Basic Data Entry for Dealers
Central One makes the subscriber database available to dealers via the internet. Each dealer or dealer employee has a unique employee number and password for logging in to the system. Access to edit the subscriber database can be enabled or disabled for any employee number.
This document contains the information that a typical dealer will need in order to create and maintain (edit) most burglar alarm accounts via remote internet access. The most commonly used features of the database are described here. If a subscriber has more sophisticated needs, such as the supervision of openings and closings, the production of periodic reports, complex or schedule based alarm processing instructions, etc., then advanced data entry training is required. It is the responsibility of the dealer not to make entries or changes in the subscriber database that exceed the level of training received.
When you edit a subscriber record it is important to return to the main menu by pressing the escape key and, if changes were made, answering “Y” for yes or “N” for no to the “Save Changes (Y/N)?” prompt. Closing the terminal window any other way will leave the record in a locked state and prevent others from accessing the record until it is manually unlocked by the data entry department. Allowing a time out will cause the loss of any changes made during the session.
All of the fields in the subscriber database have a specific purpose. It is imperative that each field is used only for the purpose intended. Stuffing fields with inappropriate data confuses operators at dispatch time, interferes with automated dispatch, causes reports to filter records improperly, and causes global updates to fail. Generally, there is a way to accomplish your goals without the need to use data fields improperly.
To add or edit a subscriber record press the F2 function key at the remote access main menu. If the account does not exist you will see a screen containing prompts for the entry of the subscriber name and account type (residential, commercial or template). You must enter this information before the next screen appears which is the basic subscriber information screen.
Basic Subscriber Information:
The subscriber name field must contain the name of the person or company that is the subscriber. Individual names should be entered first name first in a combination of upper and lower case letters. When searching for a residential account by name you enter the last name. The software has been designed to determine where the last name begins when the account is entered properly. When searching for a commercial account by name you enter the name as it appears in the name field. The only exceptions are (1) if the name begins with the word “The “ then skip that word (to find “The Mad Hatter” you search for “Mad” or “Mad Hatter”) and (2) if the name begins with “Dr.” you search by last name as if the account was residential (to find “Dr. Joe Lewis you search for “Lewis”). Sometimes less is more when searching for names. Enter the fewest number of characters necessary to obtain a match. The more you enter the more likely your search criterion is to differ from the way the name was entered in the database.
There are two address fields. The first line should contain building, bay, apartment, suite numbers, etc. The word “building” should either be spelled out or abbreviated “Bldg”. Apartment and Suite should be spelled out or abbreviated “Apt” and “Ste” or you may simply use the “#” as a designator. The second line should contain the actual street number, direction (if any), street name and type of street (Boulevard/Blvd, Avenue/Ave, Street/St, Parkway/Pkwy, etc.). When entering the direction you must use standard one (N, S, E, W) or two (NE, NW, SE, SW) character abbreviations or you must spell the direction in full. For example, N or North, NW or Northwest. Do not use other abbreviations such as Nthwst. If addresses are not entered in compliance with the standard abbreviations and methods described above they may not be compatible with computer assisted dispatch software used by law enforcement agencies.
When entering a new account it is best to skip the city and state fields and enter the nine digit zip code first. When you do this the software will look up the zip code in the central station database. If the zip code already exists the software will automatically fill in the city and state fields and the dispatch agency number fields (so long as only one set of dispatch agencies applies to the nine digit zip you enter). If you do not know the nine digit zip, also known as zip plus four, you may find it on the web at http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/lookup_zip+4.html. The practice of finding the zip plus four code serves the additional purpose of verifying that the subscriber’s address can be found in the post office database.
After entering the zip code if no city and state appeared or if the city or state was incorrect use the up arrow to go back to the city field and edit it. When moving through any screen in the database the up arrow takes you to the previous field. The down arrow or enter key takes you to the next field. The right and left arrow keys move you to the right and left within the current (highlighted) field. The insert and delete keys may be used to insert and delete characters at the location of the cursor. The page up key takes you to the previous screen and the page down key takes you to the next screen.
