How to Test your Admissions Link (link used to let a user fill out an inquiry and application at the same time)

The admissions link is what you can use on your website if you would like to let parents jump right to filling out your online application and skip the inquiry. Technically, parents still fill out the inquiry but this option allows them to proceed with signing up for your BigSIS portal without having to receive a link from you. This is a great option to use if your school would like to offer the option to fill out an application right away. Some schools like to manage who fills out an application so those schools will use the traditional method of sending the parents a signup link. This option is for those who want to offer a more direct way for parents to fill out an application based on their desire. The following steps are geared towards how to test your admissions link so that you can become familiar with the steps a parent will follow.

If you would like to watch a short video on how this will work for parents click here: Admissions Link and How it Works

Steps for Testing the Admissions Link

The first step is to figure out what your admissions link is. If you haven't received this during Admissions/Leads training feel free to contact support@bigsis.com and we will help provide this for you. But, wait, there is a quick way for you to identify what your link is! All you need to know is what the url for your BigSIS admin site is. For example, if your BigSIS url is https://demo.bigsis.com/admin all you need to do is make a small change to the url. In this case your url for your admissions link will be https://demo.bigis.com/admissions. Essentially, just replace "admin" with "admissions" and that is your admissions link! Please contact support@bigsis.com if you have further questions or need assistance with this. Before continuing you must read the important message below

IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

The above information will help you figure out what your admissions link is but make sure you do this test using your testing site ONLY! This is very important because during this test you will create a person and a user account for that person and you do NOT want to do this on your live site otherwise, you will need to take steps to remove the person and user. Your testing site admissions link will be slightly different than your live admissions link and will include "testing-" at the beginning of it. For example:

https://testing-demo.bigsis.com/admissions 

Once you have your test site admissions link here is how to do a quick test. NOTE: These steps might vary depending on the web browser you use but should similar for most browsers.

1. Start by going to your Inquiry Settings to make sure that Allow Anonymous User Signups is active.
   • Go to Client Settings > Leads (Inquiries, Applications, & Contracts) > Misc. Led and Signup Options > Click Allow Anonymous User Signups > Click Save and Back 
   • You may learn more about your Inquiry settings here: Additional Inquiry Form Settings.
     
     
2. Right-click on your admissions link. If you are using Chrome you will select 'Open link in incognito window'. If you are using Firefox you will right-click and select 'Open Link in a New Private Window.' Other browsers will use a variation of this title but should also offer a version of this. Keep in mind you can always open a new Incognito or Private window and past your admissions link.
   PRO TIP! Incognito or Private windows are a way for you to access a link without being recognized. When you are logged into BigSIS and click on a BigSIS link it will recognize you as being already logged in and fill in your information or in some cases, log you in. This is why you will need to test using one of these options.
3. Now, that you have a new window open you will see a screen that looks very similar to a login screen. Click Sign Up to continue.
   
   
   
   
4. Because you are in "private" window you will now enter in a First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and enter the captcha information. Click Signup when you are done.
   PRO TIP! This is actually going to create a new person record so make sure you are completing this on your test site! You also need to use an email address that is not currently in the system. If you use an email address that is already in the system it will recognize you and you will not be able to proceed with this test.
   
   
   
5. This will receive a confirmation message that will inform you that you have been sent a signup link to the email address entered. This email will consist of a signup link for you to use to create your "fake" account. 
   PRO TIP! This message is editable when the times comes to customize it for your school! Go to System > Settings > Client Settings > Portals > Portal Signup Link Options > Lead Signup Link Template to edit this signup link email. 
   
   
6. Once you complete the signup process you will receive a message that you can log in to the Admissions Portal. The Admissions Portal is a paired down version of your typical portal. This means that users will only see the Admissions tab and the My Account Tab.
   
   
   
7. Click New > Submit a new Application.
   
   
   
8. This will take you to a screen that you might recognize and is your inquiry form. A user will fill out the standard information any parent would on an inquiry form and this will allow the system to process which application to show them based on Program and Academic Year. Once you click on Continue to Application your application for that Program and Academic Year will be shown. You can continue filling out the application if you like but this completes the steps of what a parent will see as they follow this process!
   Click here for more information on filling out an application in the portal if you want to continue your test. 
   (Right-click and "Open image in new tab" to enlarge)