User manages their own account
Clients that receive proposals from CostCertified have the option to create their own account with CostCertified. This allows them to login to our system and see all of their proposals and projects from their home page, which eliminates the need to find the proposal links from their email or text message every time.
Why this system is in place
CostCertified uses email addresses as the “unique identifier” for every client. This is why a client cannot be created without an email address.
Once an email address is registered with CostCertified, it will be registered across the entire platform.
This means that if an email has been registered by any company that uses CostCertified, that user will already be registered across the platform.
If you are creating a new client for your company and the email address has already been registered with CostCertified, then you will see the following message:
When this message appears, simply click on the box to use the existing client.
Linking every client to their email address prevents errors in the system that would arise if separate contractors were trying to add the same client to their accounts.
This is also why it’s important to change the client assigned to a proposal if you need to use a different email address, rather than updating the existing client information.
If you change the contact information for an existing client, those changes will apply to that client for every existing proposal that they have in your system.
Allowing clients to create their own account with CostCertified makes it easier for them to view all of their pending proposals and booked projects.
If you have sent the client estimates for multiple jobs, they will be able to see all of them in one place.
CostCertified will eventually be giving homeowners the option to find contractors and request estimates through CostCertified. Allowing the homeowner to create their own account will facilitate this process.
What this means for the contractor
If a user manages their own account, you will not be able to adjust their contact information.
If you open the client from your account and go to the “settings” tab, you will see the following message:
This means that the client has created their own account to login to CostCertified.
If you believe that any of their contact information needs to be changed, you will need to contact the client and ask them to verify their current information, or to make any necessary changes.
NOTE: If you know for sure that some of their contact information needs to be changed, you can contact support and we will update their information after verifying their details.
Why contractors are unable to edit user managed accounts
Once a client has created their own login, they have effectively created a private account for CostCertified.
Since they own their account, it is their responsibility to keep their information current and accurate.
This removes any liability from the contractor if the client decides to change their contact information.
User managed accounts follow the same principles as any other online platform (Facebook, Twitter, etc).
Once an account is created for the platform, other users can find their account and contact them.
The platform facilitates communication between the users, with each user managing their own account.
If a user needs to update their personal information, it is their responsibility to do so.
If you are messaging someone on Facebook, you would not expect to be able to adjust that person’s profile information since it is their personal information.
Ultimately the system is designed to create a seamless platform between the contractors and their clients. Clients are only able to adjust their own personal information. They will not have access to any of your company details, information for other clients, etc. Every user of the system will only be able to manage the information that is relevant to them.