Pre-approved cabs, deliveries and service visits
A resident tells the gate in advance to let in a cab, a delivery or a service visit. It holds once, for a time window, or always for a company. The guard lets them straight in, and a frequent guest can be allowed always in one tap.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- The intercom rings for every food delivery, even when you ordered it ten minutes ago.
- Your cab waits at the gate while the guard tries to reach you.
- The plumber you called is sent back because nobody at home picked up the phone.
- Your parents visit three times a week and the guard calls you every time.
How it works
- The resident opens Pre-approvals and chooses Cab, Delivery or Service.
- They pick the company from the quick choices or Any / other. They add the driver or agent name and the vehicle's last digits if they know them.
- They choose Valid for: Next 1 hour, Next 2 hours, Next 4 hours or Rest of today. Only once stops it after one entry; Leave it at the gate tells the guard to keep a delivery.
- For something that comes again and again, they add an always-allowed rule. It holds the kind, the company or Any company, and From and Until hours or none.
- At the gate, the guard registers the arrival for the flat. A matching pre-approval lets it straight in, marked Pre-approved, and the flat is told.
- For a guest who visits often, the resident opens Frequent visitors and switches on Always allow. That guest comes in without a pass or a call.
Everything it does
A pre-approval
- Kind: Cab, Delivery or Service / Repair
- Company: empty means any; the gate matches the name against the visitor's company, purpose or name
- Vehicle number or its last digits: the visitor's number must end with them
- Valid for 1, 2 or 4 hours or the rest of the day, from now; at least 15 minutes
- Only Once: on to start with; off lets in any number of times in the window
- Leave it at the gate, for deliveries: the guard's card says Leave at gate
- States Active, Used, Expired and Cancelled; expired ones stop showing within a minute
Always-allowed rules
- A standing rule for one kind and one company, or any company
- Daily From and Until, or any time; a window across midnight, such as 22:00 to 02:00, works
- An On / off switch pauses the rule and turns it back on
- Kept for ten years unless the resident switches it off or the office cancels it
Frequent visitors
- Guests who came to the flat most in the last 90 days, with the number of visits and the last one
- Always allow gives that guest a pass for every day, all day, for 365 days, with any number of entries
- Switching it off cancels that pass at once
- Invite and Use fill the invite form with the person
At the gate
- The guard page Pre-approvals lists what lets people in today, with the flat, the window, Once or Any number of times, and Leave at gate
- Filters All, Cabs, Deliveries and Services; search by company, vehicle or flat
- The gate screen has a Pre-approved list and marks the visit Pre-approved
- A pre-approved visit needs no answer from the flat
Records
- The resident sees the last 7 days: Active, Used or Expired, who came in on each and when, and Cancel on the active ones
- Visitors > Residents > Homes and People > Pre-approvals in the back office, with Entries and Cancel
- Visitor history marks each visit Pre-approved
- Visitors > Configuration > Gates and Visitors > Delivery and Cab Names: the quick choices for cabs, deliveries, couriers and services, with a starting list you can change
Who uses it
ResidentPre-approves a cab, a delivery or a service, sets always-allowed rules, allows frequent guests.
GuardRegisters the arrival for the flat; a match goes straight in without a call.
Society officeSees and cancels pre-approvals, and keeps the list of delivery and cab names.
Where you use it
- Web: the resident portal, Pre-approvals and Frequent visitors
- The Resident app: New pre-approval, Always allow and Frequent (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Web: the guard page at /guard, Pre-approvals, and the gate screen's Pre-approved list. Also the Guard app (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Web: Visitors > Residents > Homes and People > Pre-approvals in the back office
- Not shared with the driver: there is no code to pass on; the guard matches the company and the vehicle
What you control
Settings
- Only Once: on for a new pre-approval
- Valid for: Next 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours or Rest of today
- Delivery and Cab Names: a starting list of common names; switch off and add your own
Approvals
- No approval: a resident's pre-approval of their own cab, delivery or service is the flat's answer given in advance
Notifications
- Flat: Visitor In / Out: to the flat's residents who keep Gate alerts on, when the cab, delivery or service comes in and leaves. By app push, the first of WhatsApp, SMS or email, and in-app
- Each person can switch off a channel, such as email, for themselves; in-app notices always arrive
Questions
Do I have to share a code with the delivery person?
No. You share nothing. The guard registers them for your flat, and the gate matches the kind, the company and the vehicle digits you gave.Can I let one delivery company in any time, and food only in the evening?
Yes. Add two always-allowed rules: one for that company with no hours, one for food deliveries from 19:00 to 23:00.I am away for a week. How do I stop the rules?
Switch each rule off with its On / off switch. Switch it back on when you return.What does Always allow on a frequent visitor do?
It gives that person a pass for every day, all day, for a year. They show it at the gate and come in without a call. Switch it off to cancel it.What if the cab has a different number?
If you gave vehicle digits and they do not match, the pre-approval does not apply. The gate asks your flat as for any visitor.Related features
GUESTS AND PRE-APPROVALGuest invitations with a QR and a six-digit codeA resident invites a guest from the portal or the Resident app. The guest gets a pass with a QR and a six-digit code, with the way to the flat. The gate lets them in without ringing the flat.VISITORS AT THE GATEWalk-in visitors approved by the flatThe guard registers a visitor without a pass for a flat. Every resident of that flat who approves visitors is asked on their phone. The first answer wins, with five answers to choose from. If nobody answers, the guard or the office decides and the flat is told who did.PARCELS AND CHILDRENParcels at the gate with a collection codeThe guard logs each parcel for a flat with the courier, a photo and the shelf. The flat is told at once with a four-digit collection code, and the parcel is handed over only to someone who gives that code.GUESTS AND PRE-APPROVALRecurring passes for regular visitors and vendorsA tutor, a nurse or a water-can vendor who comes on set days gets one pass for those weekdays, hours and gates. The gate checks the day and the hour each time, and the flat hears when they come and go.VISITORS AT THE GATEReturning visitors found by mobile numberEach visitor is kept once in your society, by mobile number. When they come again, the guard types the number and their name, photo and ID on file come back. The screen shows how often they came and their last flat.GATE, GUARDS AND KIOSKGuard app and guard web pageOne screen shows the guard who is expected, waiting for a flat's answer, inside or pre-approved, and which children wait for a parent. It runs in any browser at /guard and as the SmartMy Society Guard app.
See it set up for your own society.
Tell us how many towers, flats and gates you have. We will show you and your committee the resident app, the guard app and the office screens, set up that way.