The next field is the subscriber’s main telephone number. This number should ring at the protected premises as it will be used by operators making verification calls when alarms are received. All telephone number fields must contain a valid phone number in 000-000-0000 format. The next field is the alternate phone number. This phone number may be described in the field that follows. If you provide an alternate phone number it will also be called if the alarm could not be cancelled by calling the first number. For a commercial account it is appropriate to put the business number in the main phone field and a number answered only at night in the alt. phone field. The description of the alternate phone should say “after hours verify”. Only put a subscriber’s cell phone, work phone or other number in this field if you want the central station operator to call it as part of the verify process before dispatching an alarm. Use the description field to indicate, “subscriber’s cell”, “work phone”, etc.
The next field is the account type field which is either “R” for residential, “C” for commercial, or “T” for template. You cannot change a residential or commercial account to a template account once the account has been created. Template accounts are used to define a standard set of alarm signals and central station procedures for the way you normally program a specific alarm panel. Once you have set up a template, you do not need to define signals and procedures for each new account you create. All you need to do is refer the new account to the template account (on the data entry progress screen). You may have as many template accounts as you need. Template accounts are free of monthly monitoring charges. The central station computer will ignore any signals received on a template account. That is why the software will not allow you to change another account type to a template account.
The “Contract Date:” field should contain the date the account was created or the date monitoring started for the subscriber. The contents of this field are strictly for information purposes and are not used to delay the start of monitoring or billing. The use of this field is optional. The “Type:” field following the contract date is the type of monitoring contract and should normally contain “WHO” for wholesale. There are three exceptions where the contract type makes a difference. “ELE” should be entered for elevator phone accounts. “LOC” should be entered for local (not monitored) systems that you want in the database for answering service purposes. Local accounts are billed at a lower rate than monitored accounts. Local accounts are not permitted to receive signals or to have dispatch agencies, callouts, signals or schedules defined. “NET” should be entered for networked fire alarm system accounts (bulletin 3001).
The “Inactive Date:” field should
be filled with zeroes while the account is active. This field controls both monitoring and
billing. Monitoring will stop on the
date entered in the field. For example,
if the inactive date is
The “Cancel Code:” field is used if there will be a single cancel code word for the entire account. If separate code words will be assigned to callouts or system partitions then this field must remain blank. If you wish to use the account number as the cancel code then you should leave this field blank because the account number is accepted by default if no other code word has been designated. If the code is a four digit number you may instruct the subscriber that he or she may give the code by saying it or by entering it on the touch tone key pad of the telephone. All central station operator stations are equipped with DTMF digit monitors to receive four digit codes in this fashion. Do not put anything but the actual cancel code in any code field. Instructions such as “see instructions” or “ask for cat’s name” cannot be used in these fields and will interfere with code word verification when alarms are cancelled or when the account is put on test. Profane or inflammatory words are not to be used anywhere in the database. The software will prevent certain profane or inflammatory words from being saved in the database. Other such words may be removed when found by the data entry department with notice to the dealer.
The “Permit:” field should contain the alarm user permit number issued by the city, county or other authority having jurisdiction. If a permit is not required then leave this field blank. Central station operators will give out the permit number on request when dispatching the police or other public agency. The “Expires:” field that follows the permit number may be used to enter the date the subscriber’s user permit expires. If a date is entered the central station will send notification both thirty days in advance and every day after the permit has expired. Some police agencies will not respond to an alarm system that does not have a valid permit. Some have even asked us not to call them without a valid permit and may impose fines against us if we attempt to dispatch without a permit. When we are aware of this scenario we will notify you every day via the subscriber trouble report if you have any accounts that need a permit or cannot be dispatched without one. In the locations where fines and strict permit laws are in place we strongly recommend that you enter the permit expiration dates. If a fine is imposed against Central One because we dispatched when a permit was expired (and the expiration date was not in the subscriber’s account) we will ask you to pay it.
