What does it mean to create a link to an inquiry in advance (aka Create Inquiry)?

Instead of dynamically creating inquiries when a user first enters the identity verification flow, you can create an inquiry in advance and generate a unique link to that inquiry. You can then send the link to an individual who would be prompted to go through the verification flow.

Why create a link to an inquiry in advance?

We recommend creating a link in advance for each user if you want each user to only go through a unique inquiry one time. If you have a high volume of inquiries to create, we recommend you create these via API.

However, if you have a low volume of inquiries to create, your support team can create them directly in the Dashboard via the Create Inquiry button.

How do I create a link to an inquiry in advance in the Dashboard?

If you are using our Accounts feature:

1. Go to Accounts in the Dashboard.
2. Search for the Account of the user for which you'd like to create a link to an inquiry (e.g. by reference ID, Name, or Account ID).
3. Once you click on the user's Account, you'll find the "Create Inquiry" button on the top right side.
4. You will be asked to select a template (if you have more than one template) and theme (if you have more than one theme).
5. After hitting "Create Inquiry," you will see a link to a unique inquiry with the status Created. This is the link you can send to the individual to prompt them to go through your verification flow. This inquiry will automatically include the reference ID of the Account that you selected.

If you are not using Accounts:

1. Go to Inquiries in the Dashboard.
2. The Create Inquiry button can be found on the top right corner of the Inquiries page.
3. You will be asked to select a template (if you have more than one template) and theme (if you have more than one theme) and add an optional reference ID (we highly recommend adding a reference ID so that you can easily find the inquiry — typically this should be a user ID or some other unique identifier in your system).
4. After hitting "Create Inquiry" you will see a link to a unique inquiry with the status Created. This is the link you can send to the individual to prompt them to go through your verification flow.
5. When you view your inquiry, you will see that the reference ID you entered is now associated with that unique inquiry. You can also use this ID to easily search for the inquiry.

You can always access the inquiry link again via the Share button on the top right corner of the inquiry details page.

 

FAQs

When does a link to an inquiry that was created in advance expire?

By default, the link does not expire if the user never clicks the link or starts verification. Once the user enters and flow and starts verification, the inquiry link will expire within 24 hours of the time the user started their verification if the user does not go on to either complete or fail the inquiry.

What can I do if a link (or the inquiry) has expired and I want to allow the user to continue in the same inquiry where they left off?

If the link has expired (resulting in an expired inquiry) and you want to allow the user to continue where they left off rather than starting a new inquiry, you can do this by Resuming the inquiry. To do this, find the inquiry in the Persona Dashboard. At the top right hand side of the inquiry details page for any expired inquiry, you'll see a Resume button. This will generate a unique link that you can send to that individual to allow them to resume their inquiry and complete the verification from where they left off. This one-time link is active for 24 hours after it is generated, and once the individual opens the link they have 15 minutes to complete the inquiry.