Noting accounts…
Why is it so important?
For your customers-
- It allows you to place customized notes for limited time frames with alternate directions/call lists for vacations, remodeling/construction, pending service calls when zones are malfunctioning.
- It enables you to give us special details like directions for rural customers, cross streets, whether or not customers have pets, pertinent medical information, how many members are in the household…. You get the idea.
- It can notify operators of special times when alternate instructions may override normal protocols.
For you-
- It enables you to give customized instructions when you need to step outside of normal protocols for various alarms. For example: if you need the entire call list contacted before dispatch, you could note that here. If you want your customer to have special clues or verifications when they can’t recall their passwords, this is how it’s done.
- It gives you a place for special instructions like unique city or county protocols. It also allows you a place to put license numbers if your city or county requires them.
- If accounts are missing things that are required, and therefore need to be handled differently, this is a great way to communicate it.
How and where is it done on Stages? We’re so glad you asked!
As seen below, subscriber notes is for permanent account information. You access it by clicking the letter ‘A’ next to the box in black. When the note is complete, exit the note by clicking the ‘X’ in the corner, then tap the save button that looks like a floppy disk in the orange “Subscriber” line.
For information that is not permanent to the account, you will create a Temp Note. Here is how you create them. Start by searching for the icon in black below, then click it.
The note will open up to look like the image below. The effective dates allow you to future date and time a note, which works great for vacation and other time sensitive notes (but not limited to them).
Pay special attention to the ack required spot, too, because clicking that button means that our operators will have to read and click the note before they can process your signal, so it can be a great tool. (Also, you don’t necessarily HAVE to fill out the expiration time if you’re not sure when it will be.)
Like the subscriber note at the top, to enter the actual note, you will click the little ‘A’ and start to write. The save button when you’re done is in the little blue Detail line.
To pick the best subcategory for your note, you’re going to click the ‘note type’ drop down and you’ll see the following.
If you’re wondering which options our Operators use most frequently, it’s the Temporary Note. The main reason? Because none of their notes extend past 24 hours except for vacation notes, and even with those, they don’t go beyond 30 days. Anything else would require a note from you or an alternate action plan.