> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Review and approve registration requests
> Find a new public registration submission, review the customer and vehicle details, and decide the next staff action.
## What you will accomplish
Your team will find each new registration in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts), review the customer and vehicle details, decide the next action, and leave a note so the next teammate knows what happened.
When you finish this guide, you will be able to:
* Find a new registration within a minute using search on [All Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/all).
* Confirm the customer typed their email and vehicle details correctly.
* Choose whether to accept, follow up, hold, or decline the request.
* Send a portal invite only when your team is ready.
## When to use this guide
Use this guide after someone fills out your public registration form ([Set up customer registration](/docs/facility-web-pages/set-up-customer-registration)).
This is useful when prospects request storage from your public facility page and your staff needs to review the request before saying yes, collecting payment, or scheduling a dropoff.
*A public registration request starts with the information the prospect enters on your registration form. Submit one test yourself before real prospects use the link.*
## Before you start
* Your registration form is set up in [Settings > Customer onboarding](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/customer-onboarding) and enabled on your public page.
* You know which teammate should review new customer requests.
* Your team has a simple rule for accepting, following up, or declining requests.
* If you plan to collect payment before approval, [payment processing](/docs/settings/connect-payment-processing) is already ready.
**Submit a test registration first**
Before real prospects use the form, submit one test yourself using [Set up customer registration](/docs/facility-web-pages/set-up-customer-registration). Use a name like **Test Registration** and an email your team will recognize.
**Keep a clear review habit**
Choose one person or one daily time to check new requests. This keeps prospects from waiting because everyone thought someone else was handling it.
## Step 0: Check for new registrations each business day
Before you search for one customer by name, scan for anything new.
Go to [All Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/all).
**Expected result:** You see your full customer list—not only one customer type.
Open **Filters & Settings** near the search bar. Sort by **Created** (newest first) if that option is available.
**Why this matters:** Registration requests usually appear at the top when you sort by date. You will not miss a weekend submission on Monday morning.
If a prospect says they submitted a form, search by the email they used. Registration records often show **Source: Registration** on the customer detail page.
*New registration requests appear in [All Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/all). Sort by **Created** (newest first) so weekend submissions are easy to spot on Monday.*
## Step 1: Find the registration in Contacts
In the dashboard sidebar, click **Contacts**, then **All Contacts**.
You can also go directly to [All Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/all).
**Expected result:** You see a table of customer records with columns such as name, email, phone, and cars.
Click the **Search** box near the top of the page. Type one detail you know:
* **Email address** (fastest when you have it)
* Customer **last name**
* **Phone number**
* Vehicle **make** or **model** if your form collected vehicle details
**Why this matters:** Registration forms create records with the email the prospect typed. Search is faster than scrolling a long list.
Read the name and email in the search results before you open the record.
**Expected result:** One row matches the person who just submitted the form.
*Start in Contacts and search by the email address from the registration form.*
### Expected result
You can find the record created from the registration form within a few seconds.
## Step 2: Open the customer record and review details
Click the customer name in the table to open the detail page.
**Expected result:** You see **Personal & Contact** on the left and **Activity Feed** on the right.
In the left column, confirm:
* Name is spelled correctly
* Email address is complete (no obvious typos)
* Phone number is present if your team will call or text
* Address is present if your facility collects it during registration
**Why this matters:** Portal sign-in and invoice emails go to the address on this record. A typo here causes “I never got the email” calls later.
On the customer record, find the **Source** field when your facility shows it. It should say **Registration** when the record came from your public form.
**Expected result:** You are reviewing a web request—not a customer your team typed in by hand.
*Open the customer record to review contact details, linked cars, notes, and the next staff action. Look for **Source** showing **Registration** when the record came from your public form.*
**If something is missing**
Do not guess. Send a short follow-up email or text from [Inbox](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/inbox) before you approve storage or invite the customer to the portal.
* Name is spelled correctly.
* Email address looks complete.
* Phone number is included if your team needs to call or text.
* Address is included if your facility collects it during registration.
## Step 2b: Confirm the record came from your public form
Scroll to **Activity Feed** on the right side of the customer record.
Look for an entry near the bottom that says **Customer created** with a recent time stamp.
New registrations usually show **Customer created** as one of the earliest entries.
**Expected result:** You can tell this person arrived through your online form—not from a manual staff entry.
If the registration form collected vehicle details, a car may already appear under the customer’s cars list or in the activity timeline.
**Why this matters:** You can review vehicle information without opening a separate search.
**Manual entry vs online registration**
If your team added the customer with **Add customer** in Contacts, you may not see the same **Customer created** pattern from a public form. That is normal—use the registration test steps in [Set up customer registration](/docs/facility-web-pages/set-up-customer-registration) when you need to practice the online path.
If something is missing, do not guess. Contact the customer before your team depends on that information.
## Step 3: Review vehicle details
If the form collected vehicle information, check the car record linked to the customer.
