Podcast Name:
Survey Says: The ISTW Podcast
Series Name:
Mastering Reports
Episode Name and Description:
Mastering Reports #2: User Information – We discuss the importance of completing and verifying user information as it relates to running report.
Our theme music, “So Low” by Artofescapism, is licensed under CC By-SA 4.0.
Section / Dialogue / Voice/Character / Duration (est.)Podcast Jingle / Music / 5 secs
Podcast Intro / Michele: “I’m Michele Segres.”
Stephen: “And I’m Stephen Grapes.”
Stephen: This is…
Michele: Survey Says. / Hosts / 5 secs
Podcast Jingle / Music / 2 secs
Podcast Welcome / Michele: Welcome to Survey Says, the Integrated Surveyor Training Website Podcast brought to you by the Survey and Certification Group’s Training Division.
Stephen:In today’s episode, we will discuss how and why to completely fill out a user’s profile when creating a new user account and when updating a user’s information.
Michele: Let’s start with the creating a new account link which is located on the User Management tab.
Stephen: First, as an RTA or STC you will need to add the new user’s Federal Surveyor ID number as provided to you by ASPEN. It’s worth noting this number will always be 5 digits for surveyors.
Michele: Stephen, what happens if someone types the number incorrectly while attempting to create a new account?
Stephen: They’ll need to deactivate the erroneous account, create a new account with the correct ID number, and then contact the Help Desk to merge the two account together.
Michele: Thanks, I think that’s important for our listeners to be aware of.
Stephen: Next, the verified email address should be entered. If there are errors with the spelling of the email address - the user will not receive any system generated email notifications.
Michele: I’m glad you mentioned that, usually when surveyors report they are not receiving system notifications it’s because their email address needs to be corrected in the system.
Stephen: The next field is for the users state of residence. This may be different than the state the agency is located.
Michele: Good point, sometimes survey teams are established based on the surveyors’ state of residence so this is very helpful.
Stephen: The Organization and Agency fields will pre-populate to your current agency and organization.
Michele: This is a good time to reiterate that all information entered on this page should be verified for correct spelling, especially the next two fields for first and last name. If either name is spelled incorrectly then report results will be negatively impacted.
Stephen: Yes, we can’t say that enough. The information in each user profile impacts the results of all the reports you will run with surveyor information.
Michele: On the right side of the create new user account page is information specific to the new user’s job. Be sure to select a category from each dropdown. Dropdown categories include Job Code, User Status, and User Code.
Stephen: I’d like to share a tip for filling out the Supervisors phone and email information. As a RTA or STC you can opt to include your personal contact information by selecting the autofill radio button.
Michele: Thanks for sharing that tip, I think many of our listeners will find including their contact information will be helpful in the event CMS needs to contact the agency in an urgent situation.
Stephen: Lastly, the hire date should reflect the date of hire and not the date the account was created.
Michele: Stephen, can you share how listener can make updates to user accounts?
Stephen: Sure.Using the User Management tab listeners can select the Update User Information link to make updates and corrections to all previously submittedinformation, as well as adding, deleting and updating primary user tags. / Hosts / 10 secs
10secs
Michele: / Hosts / 10 secs
Wrap-up (Standard Closing) / Michele: Stephen, I think it’s time to thank our listeners for tuning in. But before we go, I’d like to remind everyone to check out the training aids, user manuals, and support center articles for additional resources. Until the next time, this has been Survey Says. / Hosts
Podcast Jingle / Music / 5 secs