What we'll review:
Customize a search name
Configure the custom search
Configure a researcher
Make the search available to clients
Customize the search description
Custom Search Location Autopopulation
Custom Search Alias Autopopulation
Custom Searches are showing as blank fields
A custom search can be used for any manual, researcher-based search that you offer to your clients. You can create your own fields for a custom search, and you have complete control over the format of the results (you can enter them as plain text, or create HTML-based results outside of the system and paste them in when completing a search).
If you need more custom searches or custom drug screens added to your system, then they can be added under the System Settings by clicking the add button shown below. The add option is only available when there are less than 10 searches to be configured:
Creating custom search types requires a four step process to be properly configured within the system. Log in to your administrator module, then follow the steps below.
Customize the search name
You will need to pick an unused Custom Search provided by the system, and rename it as you desire. For example, you could name a search Personal Credit History or ABC License Verification. To do so:
Navigate to System > System Settings, and click on Search Names.
Find an unused custom search (for example, Custom Search 9), and type a new name in the box to replace the default name.
Save your new name by clicking Update Report Names at the bottom.
Configure the custom search
Next, you must decide which information you need to collect from a client in order to run the search in question. You can configure your search to require Date of Birth and/or SSN, and you can add several custom fields as well. Here's how to do so.
Navigate to System > System Settings, and under the Custom Search Setup option, select your newly renamed custom search to configure.
You will be prompted with a setup screen containing several options. Fill them out as described below.
Search Category: This relates to how this search will be set up in the Researcher Network, and will possibly add county and/or state fields to the search order page.
International search: You will be able to assign researchers per country, just like a county criminal search. In addition, the system will add country and location fields to the order screen for this search. See attached XLS sheet at the bottom of the page for a list of all countries and their jurisdictions.
County search: You will be able to assign researchers per county, just like a county criminal search. In addition, the system will add State and County fields to the order screen for this search.
State search: You will be able to assign researchers per state, just like a Next Day Criminal or Driver History search. In addition, the system will add a State field to the order screen for the search.
Report search: You will be able to assign one or more researchers for this search as a whole, just like an Education Verification or Past Employment Verification. No fields will be added to the order page automatically.
Result Entry Options: This is where you will designate the filter and display to be shown when entering results, such as Record/Positive/Not Verified or No Record/Negative/Verified. The custom display only relates to what is shown to the admin user in the drop down box when entering results. The filter is what is saved and displayed as the status of the search. The filter and display fields are limited to 50 characters.
*NOTE* When applying two sets of filter/display options, it is important to note that the two filters cannot be the same value.
Required to order: This section determines whether the date of birth and social security number fields are required for the applicant profile page. Remember that the system prompts a client for Date of Birth and SSN on the very first order page, before any search-specific screens, so this just ensures that one or the other is required if you need it to be for this custom search.
Additional Ordering Information: This section allows you to create fields of information that are requested when the client is ordering this search. For example, you can add fields for license number, type of reference, number of years, and so on. NOTE: For single-researcher custom searches (that is, "report" category searches as explained above), it is recommended that you at least create one field in this section so that it does not appear blank in the ordering process. One suggestion is to create a "Verify Social Security Number" or "Verify Date of Birth" field.
Optional-Document Mappings: You have the ability to create document mappings or create/view existing document mappings for this custom search.
Additional Ordering Information: This section allows you to create fields of information that are requested when the client is ordering this search. For example, you can add fields for license number, type of reference, number of years, and so on. NOTE: For single-researcher custom searches (that is, "report" category searches as explained above), it is recommended that you at least create one field in this section so that it does not appear blank in the ordering process. One suggestion is to create a "Verify Social Security Number" or "Verify Date of Birth" field.
When finished, click submit at the bottom.
Remember to name this custom search. You are now ready to configure your researcher network.
When finished, click submit at the bottom.
Configure Researcher Network
Note - If the custom search is not showing in the researcher network, then please ensure that submit was clicked in the above step.
Now that you've set up the search as a county, state, or standard report search, you need to configure a researcher or researchers to receive the requests when clients order this type of search. (Please note that these instructions assume you have already added any researchers you need to the system.)
Navigate to Researchers > Configure Researcher Network.
If your custom search is county-based, you'll see it listed at the top under County Searches. Follow these steps to set up the researchers for each county:
First, you will probably want to add a default researcher for every county in every state. Later, you can go back and choose different researchers for specific states or counties, but it's usually best to start with a default.
Click Add researcher nationwide next to your search name.
