Exit passes with expected return
Someone who is not a visitor goes out with permission. The office approves an exit pass, and the guard lets the person out, against a one-time code if you want. Late returns are flagged.
PLANSScale only
The problem it solves
- A staff member sent to the bank at noon walks out, and nobody knows whether they came back.
- The gate lets people out on a word that the office allowed it, with nothing to check.
- A slip of paper is easy to copy, so the wrong person can use it.
- When someone is late back, the people who should know find out at the end of the day.
How it works
- Reception opens Visitors > Gate > Visitors > Exit Passes and clicks New. They choose the Person, write the Reason and add anyone under Also Tell.
- Under When they set Valid From and Valid To. They tick Expects Return with the Expected Return time, and One-time Code if the gate must check a code.
- They click Approve. The pass goes through the Exit pass approval chain; with no set-up, reception and the VMS managers approve.
- On approval, a six-digit code goes to the person and the people under Also Tell. Send Code Again sends it once more.
- At the gate the pass shows under Going Out. For a pass with a code, the guard types the code the person gives; the card shows Code verified. The guard presses Let Out.
- When the person returns, the guard presses Came Back. Someone not back by the Expected Return is flagged Late Return, and they and the people under Also Tell are told.
Everything it does
The pass
- Person (any contact), Reason, Also Tell (people told and given the code)
- Valid From: now to start with; Valid To: the time the person is due back or gone
- Expects Return and Expected Return
- One-time Code: six digits, unique among the entity's open passes
- Statuses: Draft, Approved, Out, Returned and Cancelled
- The At the Gate tab: when and at which gate the person went out and came back, and who let them out
At the gate
- The Going Out tile lists approved passes valid now and people who are out
- A person is let out only between Valid From and Valid To, and only once the code is verified where one is needed
- A wrong code shows The code does not match an approved pass; the person is not let out
- Came Back records the time and the gate of the return
Checks that run by themselves
- Every 15 minutes: a pass not used by the end of its validity is cancelled
- Every 15 minutes: a person not back by Expected Return is flagged Late Return and the people concerned are told
- Filters: To Approve, Open, Out Now, Late Return and Today
Who uses it
Reception or VMS managerIssues and approves exit passes, sends the code again, and follows late returns.
GuardChecks the code, lets the person out and records when they come back.
The person going outReceives the code and gives it at the gate.
Also Tell contactsGet the code and hear when the person goes out, comes back or is late.
Where you use it
- Web: Visitors > Gate > Visitors > Exit Passes in the back office
- Web: the Going Out tile on the gate screen and the guard page at /guard
- The SmartMy VMS Guard app: the Going Out tile on the gate screen (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Not a request page for the person: the office raises the pass; the person does not ask for it on a portal
What you control
Settings
- Exit pass approval chain: reception and VMS managers to start with, with levels you add under Visitors > Configuration > General > Approval Chains
- One-time Code and Expects Return: chosen on each pass
Approvals
- Exit pass: one chain per entity; reception and the VMS managers by default, with levels and named approvers you add. The person the pass is for never approves it. Whoever raised it may decide at a level they approve.
Notifications
- Exit Pass Code: to the person and the Also Tell contacts on approval, by app push, WhatsApp, SMS, email and in-app
- Went Out and Came Back: to the same people, by the same channels
- Not Back in Time: to the same people when the expected return passes
- Approvers get the pass in My approvals; each person can switch off a channel for themselves; in-app notices always arrive
Questions
Can a staff member approve their own exit pass?
No. The person the pass is for never decides it. Reception, a VMS manager or the approvers of your chain do.Is the code needed on every pass?
No. Tick One-time Code only where the gate must check it. Without it, the guard lets the person out on the approved pass within its times.What happens to a pass that is never used?
It is cancelled by itself once its Valid To time has passed.Who is told when someone is late back?
The person and everyone under Also Tell, as soon as the expected return time has passed. The pass shows Late Return for the office.Which plan has exit passes?
Exit passes are in the Scale plan.Related features
ACROSS SMARTMY VMSApproval chainsVisitors at the gate, visit requests, exit passes, meeting requests, gate passes and work permits each go to the right people. You set the order, without code. Every decision is kept with who made it, when and why.GATE, KIOSK AND GUARD TOOLSGuard screen and Guard appOne screen shows the guard who is expected, who is waiting and who is inside. One box takes a pass code, a QR, a mobile number or a name. It runs in a browser on any computer, tablet or phone, and as the Guard app.VISITORS AND CHECK-INWho is inside now, with automatic check-outOne list shows everyone on the premises at this moment, with whom they came to see, the gate and how long they have been inside. Visits still open at your closing time are checked out by themselves and flagged, and anyone past their visitor type's maximum stay is marked Overstay.VEHICLES AND GOODSMaterial gate pass with returnable itemsStaff raise a gate pass for anything leaving the site. Once approved it carries a QR code and a six-digit code; the guard checks the items, lets them out or holds them. Returnable items stay open until they come back.ACROSS SMARTMY VMSNotificationsSmartMy VMS tells the right person the moment something happens: a visitor waiting, a guest arrived, a gate pass approved, a round missed, an emergency. Each event has its own recipients and channels: app notification, in-app, email, SMS and WhatsApp.
See it on your own gate.
Tell us how many gates you have, who comes through them and how visitors are approved today. We will show you SmartMy VMS set up that way.