Talk to us
HomeFeaturesWho it's forAppsSecurityPlansTalk to us

Public link to ask for a visit

Put one link on your website or in an email signature. A visitor asks for a visit without a login. The person they want to see approves it, and the QR pass goes out by itself.
PLANSFrom Growth
Compare plansHow it works

The problem it solves

  • Visitors phone reception to ask whether they can come, and reception phones the host to ask.
  • A visitor turns up unannounced and waits at the gate while someone finds their host.
  • Email requests for a visit are answered late, or not at all, and the gate never hears of them.
  • Nobody can say afterwards who asked to come, who agreed and when.

How it works

  1. A VMS administrator opens the Entity's Visitors tab and clicks Open Public Pre-registration. The Public Pre-registration Link appears, ready to copy.
  2. Share the link on your website, in an email signature or in a message.
  3. The visitor fills in the page: name, mobile, kind of visitor, whom they visit, the date and hours. Email, company, purpose, persons and vehicle are optional.
  4. The request becomes a pass Awaiting Approval. The host is asked; when the name typed matches no single staff member, reception is asked.
  5. The host presses Approve on the host portal, in the Host app or on the approvals page. The visitor receives the pass with a QR code and a 6-digit code.
  6. If the host presses Reject, the visitor is told by email. A request nobody answers expires when its time is over.

Everything it does

The public page

  • No login: the address carries a secret part that only your link has
  • Required: name, mobile, the kind of visitor, the date, from and to
  • Optional: email, company, whom you are visiting, purpose, persons, vehicle number
  • The kinds offered are the visitor types marked for self-service that do not need an ID proof
  • Where you set Visitor Terms and Consent, the visitor must accept them; the time of acceptance is kept on the pass
  • A time that is already over, or an end before the start, is refused
  • A hidden field stops form-filling robots

Who decides

  • The host and their alternate host, when the name typed matches exactly one staff member of the Entity
  • Reception (VMS managers) when no host is matched; the name typed is kept in the purpose as To see
  • Reception can decide any request
  • The request goes through the approval chain Visit request, so you can add levels

Limits that protect the gate

  • At most 3 open requests for one mobile number in an Entity
  • Each request is for one entry within its hours
  • Unanswered requests expire at the end of the time asked for

Managing the link

  • New Link replaces the link; the old one stops working at once
  • Close Public Page switches the page off
  • One link for each Entity

Who uses it

VisitorAsks for a visit on the public page and receives the pass when approved.
HostApproves or rejects the request on the host portal, in the Host app or from the link in the notification.
Reception (VMS manager)Decides requests that name no host, and any other request when needed.
VMS administratorOpens, renews or closes the public link and sets the visitor terms.

Where you use it

  • Web: the public page at the address of your link, on a phone or a computer
  • Web: Visitors > Gate > Visitors > Expected / Passes, filter Awaiting Approval, buttons Approve Request and Reject
  • Web: the host portal, Requests, and the phone page of approvals at /vms/approvals
  • The SmartMy VMS Host app: Visitors > Requests (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
  • Not for repeating visits: the page asks for one visit; a regular visitor gets a recurring pass from reception or the host

What you control

Settings

  • Public Pre-registration Link: closed to start with; opened with Open Public Pre-registration
  • Visitor Terms and Consent: empty to start with; when filled, visitors must accept it
  • Visitor Privacy Policy (URL): a link shown with the terms
  • Self-service on each visitor type: decides which kinds the page offers

Approvals

  • Visit request: one chain per Entity; the host and alternate host by default, reception when no host is named, with levels you add

Notifications

  • Visit Request (Public Page): to the approvers of the level the request waits at, by push, WhatsApp, SMS, email and in-app
  • The approved pass goes to the visitor by email with the QR code. Visitor Pass also goes by WhatsApp and SMS where your account has them
  • A rejected request: the visitor is told by email when they gave one
  • Each person can switch off a channel, such as email, for themselves; in-app notices always arrive

Questions

Does the visitor need an account?

No. They open the link, fill in the form and send it. The pass arrives by email, and by WhatsApp or SMS where your account has them set up.

What if the visitor types the host's name wrongly?

When the name matches no single staff member, reception decides the request. The name the visitor typed is kept on the request so reception can pass it on.

Can staff of a tenant company be found by name on the page?

No. The page matches staff of the Entity that owns the link. A visitor for a tenant's staff member is decided by reception.

Can someone flood us with requests?

One mobile number can have at most 3 open requests, and a hidden field stops form-filling robots. If the link is misused, click New Link and the old one stops working.

Which plan has the public link?

Growth and above. On Starter, reception issues passes and visitors without one register at the gate.

Related features

PASSESHosts pre-register their guestsStaff invite their own guests from the host portal, the Host app or My Visitors. The guest gets a pass with a QR and a six-digit code by email, and the host can share it by link or WhatsApp. Invitations nobody came for are marked as no-shows when they end.HOST APPROVALHost approval from the phoneA visitor without a pass waits at the gate while the host is asked on the phone. The host approves or rejects from the link, the app or the back office. If nobody answers in time, reception or the guard decides, and an alternate host covers for anyone away.PASSESVisitor passes with a code and QRReception issues a pass for an expected visitor: a six-digit code and a QR, for one entry or several, valid between two times. The visitor gets it by email with the QR inside and an Open your pass page. They are let in at the gate by code, QR or mobile number without anyone phoning the host.HOST APPROVALHost app and host web pageEveryone who receives visitors gets a page in the browser and the SmartMy VMS Host app. They approve visitors, invite guests, pre-approve cabs and deliveries, and collect parcels with a pickup code. They also name an alternate while away and raise complaints to the building office. Office staff also chat with each other inside SmartMy.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.VISITORS AND CHECK-INVisitor types with their own rulesEach kind of visitor, such as a guest, a vendor, a contractor or an interview candidate, has its own rules. They cover photo and ID, how long they may stay, which gates they may use and whether they may register at the kiosk. Whether a walk-in of that type waits for the host is set in the approval chain.

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.
Talk to usCompare plans