The “Directions to Premises:” field should always contain the name of the sub-division or development where the protected premises is located. Cross streets should be entered when helpful and are sometimes required by police agencies before they will respond. This is especially true if the premises address is a rural route number. In rare cases, this field will not be sufficiently large to contain the required information. In these instances the central station data entry department will enter the directions in the special instructions fields on the next screen in the database.
The “Permanent Instructions:” field may only be accessed by the central station data entry department until the dealer has had advanced data entry training. This is also true of the four special instructions fields that appear on a separate screen of the subscriber’s record. There are many different ways of saying the same thing. Central One has developed standard ways of training operators and entering instructions in the database. There are many instructions that can be accomplished automatically by the software and should not be entered as text. For these reasons these fields are not accessible by remote internet access. The most common uses of the permanent instructions field are:
1. “Duress: Victory” When a subscriber is asked for a code on a verify call and responds with a duress code specified in this way the operator will say thank you, hang up and dispatch the account’s designated police agency informing them that there may be a hostage situation.
2. “NFPA system” When an account is designated an NFPA system the defaults procedures for fire alarm, trouble, and supervisory signals is modified to comply with NFPA requirements.
3. “CW Hint: Son’s middle name” Subscribers often forget their code word causing unnecessary police dispatches and sometimes fines. If you supply a code word hint and the subscriber forgets his code on a verify call the dispatcher will offer the hint and allow the subscriber to respond with the correct code.
4. “Gate Code: 1234” When responders need a code to open a gate or other access control device the code should be placed in this field or in one or the special instructions fields.
The “Dealer/Group Number:” field contains your dealer number. Some dealers are large and have multiple offices with different numbers we call group numbers. The terms dealer number and group number are interchangeable. When you create an account the contents of this field will default to the main group number assigned to the account number. If the account must be associated with a different group number you may change it.
The “Dealer Defined Field:” may be used for any purpose you see fit. Many dealers use this field to record their own unique account number or accounts receivable number in this space. The “Alarm System Type:” field is used to show the type of panel or communicator installed at the subscriber’s premises.
The “Communicator test interval (hours):” field is used for systems that send periodic communicator tests to the central station. Intervals that are less than weekly usually involve an additional monthly monitoring charge. If you send tests simply enter the number of hours between tests plus one. For example if your panel sends a test every ten days enter 241 hours (24 hours times 10 days plus 1 = 241) in this field. Any system that fails to communicate for more than the prescribed number of hours will appear on the subscriber trouble report every day until a signal is received. All U.L. (system certification screen type = UL) systems will be supervised at a 25 hour interval if this field is left blank. The “Event Code for Fail to Test:” field contains an alarm code to be generated with the test interval expires. Most accounts do not use this field because no immediate operator action is warranted by a fail to test. The use of the event code field results in additional monthly monitoring charges.
The “Scheduled Maintenance Code:” field allows you to enter a code letter, from A to Z, of your own design. You then enter an interval (in months) for this notification to repeat and the due date of the initial or next occurrence. For example, suppose you want to be reminded to replace the subscriber’s alarm panel battery every four years to prevent false alarms. Enter “B” for battery in the code field (or any other letter you choose to indicate a panel battery change), enter 48 in the interval fields (48 months equals 4 years), and enter the date of the first battery change in the “Next Due:” field. Ten days before the due date the account will be included on the subscriber trouble report. It will be included again on the expiration date and the next due field will automatically be incremented four additional years.
The “Email Address:” field is used to store the email address of the subscriber. This address is obtained when the subscriber registers for internet access and is used to confirm the registration. Signals are not retransmitted to this email address. To retransmit signals see the section on special instructions, below. The “Internet Password:” field contains the subscriber’s internet login password. Once a password is entered in this field the subscriber can access his account by visiting www.mysecurityalarm.com.