Choose a researcher from the dropdown list.
Enter a search cost (what the researcher will charge you); you can add 0 for internal researchers if you like.
Choose No preference for Information Chain Preference if the researcher is known and does not need to be tested.
Check the box to make this the active (default) researcher for all counties.
Click the SAVE button.
Next, if there are any states that should have a different researcher for specific states or counties, you can set a different researcher for a whole state. (You can skip this step if all states should use the researcher you set up above.)
Choose the state from the pulldown below your search name.
Click View entire state once the screen refreshes.
To choose a different researcher for the entire state, click Add XYZ Researcher to entire state (where XYZ will be replaced with your custom search name). Then follow the same steps as outlined above for adding a national researcher (choosing the researcher, cost, and testing state, plus checking the box to make the researcher active for that state). Then click SAVE.
To choose a different researcher for just one county within the state, click the Details link for that county. Then click the link at the top to add a researcher to this county, and follow the same steps as adding a state-wide or nation-wide researcher.
If your custom search is state-based, you'll see it listed near the top under Statewide Searches. Follow these steps to set up researchers per state:
Click the GO button next to your custom search's name.
To add a single researcher to every state at one time:
Click on Add XYZ Researcher to every state at the top (where XYZ will be replaced with your search name).
Choose your desired researcher from the dropdown list.
Enter a report cost, which is what the researcher charges you. (You can enter 0 for internal researchers if you wish.)
Check off Active researcher to make this researcher the default researcher for every state.
Check off Enable currently disabled states to make sure that you offer the search for every state. (You can disable individual states later if necessary.)
Click Save to save the researcher as the default for every state.
Now, if you wish, you can add different researchers to specific states, or even disable specific states from being available to choose when someone orders the report (if, for example, you don't offer the search for specific states). Just click on the name of the state to manage it, then follow the steps below.
To add a new, different researcher for the state, click the Add XYZ Researcher to State link, where XYZ will be replaced by your search name, and State will be replaced by the state name. Then pick the new researcher from the list, enter your cost for using that researcher (even if 0), and save. Then use the Change XYZ Researcher pulldown to choose your new researcher, and click the SAVE button to make that the active, or default, researcher.
To disable a state from being available for ordering, at the bottom of the state-specific screen, uncheck the box that says Enable XYZ Reports for State, and click the Save button just underneath. That will remove the state from the pulldown of states your client will see when ordering this search.
If your search is report-based, it will be listed under the Reports section of your Researcher Network (you'll probably have to scroll down to see it). It is very simple to add your default researcher for this type of search.
Click the Go button next to your new custom search name.
Click Add researcher to XYZ at the top (where XYZ is the name of your search).
Choose your desired researcher from the list, and enter the cost to you of using that researcher (you can enter 0 if you desire for internal researchers).
Click Save Changes to add the new researcher.
Back on the main researcher network screen for your custom search, look for the dropdown that says Change XYZ Researcher, and choose your new researcher from the list.
Click SAVE > > to save that researcher as your active, or default, researcher.
Make the search available to clients
Once you're finished setting up the search and the researcher network, you want to add the search to your client's ordering process. You can allow ordering of a search in one of several ways.
Edit the Search Options of a Client Type or Client to "turn on" the search, then add it to your ordering box and give it a price. That will allow the client (or all clients of that type) to order the search.
Edit a package for a client or client type, and add the search to the package. That will allow the client to order the custom search by ordering the package in question.
Customize the description of the search
If a client can order the custom search individually, then he/she can click the search name to get a description. You will want to make sure that the description accurately describes your custom search.
Navigate to System > System Settings, and click the Search Descriptions link.
Click the update link next to your new search.
Type a plain-text description into the search box. If you know a little HTML, you can use standard HTML tags to format the text. For example, type <br> to create a line break (simply hitting Enter will not make a line break from the client's perspective).
Save the description when finished.
Custom Search Location Autopopulation
Any custom search that is marked as state or county type in the System Settings will now be available in the 'Autopopulate' list in the ordering options.
The searches will be set to 'No' when released so as not to cause any issues with the current behavior of the custom search.
Custom Search Alias Autopopulation
The option may exist to have a custom search autopopulate based off of the subjects Alias name. Please inquire with our support team as the option to save a custom search to autopopulate based off the alias name is not native to the admin module.
Client is trying to order a report and custom fields are blank
Client is trying to order a report in the client module and there are custom fields in section two that appear blank.
This is because the search has not been enabled at the client type or client level.
After the search is enabled, the field labels will be visible.