Purpose Statement

Enhanced Occupancy Contact Management improves the quality and completeness of contact information associated with occupancies, pre-plans, permits, inspections, and related workflows.

Administrators can configure required contact fields by user role and allow users to identify information as Not Applicable or Not Recorded when appropriate. Agencies can also require inspectors to review and confirm occupancy contact information before completing an inspection.

These controls help agencies maintain more complete contact records while incorporating contact verification directly into the inspection workflow.

Background Information

Contact Data Quality Controls introduce two primary enhancements:

• Contact Field Management: Administrators can configure contact fields as required based on user role and determine which fields allow Not Applicable or Not Recorded selections.
• Contact Verification: Agencies can require inspectors to confirm that occupancy contact information has been reviewed before an active inspection can be completed.

Contact field requirements apply when adding or editing contacts from the following areas:

• Occupancy Record
• Permit
• Active Inspection
• Pre-Plan Organizer
• Pre-Plan Map
• Invoices

The following contact fields can be configured:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Company Name
• Phone Number
• Phone Number Type
• Phone 2
• Mobile (Phone)
• Email Address
• Location
• Notes

Contact Type is not included in these configurable fields.

Contact field requirements do not apply retroactively to previously saved records. However, when an existing contact is edited and saved, the current requirements for the user's role apply.

Contacts originating from Community Connect, Business Portal, or a third-party API are exempt from required contact field validation.

Required Permissions

The permissions and access requirements depend on the action being performed:

• Configure Contact Fields: Admin access to Field Management is required.
• Enable or Disable Contact Verification: Admin access to Inspection Setup is required.
• Add or Edit Contacts: Users must have the existing permission necessary to create or edit contacts from the applicable area.
• Perform Contact Verification: Users must have access to the active inspection.
• View Contact Verification Information: Users must have access to the inspection record.

Custom agency roles can also be configured when establishing required contact fields in Field Management.

Video

Step-by-Step Guide

Configure Required Contact Fields

1. Navigate to Admin > Field Management.

   

2. Locate the Contact Fields section.

   

3. Find the contact field you want to configure.

   

4. Enable Required for each user role that must provide information in that field.

   Custom agency roles are available alongside standard roles when configuring requirements.

   

5. Enable the Not Applicable / Not Recorded option for the field when users should be allowed to use those selections instead of entering free text.

   This setting can be enabled independently of whether the field is required.

   

6. Repeat the configuration for any additional contact fields.

7. Save the Field Management configuration.

   The configuration applies agency-wide immediately after it is saved.

Add or Edit a Contact with Required Fields

1. Open the contact form from one of the supported locations:
   • Occupancy Record
   • Permit
   • Active Inspection
   • Pre-Plan Organizer
   • Pre-Plan Map
   • Invoices

2. Review the fields identified as required for your user role.

   

3. Enter information in each required field.

4. When Not Applicable / Not Recorded is available for a field, select the appropriate option when necessary:

   • Not Applicable — Use when the requested information does not apply to the contact.
   • Not Recorded — Use when the information is not being recorded.

   Either selection satisfies the required field requirement.

   

5. Select Save.

   If a required field is blank or contains only spaces, the contact cannot be saved until the field is completed or an available Not Applicable or Not Recorded option is selected.

Enable Contact Verification for Inspections

1. Navigate to Admin > Inspection Setup.

   

2. Locate Enable Contact Verification Before Inspection Completion.
3. Enable the setting.

4. Save the Inspection Setup configuration.

   Once enabled, contact verification is required for all active and future inspections, regardless of inspection type.

   If inspections are already in progress when the setting is enabled, those inspections will also require verification before they can be completed.

Verify Contacts During an Inspection

1. Open the active inspection.
2. Navigate to the Contacts tab.
3. Locate the Contacts Verification panel above the contact list.
4. Review the occupancy's contact information.
5. Select one of the following:
   • Contacts Verified
   • Not Applicable

   • Not Recorded

     

Complete an Inspection When Contact Verification Is Required

1. Complete the normal inspection workflow.
2. Select Complete Inspection.
3. If contact verification has already been completed, continue with the inspection completion process.

4. If contact verification has not been completed, the inspection is blocked from completion and displays:

   "Contact verification must be completed before finishing the inspection."

   

5. Navigate to the Contacts tab.
6. Review the contacts and complete the Confirm Contact Review process.
7. Return to the inspection completion workflow.

8. Select Complete Inspection again.

   Once a contact verification option has been confirmed, the contact verification requirement is satisfied.

Best Practices

• Configure required fields based on the information each user role is reasonably expected to collect.
• Use Not Applicable when a contact field does not apply rather than entering placeholder text.
• Use Not Recorded when the field is applicable but the information is not being recorded.
• Review contact information during each inspection before selecting Contacts Verified.
• Remember that spaces entered into a required field do not satisfy the requirement.
• Consider existing workflows before making a field required. If Not Applicable / Not Recorded is disabled for a required field, users must enter free text before they can save the contact.
• Remember that changes to Field Management requirements take effect immediately but do not automatically update previously saved contact records.
• When Contact Verification is enabled, inspectors should review the Contacts tab before attempting to complete an inspection.
• Contact Verification applies to all inspection types when enabled; it cannot be configured for individual inspection types.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why can't I save a contact?

One or more fields may be required for your user role. Complete each required field or, when available, select Not Applicable or Not Recorded. A field containing only spaces is considered blank.

Why don't I see Not Applicable or Not Recorded for a contact field?

An administrator must enable the Not Applicable / Not Recorded option for that field in Field Management. This setting is configured separately from the Required setting.

Does selecting Not Applicable or Not Recorded satisfy a required field?

Yes. When those options are enabled for the field, either selection satisfies required field validation.

Are phone numbers or email addresses checked for a specific format?

No. These contact data quality controls do not introduce format validation for phone numbers, email addresses, or the other supported contact fields.

Why am I unable to complete an inspection?

If your agency has enabled Contact Verification, you must complete the contact review before completing the inspection. Navigate to the Contacts tab and complete the Confirm Contact Review panel.

Do I have to have contacts listed before completing contact verification?

The verification workflow provides Contacts Verified, Not Applicable, and Not Recorded options. When there are no contacts on the occupancy, Not Recorded is the expected selection.

What should I select for a vendor-driven inspection where occupancy contact verification does not apply?

Select Not Applicable.

Can I change my contact verification selection?

Yes. While the inspection remains active, use the Change/Update action to submit another verification selection.

Can I change the verification after the inspection is completed?

No. The Contact Verification panel is read-only on completed inspections.

What happens if an inspection is reopened?

Contact Verification returns to a pending state. The current Contact Verification setting and current Field Management configuration apply to the reopened inspection.

What happens if Contact Verification is disabled after an inspector already confirmed the contacts?

The existing verification information is preserved, but Contact Verification no longer blocks inspection completion while the agency setting is disabled.

Does Contact Verification work offline?

Yes. Contact verification can be recorded while offline, and the completion requirement is also enforced offline. The verification information synchronizes when connectivity is restored.

Do required fields apply to contacts received through Community Connect, Business Portal, or an API?

Contacts originating from Community Connect, Business Portal, or a third-party API bypass the required contact field validation.

How are Not Applicable and Not Recorded handled when sending bulk email?

If the Email Address contains Not Applicable or Not Recorded as its entire value, it is handled like a contact without an email address by the existing bulk email validation process.