Data Entry Progress Screen:
The data entry progress screen appears when you first create an account. It is common to page down to the basic information screen and to complete it first and then return to this screen. This is because the software will assist in determining the police and fire dispatch agencies based on the zip code entered on the other screen.
The data entry progress screen contains several very important fields that must be correctly entered before an account can be monitored properly. The police, fire and medical dispatch agency numbers must be entered and verified. The values that the software may have populated these fields with based on the zip code are often correct but the only way to be certain is to telephone the agency and ask if they cover the subscriber’s address. To accomplish this press the F2 function key and enter the number of the agency you wish to verify. Use the “Verification/Non-Emergency Phone” that appears in the dispatch agency record. If this is not the correct agency the person answering your call can very often advise what agency is correct. Press <escape> to go back to the data entry progress screen. Press the F2 function key and arrow down to the “Other:” field. Type some of the name of the agency you wish to check next. The screen will display any matching records and you can continue.
If entry of the zip code did not produce any dispatch agencies you may use the F3 menu option key to get a list of all the combinations of dispatch agencies found in the five digit zip code area. The number of accounts served by each combination of agencies is shown so that you can determine the agency most likely to service the new subscriber. If the full nine digit zip code matched you will see “+4” next to the dispatch agency combination.
In the event you do not find a dispatch agency for a new account you must contact the central station data entry department so that we can create it. When the data entry department creates a new agency record we attempt to determine whether any special licensing or permitting is required of the monitoring company or of the subscriber. We enter as much information as we can in the dispatch agency record. If you discover any information that should be in our agency database we appreciate whatever documents, such as statutes, ordinances and other data that you can forward to us.
After dispatch agency verification is complete you should enter “Y” for yes in the received, entered, and checked columns of the “Dispatch Agencies Verified” row on the data entry progress screen. Do not enter “Y” for yes in the checked column unless you actually called the agency to confirm jurisdiction. If you leave the field blank the data entry department will eventually make the verification call unless you have instructed us otherwise. For additional information please read the dispatch agency database documentation.
If there is a “Y” for yes in any “Required” column on the screen and a “N” for no in the “Received” column you will be reminded via the subscriber trouble report that you are missing information for the account. The data entry department will change the received column from “Y” to “N” if a telephone number goes bad or under any other appropriate circumstances. We will also send you a fax describing any problem we discover.
The “Template account number for signal information:” field should contain the account number of the template account that you set up with signals and procedures that apply to this type of system. If you use the Ademco Contact ID format for sending alarm signals to the central station then no template is required. The Contact ID format allows the central station software to identify and set default procedures for all alarm signals. If you want a procedure that differs from the default then you need only create a template account for the differences. When you enter or change a template account number the software may display the prompt, “Load signals from this template?”. Type “N” for no unless you have completed advanced data entry training and will need to make adjustments to the signals that apply only to this account.
The two fields, “Monitoring Hold” and “Service Hold” should always contain “N” for no. Central station operators will not respond to alarms if the “Monitoring Hold” field contains “Y” for yes. It is better to use the inactive date field than to use the hold fields to suspend monitoring. You will receive an on screen warning each time you save changes to an account that is either inactive or on hold.
Special Instructions Screen:
Special instruction text is the subject of advanced data entry training. Access to these fields is restricted from remote access for the following reasons:
1. Most instructions can be implemented without special instruction text by setting up the proper steps on a per signal basis.
2. Special instructions will sometimes not be seen or read by the dispatcher before the alarm is cancelled.
3. There is usually more than one way to say the same thing. Central One operators have an “in house” way of phrasing most special instructions and it is the job of the data entry department to enter the instruction that way.
4. Special instructions must not conflict with central station policy and operator training. An instruction to notify more than one callout before completing the notification step conflicts with our policy and training. An instruction to call the police thirty minutes after dispatch to get the police disposition also conflicts and is not a part of our service.
