Frequently asked questions (FAQs) for Dynamics

About this document

This guidance has been created to help answer questions on our new database Dynamics for our supervisors and operators. We’ll keep this document regularly updated so make sure to check back if you have a question. If you have a question that doesn’t appear in this document, contact your shift Supervisor.

I’m not able to add a new case for my recently created contact.

When creating a new contact, make sure the contact has been saved. Once saved, the button to +New case will appear below the contact.

I have clicked on an active case and I am unable to go back to the original case I was creating.

Click the ‘back’ button in the top left of your browser window to go back to the case you were working on.

I clicked ‘Save & Close’ by mistake and now I can’t find my case.

If you save and close your case, you should end up back on the contact you were dealing with. If you scroll down, you’ll see a list of the cases associated with that person. If there are numerous cases there, you can scroll to the right in that box and see the date each case was created, as well as the owner of the case. This should help you identify the one you were working on so you can open it and pick up where you left off.

I was adding a local signpost to my case, but I can’t get back to my case now.

Click the ‘back’ button in the top left hand corner of the page.

I need to add more than one signpost.

If you need to add many signposts to your case, you must add them separately. This means clicking the three dots and selecting +New Local Signpost, filling in the mandatory field, then clicking Save & Close for each signpost you need to add.

I need to refer someone for more than one need.

If your caller has more than one need, for example; they require a food parcel and a medication delivery, you’ll need to record both needs separately. Click on the three dots and select + New Local Referral, fill in the mandatory fields and any other useful information, then click Save & Close. You will need to follow these steps for each practical need the call handler has.

Where do I look for organisations when signposting?

Always refer to the Operator Manual when Signposting.

What if the person already exists in the database with a different spelling of their name?

Make sure you check for the correct spelling of the callers’ name when they call, as well as confirming other details. If the spelling is incorrect, make sure you amend the details and save the contact. You’ll need to make a note of this in the summary notes.
Please include information on what it was before, what it is now and why you changed these details, e.g. on the caller’s request.

What if a caller gets in touch to update their telephone number/postcode/address?

If a caller contacts the support line to update their telephone number, postcode, or address, please add these details to the contact and click Save.
Then go into the most recent case that is assigned to that person, or create a new one, and add a note to say these details have been updated in the summary notes, along with your agent ID, the time, and the date. Please include information on what it was before, what it is now and why you changed these details, e.g. on the caller’s request.
Then make sure the case is marked as ‘Ready for review’, and Save & Close the case.

Do I need consent from the caller/beneficiary before adding their details?

Before adding a new contact to the system, you should ask the caller if we have consent to store their details. There is a script to follow on Dynamics. If the caller is calling on behalf of someone else, we must also gain consent to store the beneficiary’s details. You will also need to ask the caller if the beneficiary has given consent to the caller to discuss their case.

I’m not able to add the beneficiary details on the case.

If your caller is calling on behalf of someone else, make sure you change the drop down below the callers’ name from ‘The person who called’ to ‘Someone Else’. Doing that will clear the beneficiary field and allow you to add the beneficiary to the case.

I’m clicking on the case, but it keeps opening the contact.

Make sure when you’re trying to open a case that you’re clicking on the Case Title rather than the caller or beneficiary name.

I’m unable to add the postcode to my contact.

When adding a postcode to your contact, there are two fields to be aware of. One field is labelled ‘Postcode’, and within this field you can write the full postcode of the contact. The field below that is labelled ‘Postcode (Lookup)’ and only needs the first one or two letters of the postcode.

For example:
 Postcode: B19 7UH
 Postcode (Look up): B (then select the automated dropdown of B – Birmingham).