Contacts and Businesses - Households

In this topic:

Searching for Households Quick Search

• Overview

• Advanced Search
• Household List

Adding Members to a Household From a Contact Record

• Viewing and Editing Household Information Household Tabs and Content Links
• Validating a Household
• Viewing Household Member Details
• Designating a Contact's Primary Household
• From a Household Record
• Using Household-Key Relations Sync

• Creating a Household

Overview

In SmartOffice, a household record is a collection of contacts belonging to the same family. A household provides a consolidated view of a family's total assets, policy benefits, investments and annual premiums, as well as correspondence, documents, opportunities and SmartPad entries.

Watch the Training Class: Working with a Household

Extended family members can be added to a household even if they do not live in the same house. This is useful if an extended family member shares a financial interest with the family.

Searching for Households

Quick Search

• In the SmartOffice Search box, select People & Companies > Household from the Search drop-down list.

• Enter a partial or complete household name in the search box. This is typically the last name of the head of household. During text entry, SmartOffice displays a dynamic menu containing any matches.
• If the dynamic menu displays the name of the household, select the name to open the corresponding record. Otherwise, click the Search button.

Advanced Search

• Do one of the following: From the side menu, select People & Companies and then select Households from the expanded menu to open the Search Households dialog box.
• In the Search box, select People & Companies > Household from the Search drop-down list, and then click the Advanced hyperlink.

Either action opens the Search Households dialog box.

• Enter a partial or complete household name. This is typically the last name of the head of household. Leave this field blank to display all households in the system.
• (Optional) To narrow down the search results, click the Filter hyperlink to select a filter.

• Click the Search button.

Household List

If the search matches only one household record, that record opens automatically. If multiple matches are found, the Household List displays.

Click a household name in the list to view that record.

The list can sorted, filtered and customized as well. For more information about working with lists in SmartOffice, see Lists.

Viewing and Editing Household Information

To view a household, use any of these methods:

• After performing a household search, click a hyperlink in the first column of the Household List (by default, this is the Household Name column).

• While viewing a contact, click the Household tab. If more than one household is listed, click the appropriate household.

Either action opens the household's Detail content link.

Household Tabs and Content Links

The user can click the tabs and content links across the top of a household record to view information about the household. These content links are essentially the same as those found in contact records, except that they present consolidated information for all household members. The contents of the Detail content link can be customized (see Page Layout Customization).

Note: The tabs and content links available depend on the user rights and licenses that have been assigned to the user. For this reason, some users will not have access to all tabs and content links.

Validating a Household

Watch the Training Class: Validating a Household

In addition to general information about the family (address, income range, net worth, household members, etc.), the Detail content link displays policy premium and investment value information drawn from other SmartOffice modules. To ensure that this data is up to date, select Menu > Validate Current Household. For more information, see Data Validation.

Viewing Household Member Details

To view and/or edit details about a contact's role in the household:

• In the Household Members section, click the contact's first-column hyperlink (by default, the hyperlink in the Role column) to open the Household Member Details dialog box.

• Change the contact's settings if appropriate: Click the Household Name hyperlink to change the contact's household.
• Click the Contact Name hyperlink to replace the contact with another contact.

• Select a new household role for the contact from the Role drop-down list (this option is not available for the head of household).

• Change the primary household setting (for more information, see Designating a Contact's Primary Household).

• Click the OK button.

Designating a Contact's Primary Household

A contact can be a member of more than one household. For example, a contact may be a member of his parent's household and the head of his own household (if he is married, for example). In these instances, one household is designated as the contact's primary household. The contact's primary household becomes important when using features such as Household-Key Relations Sync.

To designate/change a contact's primary household:

• Search for the contact.
• Select the contact from the list of search results or open the contact.

• Click the Household tab.
• In the list of households, tag the household that is to be the primary household.

• Click the Detail content link.
• In the Household Members section, click the contact's first-column hyperlink (by default, this is the hyperlink in the Role column). This opens the Household Member Details dialog box.

• Select the This is the Primary Household of this Contact option.
• Click the OK button.

Adding Members to a Household

Watch the Training Class: Adding Household Members

From a Contact Record

• Search for the contact to be added to the household.
• Select the contact from the list of search results or open the contact.

• Click the Household tab.
• Select Menu > New 'Household' record to open the Add New Household Options dialog box.

• Select the Add Current Record to an Existing Household option.
• Click the OK button to open the Add to an Existing Household dialog box.

• Specify the appropriate household name and role and then click the OK button.

From a Household Record

• While viewing a household, click the Options button and select New 'Household Member' record in the Household Members section.
• Use the Search Contacts and Businesses dialog box to search for the contact.

• If the search returns multiple results, tag one or more contacts and then click the OK button.
• In the Add New Member to Household dialog box, use the drop-down list next to each contact's name to specify that contact's relationship to the head of household.

• For family relations, the user can select the Copy Primary Residence Address from Head of Household (Family Relations Only) option to automatically insert the head of household's primary residence address into the new household member's contact records.
• Click the OK button.

Using Household-Key Relations Sync

This feature enables key relations from the head of household's Key Relations content link to be added to the household automatically.

• While viewing a household, click the Options button and select Household-Key Relations Sync in the Household Members section to open the synchronization dialog box. .

• Select the Key Relations to Household option.
• Click the OK button.

Synchronization can be performed in the other direction as well. To add household members to the head of household's Key Relations content link, select the Household to Key Relations sync mode instead.

The Household-Key Relations Sync feature is also available from the contact Key Relations content link (click the Options button and select Household-Key Relations Sync in the Key Relations section). When used from that content link, the feature checks whether the contact has a primary household and is designated as the head of household. If either condition is not met, SmartOffice prompts the user to create a new household with the contact designated as the head of household.

Creating a Household

The process of creating a household record involves defining the head of household, adding household members and validating the household.

Watch the Training Class: Creating a Household

• Do one of the following: From an open contact record, click the Household tab and then select Menu > New 'Household' record. If the Add New Household Options dialog box opens, select the Create New Household for the Current Contact option and then click the OK button.
• From the Household List, select Menu > New 'Household' record.

• From the Search section, select Household from the New drop-down list.

• From the side menu, select People & Companies > Households and then click the New button in the Search Households dialog box.
• In the New Household dialog box, enter the Household Name.

• If the Household Head field is not already filled in, click the Household Head hyperlink to open the Search Contacts dialog box. Then, perform a contact search to locate and select the head of household.
• Enter any other household information as needed.

• Click the Save button to open the household Detail content link.
• Add household members.

• Validate the household.