Important Considerations For Canvassing

It is important for canvassing managers to understand a few things when using the Canvassing Module. Please review each item carefully to ensure a clear understanding.

Canvassing Zones cannot be re-shaped or deleted once a run is assigned

Once you have created your Canvassing Zones and assigned a run to them, the Zones cannot be deleted or reshaped. This is to preserve data in the system. As such, create your Zones carefully with these notes in mind:

1. Create and run a few Zones before making Zones for your entire jurisdiction. You may learn what works best for you.
2. Limit the number of addresses in each Zone to 400 or less. This will help the system load your data more quickly and make it easier for your staff to manage as well..
3. Name your Zones using a logical system.
   1. For example: by a numerical/ alphabetical system, by a prominent street name or landmark within the Zone. 
4. Be sure not to miss addresses when creating Zones as new, smaller zones will  need to
   be created in the future to pick up the addresses that have been missed.

Runs cannot be deleted once a visit has been logged

Once you start a Run (the first visit is logged), you cannot delete the Run. This is to preserve the data in the system. You can always reassign a Run to another Canvassing Representative, or mark a Run as completed and created a new Run for the Zone.

Walking Routes are associated with Zones and the most recent changes are always retained

You can create or update Walking Routes at any time from either the Canvassing Zone Dashboard or the Canvassing Run Screen. When you do, the Walking Route will be saved for the Zone and will remain associated with the Zone until it is changed again.

Letters are sent (typically) two weeks after a visit is conducted if a pet is identified at a residence

*Please note that these letters have already been paid for, no additional fee is required.

If a visit is logged with a “Y” to indicate that a pet is identified, the residence will receive a follow-up letter. Letters are typically sent by the DocuPet team on Fridays and include relevant visits made at least 14 days prior to the sending date if they have not received a letter. If you do not want a letter to be sent, you will need to update the visit entry in the Canvassing Run/Visited List which will update the data in the system.

Editing Pet Owner Accounts and Addresses

If addresses and units are edited (added, deleted) at any time and Pet Owner accounts are not updated on the run sheet, try a hard refresh by selecting “SHIFT” on your keyboard and clicking the refresh button on your web browser.

Note that it can take the system up to 5 days to match an address with a Pet Owner address if you do not validate the address manually through the Pet Owner account. Our system will run a daily check on any unvalidated addresses in an effort to match them to any new or updated GIS records but manual validation is encouraged to avoid this delay. If you manually validate the address on the Pet Owner account, don’t forget to refresh the run sheet!

License Records Only Appear for Exact Authoritative Address Records

It is important to note that if a Pet Owner matches on a zip/postal code that was provided in your GIS vs an exact Authoritative Address, the Pet Owners license information will not display in the canvassing visits. Pet Owner license records will only display within the visit/run sheets if there is an exact Authoritative Address match to the GIS database. This is why having a robust GIS set is so important. If you notice there are a large number of Pet Owners that are not appearing in your run lists, please contact your relationship manager to discuss GIS options.