your contact record. You can still choose to overwrite that information. 
  6. Fill out the the information as applicable using the listed text fields, drop down lists or check boxes. This information is vital for your agency to understand trends and patterns in the contacts, which helps them with such activities as keeping training current and/or scheduling shifts that accurately reflect call volume, among many other activities.  Further, funding organizations require periodic reports to verify the services being provided.
    1. Note: items marked with a red star * are mandatory entries.
  7. When you fill out any 2 of the three time fields available (start time, end time & duration) iCarol will auto-calculate the third one upon saving.
  8. The Start and End time of a contact record can be auto-populated with your current time by pressing the "Now" button next to it, alternatively it can also be entered manually. 
    1. Note, in some agencies the start and/or end time may be automatically populated by the system, you can however still edit it if applicable.
  9. At any time you can choose to submit your contact record by clicking on the "Submit" button at the top of the page
  10. Inside the contact record you have the the following listed options (if made available for your agency). To learn more please look up each individual topic.
    1. Look up and log referrals made within the contact
    2. Look up and select from the Help Seeker Profile list
    3. Look up past contacts
    4. Link this contact record to another contact record
    5. Print the contact record
    6. Schedule a follow up activity

Edit or Delete Contact Records

  1. Admins and Supervisors (or users with special security permission) can edit or delete all contact records at any time.
  2. Other users can only edit their own contact record for a limited time period as defined by the Admin
  3. When you view a contact record you can see the when and by whom the contact record was created and last updated.
Steps to Edit or Delete Contact Record:
  1. Click on "Contacts" on the left hand side menu.
  2. Look up the contact record you want to edit and click on its contact record number to view it
  3. Click on "Edit" and you’ll see the contact record displayed in a format similar to adding a new contact record, except this particular contact record’s information is already filled in.
  4. Make any changes you like, and remember to click on the "Submit" button.
  5. If you’d like to delete this contact record, click on the "Delete" button instead. You will be asked to confirm your deletion before iCarol removes it from the system.

What are Contact Record Drafts?

Contact records can be saved as a draft by clicking the ‘Save as draft’ button at the top of a contact record. This feature is useful if you need to come back and finish documenting the details of a contact record later, for any number of reasons. The following facts about draft contact records are important to consider:
  1. the ‘Save as draft’ button can be set to appear or be hidden in all contact record forms
  2. when a contact record is in draft, the data won’t be included in any reports
  3. contact records will remain in draft until the ‘Submit’ button is clicked
  4. by default, Admin and Supervisor level users can see, and edit all contact records in draft; there is an Advanced Security Setting to grant lower level users permission to edit other peoples’ draft contact records
It is best practice in iCarol to review contact records in draft on a regular basis to ensure users are completing documentation, and submitting the contact records in a timely manner so the data from the contact records are included in reports in Statistics and Data Exports.

To view and submit Contact Record Drafts, complete the following steps:
  1. From the main Contacts page, select ‘Drafts’ from the contacts view list on the left side of the page
  2. Depending on the user’s security settings, users will see only their own contact records in draft, or all users’ contacts records in draft
  3. Select the contact record you want to finish documenting, and click the ‘Edit’ button
  4. Finish documenting the contact record, and click the ‘Submit’ button

Steps to save the contact record as a draft:

  1. Click on the "Save as draft" button at the top of the contact record page. 
  2. You will find all your draft contact records in the main contacts page by clicking on "Drafts" inside the box on the left hand side.

Steps to cancel a contact record:

  1. If you do not want to save your contact record entries you can just click on the "Cancel" button at the top of the page
  2. If you confirm by clicking on "OK" the system will not save any of your entries in that contact record.

Geographic/Location Lookup and Data Entry

How to use the Report V5 auto-suggest location lookup tool

In Report V5, a new intuitive location look-up tool makes it easier to document your help seekers location. When using this tool, when you start typing a location, an auto-suggest list will appear with locations, based on a combination of your organizations' physical location and the text you’ve entered.  

