---
key: set-contact-method-rules
title: Set contact method rules
audience: staff
section: settings
routes: ["/settings/org/contact-method-policy"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Decide whether an email address or phone number your staff type in counts as verified, and whether texts can only go to verified numbers.
keywords: [verified email, verified phone, check a phone number, confirm email, text only verified numbers, contact verification]
related: [find-a-setting, add-a-contact-to-an-account]
---

In the sidebar, open **Settings**, then choose **Contact Method Rules** under **Accounts**. The page address is `/settings/org/contact-method-policy`.

Use this page when your team confirms customer details in person or on the phone, and you want Nova to mark the email addresses and phone numbers they type in as verified. It never changes consent or opt-out rules: a verified number is not permission to send marketing texts.

The page holds two separate settings, each with its own save button: automatic verification, and whether texts can only go to verified numbers.

## Before you start

- Changing the page needs permission to change organization settings. Without it every control is greyed out.

## Steps

1. Under **Auto-verification**, turn the switch on. **Email** is chosen for you.
2. Choose **Email**, **Phone**, or both.
3. Under **Creation sources**, choose where a staff-entered detail counts as verified: **Account create**, **Manual method add**, **Quick add**, **Duplicate merge** or **Import**. The first four start chosen. Leave **Import** off unless the list you import was already checked.
4. Leave **Re-verify when value changes** off unless your staff re-check a changed email or phone number before saving it.
5. Edit **Attestation message** if you want different wording kept with each detail as the reason it was marked verified (up to 500 characters).
6. Press **Save changes** at the top of the page.
7. To stop texts going to unverified numbers, turn on **Require verified recipients** under **Manual texting**, then press **Save texting policy** in that section.

Each section's **Reset** puts it back to Nova's starting settings (off). You still have to save.

## What you see

- The tiles at the top show whether auto-verification is on and which details it covers.
- With **Require verified recipients** on, a text to an unverified number offers a way to verify it on the text page before it sends.

## If something looks different

- **Save changes** stays greyed out with **Choose at least one target type before saving an enabled policy.**: choose **Email** or **Phone**.
- **Save changes** stays greyed out with **Choose at least one creation source or enable update re-verification.**: choose a source, or turn on **Re-verify when value changes**.
- The choices under **Auto-verification** and **Creation sources** are greyed out: turn on the **Auto-verification** switch first.
- Everything is greyed out: your role cannot change organization settings.

[[route:/settings/org/contact-method-policy|Open Contact Method Rules]]