A sales handoff note says, “Kim viewed the proposal again.” The record does show that the document opened twice. But it does not say whether those views came from a general share link, followed a form submission, or came from a link issued specifically to Kim.
Before interpreting document behavior, check not the amount of activity but how the viewer’s identity became known. An anonymous link, self-declared information, and a recipient-specific link provide different levels of confidence even when the recorded action is the same. Without that distinction, a name attached to a link can harden into an assumption about who was actually in front of the screen.
UNKNOWN Describes a Viewing Event, Not a Person
A general share link that asks for no information can be opened by anyone. When a view from that link includes no name or email address, it is safer to treat the identity as UNKNOWN. The confirmed fact is only that the document opened through a particular link.
Do not fill a person’s name into an UNKNOWN record. Write at the event level: “A website visitor opened the document,” or “One view was recorded through a general share link.” Do not connect the view to an existing customer merely because a device or timestamp looks similar.
DECLARED Means Only That Information Was Submitted
When a reader enters a name or email address through an information-request link, the identity evidence can be classified as DECLARED. What is confirmed is that those details were submitted during that viewing process. Employment at the stated organization, decision authority, willingness to be contacted, and the accuracy of the information have not been automatically verified.
“Company and contact details were submitted during the view” is more precise than “The contact at Company X reviewed it.” In the handoff, record the submitted fields and the use explained on the form. Before using the values for follow-up, separately confirm what kind of contact the person requested.
LINK_BOUND Is Tied to the Delivery Path Before It Is Tied to a Person
When you already know a recipient, you can issue and send an individual tracking link. Record a view from that link as LINK_BOUND. You can say, “The document opened through the link issued to Kim.” Saying “Kim personally opened it” goes one interpretive step further.
The link may have been forwarded. If the recipient sends it to an internal reviewer, later views can still appear under the name originally attached to that link. LINK_BOUND distinguishes a distribution path associated with a recipient; it does not authenticate the person at the screen. Before sending an external message, changing access, or reprioritizing work based on person-level confidence, confirm the actual viewer and whether the link was shared internally.
The Three Levels Come Before Behavior Interpretation
Add an identity-confidence field to each viewing record so the team can use the same language.
UNKNOWN, DECLARED, and LINK_BOUND are not official status names in the FeatPaper interface. They are operational classifications a team can use to distinguish the identity evidence behind a viewing record.
| Label | What you can say | Language to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN | The document opened anonymously or without confirmed identity | “Customer X read it” |
| DECLARED | Specific information was submitted during the viewing process | “The identity was verified” or “They want a consultation” |
| LINK_BOUND | A view occurred through a link issued to a particular recipient | “That recipient definitely opened it personally” |
These labels are not interest scores. Moving from UNKNOWN to LINK_BOUND does not indicate stronger purchase intent. The label only sets the evidence boundary for how far a sentence about “who viewed” can go.
Record the Evidence and the Next Confirmation in the Handoff
Instead of recording a person’s name alone, include four fields so the next owner does not inherit an overstatement.
- identity confidence: UNKNOWN, DECLARED, or LINK_BOUND
- basis: whether the path was general sharing, information input, or recipient-specific issuance
- observation: the activity actually recorded, such as a view, revisit, time on page, or link click
- next confirmation: what still needs to be confirmed directly about the viewer or the remaining question
For example: “LINK_BOUND / link issued to Kim / revisited the pricing page / confirm internal sharing and review questions.” Separating the observation, identity evidence, and next question lets every owner revisit the level of confidence. For a DECLARED record, add “submitted information / use stated on the form / confirm requested follow-up scope” so the team does not expand a data submission into consent to contact or readiness for a consultation.
The value of document-viewing data is not in identifying a person as quickly as possible. Keep unknown identity UNKNOWN, treat submitted details as DECLARED, and describe a recipient-linked delivery path as LINK_BOUND. The team can then prepare the next conversation without making a stronger claim than the evidence supports.