Complete the following steps to search for, and enter a location using the auto-suggest tool:
  1. Under the section Contact Information or Third Party Information, click in the text box ‘Enter location of the Caller'
  2. Start typing the location, such as zip (or postal) code, city, county, state (or province); as you type more characters, the suggestions will narrow
  3. From the auto-suggested drop-down list, select the location you are searching for
    1. To enter an ‘unknown’ location, type ‘00000’ or ‘unknown’ and select the related location from the drop-down list
  4. Notice the fields below the search box populate with the location data you selected
  5. If needed, click 'Clear' to remove the data you selected, or enter a new location using the search bar again
Complete the following steps to find a zip or postal codes associated with a location:
  1. Under the section Contact Information or Third Party Information, click in the text box ‘Enter location of the Caller'
  2. If you don’t know the exact zip/postal code, begin typing the most specific location you know, and continue entering a more specific location. For example, start by typing a city, then keep typing the name of the associated county or state.
  3. After your location is specific enough, notice the auto-suggested drop-down list has narrowed down to include locations with zip codes for you to choose from
  4. From the auto-suggested drop-down list, select a location with a zip code
By default, this is the location look-up tool enabled in all V5 contact reports. If you wish to enable or disable this tool, complete the following steps:
  1. As a user with appropriate security settings, from the main Contacts page, click the ‘Manage Contact Form Versions’ button
  2. Find the contact report form you wish to enable/disable this setting for, and click the link to ‘Edit this form’
  3. At the top of the page click the link to edit the ‘Overall settings for this call report form’
  4. Under the Places section, select, or deselect the checkbox next to the setting ‘Call Report uses Traditional Drop-Down style location control’; if the checkbox is deselected, the auto-suggest location lookup tool is used
  5. Click the ‘Save settings’ button at the bottom of the page when you’re done adjusting your settings 
Note, if the zip codes provided in the auto-suggested drop-down list are not sufficient for your organization’s needs, then consider enabling the external zip code lookup.  More information on this tool is below.

How to use the traditional drop-down list location lookup tool

In Report V5, you have the option to enable the traditional location look-up tool that uses drop-down lists, as opposed to the auto-suggested lists. In Report V4, the drop-down list location lookup tools are the only option available.
 
When using this tool, depending on the fields enabled in your contact form, the following occurs:
  1. location fields appear as drop-down lists: Country, State/Province, County, and City
  2. when you select a location from a drop-down list, the other location drop-down lists automatically update to match your selection
  3. when you select a city or county from the drop-down list, a link appears for ‘All zip codes in this city/county’
  4. the Zip/Postal Code field appears as a searchable textbox
To find a zip code associated with a specific county or city, complete the following steps:
  1. Under the section Contact Information or Third Party Information, in the ‘Zip Code’ text box enter the help seeker’s zip or postal code
  2. Click the ‘Lookup’ button to the right of the zip code text box
  3. The related location fields are updated to match the zip or postal code you entered
  4. If more than one location is associated to the zip or postal code, a dialog box opens with a list of options to choose from
  5. Click one of the options displayed to select it
  6. The related location fields are updated to match the zip or postal code you selected
To find a county or city associated with a specific zip code, complete the following steps:
  1. Under the section Contact Information or Third Party Information, select the help seeker’s Country and State, then select their City or County
  2. Click the link that appears to see ‘All zip codes in this city/county’; select the appropriate zip/postal code from the list that appears, and it’s transferred into your contact record
If you wish to enable or disable this tool, complete the following steps:
  1. As a user with appropriate security settings, from the main Contacts page, click the ‘Manage Contact Forms Versions’ button
  2. Find the contact form you wish to enable/disable this setting for, and click the link to ‘Edit this form’
  3. At the top of the page click the link to edit the ‘Overall settings for this call report form’
  4. Under the Places section, select, or deselect the checkbox next to the setting ‘Call Report uses Traditional Drop-Down style location control’; if the checkbox is deselected, the auto-suggest location lookup tool is used
  5. Click the ‘Save settings’ button at the bottom of the page when you’re done adjusting your settings 

Look-up location based on Phone Number or Zip/Postal Code

  1. When you enter a phone number or Zip/Postal Code inside a contact record, you can lookup the location of that phone number or Zip/Postal Code.
  2. The look up feature will retrieve City, County (in North America), State/Province based on the phone number or zip/postal code entered.
  3. This is a feature that may or may not be turned on for your agency, please check with your Admin.
  4. Note: Zip code is more accurate. Phone number is not always perfectly accurate, as a prefix can actually be shared across multiple towns, and since people can now take their number with them when they move.  NOTE: look-up based on a phone number is unable to retrieve a Zip Code,  00000 is considered a valid zip code and would be used in this case.
Steps to look up location based on phone number or zip/postal code:
  1. In the Contact Information section, enter a phone number and/or a zip/postal code.
  2. Click on  the "Lookup" button right next to the phone number or zip/postal code.
  3. The location details (City, County (in North America), State/Province ) will now be auto-populated.

