Learn More: Unknown Sender
An unknown sender is someone who contacts your school but isn’t yet identified in the system. This usually happens through an unsolicited text or Chatbot conversation. For example, a prospective student might text a number listed on your website or shared at a recruiting event, or start a chat on your website.
Known and unknown senders:
Known sender: Someone who is already in the system, as an internal or external person, with contact information you use to reach them.
Unknown sender: Someone who sends you or your school an unsolicited communication and isn't yet matched to a record in the system. As soon as they contact you or your school, they are added to the ExternalPerson table.
Unknown senders are identified by the Unknown contact icon 
.
Click on the message to review the exchange and access additional options.
Add information to an unknown sender’s record.
Use this option if you learn the sender’s name or other contact information during the exchange.
Open the exchange and click the Update button. The Add or Find Contact window appears.
Click the Update record button. The Update External Person window appears.
Enter any additional name and contact information you may have collected from the exchange. Once the record is updated, they are no longer considered unknown.
Connect an unknown sender with an existing contact.
Use this option if the sender might already be in the system, for example under a different phone number.
Open the exchange and click the Update button. The Add or Find Contact window appears.
Use the Search by options to find the existing person.
Click the Select button. Their record appears with a link where you can go to the Person Information page, where you can review additional information and confirm this is the correct person.
Click the Connect with contact button. The exchange is now associated with the existing contact in the system, and they are no longer marked as unknown.
Note
You can also manage name and contact information on the Person Information Details page for internal people, or on the External Person Information Details page for external people. From the External Person Information Details page, you can convert an external person to an internal person by assigning them an ID number. When you do, the system checks for possible duplicate records.
FAQ
An internal person has an ID number, and their record is stored in the NameMaster table. An external person doesn’t have an ID number, and their record is stored in the ExternalPerson table.
When an external person is converted to an internal person, the system assigns them an ID number and they become a permanent part of the system. Their record moves from the ExternalPerson table to the NameMaster table, and any exchanges you or your school may have had stay with their record.
If you have added information to an unknown sender’s record or connected the unknown sender with an existing contact, yes, all additional incoming messages will be recognized from the sender. If you do not update contact information for the unknown contact, then they will still be shown as unknown.
No. Updating gives an external person a name but keeps them external, while converting assigns an ID number.