Troubleshooting Volunteer Failed Login Problems

Question:

A volunteer is reporting that they are unable to login to their account. How do I determine what the problem is?

Answer:

Volunteer login problems can be caused by several reasons. Use the steps below to try to resolve access problems.

1. Is the Volunteer Using the Correct URL?

The first thing to check is that the volunteer is using the URL to your CERVIS console. Be sure to ask the volunteer how they got to the CERVIS login page that they are using. Often times, volunteers type “CERVIS login” into Google which will not take them to your page. Direct them to the proper website for your CERVIS login, whether that is on your website or the stand-alone version of CERVIS.

If the volunteer is using the proper link and still cannot login, continue troubleshooting.

2. Does the Volunteer Indeed Have an Account with You?

Next you will want to check if the volunteer actually has a profile in your CERVIS account. Volunteers sometimes mistakenly believe that they have a profile in CERVIS because they had a profile in a previous volunteer management system or have a profile in a different system used by your organization. To see if the volunteer has a profile, follow these steps:

1. Login to your CERVIS account.
2. Click on the “Search/Manage Volunteer Database” link under the “Volunteer Management” section of the Main Dashboard.
3. Type the volunteer’s first name, last name, or both, in the search field at the top of the Volunteer Management Dashboard.
4. If their name appears under Volunteer Result Listing, they have a profile. If it doesn’t, they do not have a profile.  

3. Is the Volunteer’s Information Correct in Your Database?

After verifying that a profile exists, you should check to ensure that the volunteer's first name and email address are correct in their profile. If a volunteer is trying to access their CERVIS profile using information that is not a match to their profile, they will be unsuccessful. Follow the steps above to find the volunteer profile and view their profile information. To edit a volunteer’s profile information, click the “Update / Edit Volunteer” button () to change their information.

4. Has the Volunteer Successfully Logged in?

The next troubleshooting step is to review the CERVIS System Log to confirm that the volunteer has not been able access their account since notifying you of the problem. Volunteers will often send notification that they are not able to login to their account when they initially experience the problem. They usually continue to attempt to access the system and when they are successful, they do not provide an updated notification that they no longer require assistance. To check the System Log, follow these steps:

1. Login to your CERVIS account
2. Click on the "View System Log" link under the "System Management" section of the Main Dashboard. 
3. Type the volunteer's email address in the search field and click the "Search System Log" button.
4. Review the system log to look for any entries that display "Successful sign in for <email address>”

Please note that only users with Administrator access level will be able to check this in the log.

If a successful login is identified, confirm with the user that they no longer require assistance and close out the matter. If no successful login can be identified, continue troubleshooting.

5. Has the Volunteer Used the “Don’t Know Password / Reset Password” Link?

The next troubleshooting step is to have the volunteer perform a self-help password reset.  If this has already been attempted by the volunteer, please skip to the next step. To have the volunteer perform a password reset, follow the steps in the knowledge base article HERE.

If the volunteer is still unable to access their account, continue the troubleshooting process.

6. Do You Need to Set a Manual Temporary Password for the Volunteer?

If the volunteer has been unable to receive the temporary password reset email, a manual temporary password may be required for the volunteer. To establish a manual temporary password for the volunteer, follow the steps in the knowledge base article HERE.

If the volunteer is still unable to access their account, continue the troubleshooting process.

7. Did the Volunteer Receive an “Unknown Error” Message?

If the volunteer is receiving the error message "An Unknown Error Has Occurred! Please ensure that cookies are enabled in your browser, close and restart your browser, and try again!", please follow the steps below:

1. Verify that the volunteer is using the correct and complete link to access the site.  If any portion of the link is missing or incorrect, it could cause the error message.
2. If your organization has integrated CERVIS into your organization's web page, please ensure that the link has been correctly and completely integrated into the webpage. Many times the person that has updated your webpage will forget to replace the 'xxxx' placeholder value provided in the manual as an example org_id with the four digit organization ID code that has been provided for your organization as described in the article HERE.
3. Ensure that the volunteer has cookies enabled in their web browser. Cookies are enabled by default on most web browsers, so this should not be an issue unless the volunteer has gone in and intentionally changed the settings, or if the volunteer is using a computer from work or other location that has restricted browser settings for organization policy reasons. Please reference the knowledge base article HERE for assistance with enabling cookies.

If the volunteer is still unable to access their account, please open a CERVIS Customer Support request ticket by following the steps in the knowledge base article HERE.