How to use the External Zip or Postal Code Lookup Tool

This feature is only available in version 4 contact forms.

If you have a contact record with location fields enabled, you can enable a tool that allows users to search an external website to find additional zip or postal codes within a specific city or county. This is useful if you prefer your users refer to a specific data set when documenting location information.

An Admin level user at your organization can enable this tool by completing the following steps:
  1. Click ‘Admin Tools’ in the left side menu
  2. At the top of the page select the ‘Contacts & Profiles’ tab
  3. Under the section 'Geographic Settings', there is a text box named ‘URL to external postal code lookup tool, like US Postal Service or Canada Post. When supplied below, a clickable link will appear in the Contact Report entry screen to that URL.’ Enter any URL of your choice in this textbox. The following are not your only options, but they are examples for you to use:
    1. US Postal Service URL: https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action
    2. Canada Post URL: https://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/postalcode/fpc.jsf
  4. Click the 'Save all settings' button
How to use zip/postal code lookup tool:
  1. From within a contact record with location fields enabled, at the bottom of the Contact Information section, click the link to ‘Zip/Postal code lookup (external)’
  2. A new tab will open with the website specified by your organization
  3. Search by county, city, or exact address (depending on the specific tool you are using) to find the zip/postal code
  4. Copy the zip/postal code
  5. Go back to the tab with your contact record and paste the zip/postal code into the Contact Information section

Attach a File to a Contact Record

When entering or editing a contact record staff have the ability to add or modify attachments in the contact record. This can be useful if you have additional documents that need to be associated with a specific contact record. 

An Admin (or someone with security settings that allow them to edit contact forms) can turn this setting on with no additional assistance needed from the iCarol Support Team. To turn this feature on:
  1. Click "Contacts" on the left side of your screen
  2. Click "Manage Contact Forms Versions"
  3. Find the contact form you want to turn this feature on for and click "Edit this form"
  4. Click "Overall settings for this call report form" at the top of the screen 
  5. Scroll down to the Other Features area and select the box "Attachments can be added to this call report form'
  6. Scroll down and click "Save Settings"
Now that this setting has been turned on, when you go to enter or edit a contact record, at the bottom of the Finish tab there is a link : Add or modify attachments. 

To add or modify attachments to a contact record:
  1. Click the "Add or modify attachments" link
  2. A new pop-up window will open where you will choose a file to upload, and enter a Name and Description (optional) for the attachment
  3. Click the "Add" button
  4. Add as many attachments as you want to a contact record
  5. Click the "Close window" button
You will see the attachment name/link and description listed at the bottom of the Finish tab of the contact record.
Once you submit the contact record, the attachment(s) can be accessed from the 'View' mode - just click on the contact record and you will see a link for the attachment directly above the area where you would leave Feedback.
Note: There is no charge to turn this setting on and each iCarol system receives 1000MB of free storage (this includes Contact Record, Resource, and News attachments). Storage can be expanded for an additional fee, however most customers find 1000MB of storage to be enough. 

Tips & Tricks for Contact Record Data Entry

How to make a drop-down list selection with your keyboard

If there is a drop-down Group in your contact record, you can use your keyboard to make a selection from the drop-down list. To do so, click or tab your way to the drop-down Group and begin typing the answer, and the selection will advance through the list as you type.

The exception to this is if you try and enter a double digit number (ex. 11, 22, 33, etc.); the selection will not advanced to the double digit number after pressing the number twice. Instead you must press the number three times (ex. 111, 222, 333, etc.) and the selection will advance to the double digit number.

Customize Contact Record View (single page/tabulated layout)

When creating a contact record Admins can choose to navigate through the the contact record in a tabulated format or on a single page format.
  1. Tabulated format divides the content of a contact record into separate tabs at the top of the page (people, content, issues, resources and finish).
  2. One page view allows the whole report to be viewed on a single page and can be navigated by scrolling up and down.
The view choice will be saved for next time you open a contact record but can be changed at any time.

Steps to change the contact record display:
  1. Click on "Contacts" on the left hand menu
  2. Click on the "new contact form" button.
  3. Select a report form by clicking on the name
  4. By system default the contact record content is in a tabulated format. Click on the "Show as single page" link located in the top right hand corner of the contact record if you prefer to see the record all on a single page, or click 'Show as Tabbed Page' if your preference is the tabulated format


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