How to customize the list of Areas of Counseling?
The list of Counseling Areas on the counseling session form can be long and overwhelming, and some of the areas may not pertain to your program or to you specifically, as a counselor. For this reason, Neoserra offers three ways to customize this list:
Global Customization
As discussed in this FAQ, your Neoserra database administrator can inactivate system-defined pick list choices that do not pertain to any program in your Neoserra database, and you can add your own custom choices to be part of the Counseling Area drop down field on the counseling session record. Simply select: Administration|Configuration and click on the "Pick List" panel:
Next, click on the Counseling Area pick list to customize the choices that will be used in your Neoserra and eCenter Direct interfaces. Any choice you inactivate here, will be invisible for all users. Any new custom choice you add here, will be visible, by default, by all users. To activate/inactivate an area of assistance just click the respective link on the right hand side:
To add a new choice, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "New":
As noted above, all changes made to this interface will be effective, by default, for all users across both applications: Neoserra and eCenter Direct. However, individual users and each center can customize the specific choices, as documented below.
Counselor Specific Customization
If your Neoserra database hosts multiple programs, from SBDC programs to APEX Accelerator programs to WBC programs and perhaps even some non-federal economic development programs, then it is very possible that not every counselor offers all the services provided by the different programs. For this reason, Neoserra allows each Neoserra user to limit the Counseling Area drop down field to just those areas of service provided by them.
This counselor customization is done under your Personal Preferences.
The filter icon has been circled in orange above. Click on this icon to hide those areas of counseling not specifically offered by you. Simply check the box in the left hand margin if a particular area of counseling is offered by you, and uncheck the box if this is not a service that you anticipate providing to your clients:
Those areas UNchecked by you will not appear in the Counseling Area drop down on the counseling session interface.
Center Customization
In addition to each counselor being able to customize this drop down list, each center can also customize the list of services offered to their clients on eCenter Direct. As part of the eCenter Direct intake process, clients will be asked what services they are seeking:
But again, if your Neoserra database consists of multiple programs, then not every center will necessarily provide all areas of assistance. For this reason, you can customize the list of services on a center-by-center basis. Simply go to View|Centers and select your center from the list. Assuming your center has a Status of "Public" (meaning it participates on eCenter Direct) then you can click to Edit your center record and scroll almost to the bottom and edit the "Sign-up Areas of Assistance" field:
Editing this field will ONLY affect the areas of assistance listed on eCenter Direct.
Want more? Browse our extensive list of Neoserra FAQs.