Review:
* Year, make, and model
* VIN or license plate, if collected
* Requested storage or service notes
* Photos or documents, if your form requested them
### Expected result
Your team understands what vehicle the customer wants to store, service, sell, or bring to the facility.
## Step 4: Decide the next staff action
After reviewing the request, choose the next action. Write down your choice in a note (Step 5) so the next teammate knows what happened.
Use this when the customer is a good fit and your team is ready to move forward. If **On complete** is set to **Save as a lead**, they do not have portal access yet—click **Send portal invite** on the customer record (see [Invite a customer to the portal](/docs/contacts/invite-a-customer-to-the-portal)).
If **Email and start onboarding** is selected, they already received a sign-in link when they submitted the form. Your team is notified of the signup in both cases.
**Expected result:** The customer can open their portal after you invite them, or immediately after submit if welcome email is on. Wait until billing and vehicle details look correct before you invite a lead.
Use this when information is missing, unclear, or needs a staff decision.
Open [Inbox](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/inbox), find or start a conversation with the customer, and send a short message. Example: "Thanks for your storage request. Before we confirm space, can you send the vehicle VIN and your preferred dropoff date?"
Use this when your facility needs manager approval, available space, insurance details, or payment setup before moving forward.
Add a note such as "On hold—waiting for manager approval" or "On hold—no indoor space until July 15." You do not need a special button—your note tells the team the request is paused.
Use this only when the customer is not a fit (wrong vehicle type, outside service area, duplicate submission).
Add a short internal note explaining why. If your team uses CRM stages, you may move the customer to **Former Customer** or a similar stage after you document the reason.
*On the customer record, check portal status and use **Send portal invite** only when your team is ready for the customer to sign in.*
## Step 5: Add a short internal note
Before leaving the customer record, add a note that explains what happened.
Good examples:
Registration received from public form. Customer wants indoor storage for a 2017 Lamborghini Huracan. Called and left voicemail on May 21.
Registration reviewed. Waiting for insurance document before approval.
### Expected result
Anyone on your team can open the customer record later and understand the latest status.
## Step 5b: Turn on registration alerts (optional)
If your team wants an email, text, or push alert when someone submits the public form, configure notifications once so nobody has to watch Contacts all day.
Go to [Settings > Communications](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/communications).
Scroll to **New Customer Registration Notifications**. Turn on the channels your team actually reads (email, text, or push).
**Why this matters:** Alerts reduce wait time for prospects. A fast reply often wins the storage deal.
**Alerts do not replace review**
Notifications tell you **that** someone registered. You still open [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) to review details and decide the next step.
## Step 6: Invite the customer only when you are ready
Do not click **Send portal invite** until your team is ready for the customer to sign in and see their portal.
*Click **Send portal invite** only after you reviewed the registration and your team is ready for the customer to sign in.*
If your form included a **Payment** card, check [Payments > Invoices](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/payments/invoices) for any charge before you invite the customer.
On the customer record, click **Send portal invite**. When **Notify the customer?** appears, choose **Yes** to send the invite. Choose **No** or close the window to cancel without sending.
**Expected result:** The customer receives an email with steps to open the portal. Portal status on the record updates so your team can see the invite was sent.
Send a short message if needed: "We approved your storage request. Check your email for a link to open your customer portal."
For full invite steps, see [Invite a customer to the portal](/docs/contacts/invite-a-customer-to-the-portal).
When your next step is scheduling a dropoff, review [Create an appointment](/docs/schedule/create-an-appointment).
## What success looks like
* The new request appears in Contacts.
* Customer and vehicle details have been checked by staff.
* Your team has decided to accept, follow up, hold, or decline the request.
* An internal note explains the current status.
* The customer receives a clear next step only after staff review.
## Troubleshooting
**I cannot find the new request**
Check that the customer clicked the final submit button on the registration form. Then search [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) by email address. If you still cannot find it, submit another test registration and watch for the confirmation message.
**The request has missing details**
Use a short follow-up message. Example: "Thanks for your storage request. Before we confirm space, can you send the vehicle VIN and your preferred dropoff date?"
**Customers keep skipping important questions**
Return to [Settings > Customer onboarding](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/customer-onboarding) and review **Online registration form** and **Form Cards**. Make important fields required only when your team truly needs them before approval.
## What to do next
After your team can review requests smoothly, add the registration link to your public facility page or existing website.
## Related topics
- [Set up customer registration](/docs/facility-web-pages/set-up-customer-registration.md)
- [Configure portal and website](/docs/settings/configure-portal-and-website.md)
- [Facility Web Pages overview](/docs/facility-web-pages/overview.md)
- [Configure customer onboarding](/docs/settings/configure-customer-onboarding.md)
- [Go live checklist for public pages](/docs/facility-web-pages/go-live-checklist-for-public-pages.md)
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