Contact details
Manage a user's emails, phone numbers, and postal addresses — multiple entries with types and primary flags — so invitations, notices, and registry mail reach the right place.
Contact details are the emails, phone numbers, and postal addresses stored on a person’s user profile in addition to their login identity. A single user can hold multiple contact entries of each kind, each labeled with a type — and for emails and phones, one entry can be marked primary. You manage them from the user profile Overview tab in User Management.
Why it matters
Universities communicate across many channels. An invitation goes to one inbox; a semester letter may go to a postal address; an emergency call needs a mobile number. Students often maintain a private email alongside an institutional address, a home address alongside a semester address, and more than one phone. If only a single generic field exists, staff overwrite useful data or keep parallel spreadsheets.
Accurate contact details reduce bounced invitations, missed exam notices, and failed postal deliveries. For institutions subject to GDPR and similar rules, a clear primary contact and typed secondary contacts also support purposeful, auditable communication — you know which address you used and why.
How it fits
Contact details live on the identity record created in User Management. They complement — but do not replace — the login email set when you create or edit a user.
Related areas:
- View a user — Overview is where contact sections appear.
- Edit a user — change login email and open contact sections for deeper edits.
- Custom data fields — institution-defined attributes (not emails/phones/addresses).
- Resend an invite — invitations use the account email; keep it correct before resending.
- Roles and permissions — editing contact data requires permission to update the user.
Key concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Login email | The account email used to sign in and typically to receive invitations. Edited in basic information. |
| Contact email | An additional email on the profile, with a type and optional primary flag. |
| Primary | The preferred contact email or phone when several exist. Only one primary per channel is intended. |
| Type | A label that explains the purpose of the entry (for example, institutional email or semester address). |
| Postal address | A structured mailing location with an address type (home, work, semester, and others). |
Emails
A user can have multiple contact emails. Each email has:
| Attribute | Options / notes |
|---|---|
| Email address | The mailbox to store |
| Type | Private, Institutional, or Work |
| Primary | Mark the preferred contact email |
How to add or update an email
Go to OrgHub → Management → Users and open the person’s profile.
On the Overview tab, find the emails / contact section.
Add a new email, or edit an existing one — set the address, type, and whether it is primary.
Save when the unsaved-changes indicator appears.
Deleting an email
You can remove a non-primary contact email. If you need to retire the current primary, set another email as primary first, then delete the old one. The login email in basic information is managed separately from contact-email deletion.
When to use which email type
| Type | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Institutional | University-issued mailbox for official academic communication |
| Work | Employer or secondary professional address for staff or dual-status users |
| Private | Personal mailbox for backup contact or pre-matriculation applicants |
Phone numbers
A user can have multiple phone numbers. Each phone has:
| Attribute | Options / notes |
|---|---|
| Phone number | The number to store |
| Type | Mobile, Landline, or Work |
| Primary | Mark the preferred number for urgent contact |
How to add or update a phone
Open the user profile Overview tab.
In the phone numbers section, add or edit an entry.
Choose the type (Mobile, Landline, or Work) and set primary if appropriate.
Save your changes.
You can delete a phone number when it is no longer valid. Prefer updating the number in place when only the digits change, so history of “which line is primary” stays clear for colleagues.
Postal addresses
A user can have multiple postal addresses. Each address has:
| Attribute | Options / notes |
|---|---|
| Address | The full postal address text |
| Type | Home, Work, Secondary home, Semester, or Other |
Unlike emails and phones, addresses are distinguished by type rather than a primary flag. Use types deliberately so registry and student services know which address to use for which purpose.
How to add or update an address
Open the user profile Overview tab.
In the addresses section, add or edit an entry.
Enter the address text and select the type (for example, Semester for term-time lodging).
Save your changes.
Address types in university practice
| Type | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Home | Permanent family or residence address |
| Secondary home | Alternate permanent address (for example, parents vs own flat) |
| Semester | Term-time address near campus |
| Work | Workplace mailing address for staff |
| Other | Temporary or special-purpose locations |
Access required
Managing contact details requires permission to update that user (or to update users institution-wide). Viewing them requires permission to open the user overview / profile. See Roles and permissions.
Best practices
- Keep login and contact emails distinct in your process. Document which inbox is for invitations vs day-to-day contact.
- Always set a primary email and phone when multiple exist, so staff do not guess.
- Prefer typed labels over notes in free-text fields. Types travel with the record; informal notes do not.
- Update semester addresses at the start of each term for students who move frequently.
- Verify contact data before mass mailing or invite waves. A short completeness check on the Overview tab prevents large bounce rates.
- Treat contact data as personal data. Limit who can edit and export it; align retention with your data-protection policy.
Common pitfalls
| Pitfall | What goes wrong | How to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Contact email used as if it were login | User cannot sign in; invites go to the wrong place | Change login email in basic information; keep extras as contact emails |
| Cannot delete an email | Entry is still primary | Mark another email primary first |
| Wrong postal delivery | Semester vs home address mixed up | Use address types consistently; train registry staff on the convention |
| Empty phone after emergency need | No mobile on file | Require a primary mobile during intake or via data collection requests for related personal fields |
FAQ
Is the login email the same as a contact email?
They can share the same address value, but they serve different purposes. Login email authenticates the account and typically receives invitations. Contact emails are additional reachability data with types and a primary flag.
Can a user have more than one institutional email?
Yes — multiple contact emails are supported. Use types and the primary flag so colleagues know which inbox to prefer.
Do addresses have a primary flag?
Emails and phones support a primary flag. Addresses are organized by type (home, semester, work, and others) instead.
Where do I request missing contact or personal information from the user?
For incomplete profile attributes (including personal fields such as date of birth), use Custom data fields — requesting missing information. Contact emails, phones, and addresses are usually maintained by staff on the Overview tab.
Related pages
View a user
Open the Overview tab where contact sections appear.
Edit a user
Change login email and other profile fields.
Custom data fields
Institution-defined attributes and data collection requests.
Create a user
Set the initial login email when adding a person.
Resend an invite
Confirm the account email before resending invitations.