By advising the data entry department of what you need to accomplish and consulting with them to create a solution we can efficiently solve even the most complex monitoring processes. By familiarizing yourself with our policy and procedure bulletins (click “Documentation” from our home page at www.CentralOne.com) you will achieve an understanding of the services and capabilities that will allow you to confidently commit to your subscribers for the valuable security services they need. Rules and policy concerning special instructions can be found at www.centralone.com/bulletins/bull3000.txt.
The four special instruction fields may also be used to automatically create an email when a signal is received. The email address is entered in the special instruction text field. The start and end date fields, applicable alarm types fields and area fields will control which signals are emailed. If the applicable alarm types field is blank then all signals will be emailed.
Callout List Screen:
Press the page down key until you get to the last screen of the subscriber record which is the callout list screen. The callout list contains up to forty eight entries for people who should be contacted, usually after an alarm is dispatched, who are responsible for responding to the premises and taking whatever steps are necessary to make sure the premises are safe and secure. A typical list contains three callouts. Callouts should be briefed in the operation of the security system and be capable of resetting the system after an alarm.
The top of the screen displays up to ten callouts. One of them will be highlighted and the box at the bottom of the screen will show all of the detail for the highlighted contact. Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the callout entry you wish to add or edit. Press the enter key to edit the detail fields for the highlighted contact. While you are editing a callout the up and down arrow keys will move you to the previous and next fields of the callout entry. Press the escape key to return to the list at the top of the screen.
While you are working at the top of the screen and the arrow keys move you up and down the list you can use the delete key to cut and the insert key to paste a callout entry. For example, if you highlight Betty Rubble in the example list below and press delete, then up arrow to highlight the key office entry and press insert, you will make Betty Rubble the first callout and the key office second. You may only cut one entry at a time. If you have not cut any entry then the insert key will insert a blank entry at the position of the highlight.
The first three fields for each callout entry allow you to enter the callout’s name and two contact telephone numbers. Central station operators will call callouts in the order they appear in the list and will call the main number first and then the alternate.
The “Code:” field can be used to give each callout their own unique cancel code word. If this field is used then you cannot use the account code word field on the previous screen and you cannot assign code word by partition. The “Title:” field should be used to describe the relationship of the callout to the main subscriber. For commercial accounts, titles such as owner, manager, president, security guard, etc. would apply. For residential accounts, titles such as parents, son, daughter, neighbor, or house sitter may apply. If the callout has premises keys you should enter “Y” in the “Has Premises Keys?” field.
The “Comments:” field can be used
for simple instructions, such as “do not call from
The “Can Change Instructions?” field determines whether the callout is authorized to update the account. First, if your company has advised Central One that all changes must be authorized by the dealer then no file update will be taken from any subscriber or callout no matter what is entered in this field (except that a callout may remove himself from the list). If Central One is permitted to take file updates without dealer authorization then we will take an update from the subscriber and anyone on the callout list where this field is either “Y” for yes or blank.
The “Temporary From: and Through:” date fields allow you to specify the dates when a callout can be called. The central station operator will not see a callout on an alarm screen that is earlier than the from date or later than the through date. Put “Y” for yes in the “Keep after expiration?” field to prevent the central station software from purging the callout from the database after the expiration date has passed. This is useful if the callout is activated for a specific date range each year.
The “Applicable area(s):” fields are an advanced data entry topic and should all be “Y” for yes in a typical account. These fields permit different people from the master call list to be contacted in connection with different system partitions. System partitions may be created for certain alarm types or for other criteria.
Advanced Data Entry Training:
Before it is prudent to enter special instructions and make changes to screens not documented above, such as the signals screen, the open/close schedule screens, the subscriber report options screens, the line security screen and the system certification screen, you must complete Central One’s Advanced Data Entry Training. Central One data entry personnel can tailor a training session to meet your individual needs.