Visitor types with their own rules
Each 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.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- A delivery person waits ten minutes for a host to approve a parcel drop.
- Contractors come in through the main lobby when they should use the service gate.
- An interview candidate is still inside at 8 pm and nobody noticed.
- The same rules are applied to every visitor, so the gate is either too slow or too loose.
How it works
- Go to Visitors > Configuration > Gates and Visitors > Visitor Types. Six types come ready; open one or click New.
- Under At arrival, set Photo Required, ID Proof Required, Maximum Stay (hours) and the Allowed Gates.
- Under Self-service and badge, choose whether the type is offered on the kiosk and the pre-registration page, and add a Kiosk Hint.
- To let a type in without waiting for the host, add an Only For step with Approved at Once. It goes in the Visitor at the gate approval chain. Delivery and Government / Inspection start that way.
- Link Purposes to types under Configuration > Purposes, so the kiosk offers each type only its own reasons for a visit.
- From then on, the gate screen, the Guard app and the kiosk apply the rules by themselves.
Everything it does
Ready-made types
- Guest: photo, up to 4 hours
- Vendor / Supplier: photo, up to 4 hours
- Contractor / Maintenance: photo and ID proof, up to 10 hours
- Interview Candidate: photo, up to 6 hours
- Delivery: no photo, up to 30 minutes, let in without waiting for the host
- Government / Inspection: photo, up to 8 hours, let in without waiting for the host
Rules on a type
- Photo Required (on for a new type) and ID Proof Required (off for a new type)
- Maximum Stay (hours): visits inside longer are flagged as an overstay; 0 means no limit
- Allowed Gates: empty means every gate; a walk-in or a pass at another gate is refused with the gates allowed
- Self-service: offered on the kiosk and the public pre-registration page; a type needing an ID is never offered on the kiosk
- Kiosk Hint: a short line under the type on the kiosk
- Hosts Can Invite: on for a new type; hosts may invite visitors of this type (Growth)
- Entity: empty means the type is shared by every entity
Waiting for the host
- Every walk-in waits for the host unless the Visitor at the gate chain lets its type in at once
- The chain is kept under Visitors > Configuration > General > Approval Chains by VMS administrators
- Pass holders never wait: the host invited them
Purposes
- Ready: Meeting, Interview, Delivery, Maintenance / Service, Enquiry, Personal
- A purpose can be linked to types; a type with purposes of its own shows only those on the kiosk
Reports
- Visit Analysis and the visit list group by visitor type and purpose
- Filters for overstay and auto check-out show which types stay too long
Who uses it
AdministratorCreates and changes visitor types, purposes and the approval chain.
GuardPicks the type at the walk-in; the screen enforces its rules.
Reception / ManagerSees visits by type and overstays in the reports.
Where you use it
- Web: Visitors > Configuration > Gates and Visitors > Visitor Types, Purposes and Approval Chains
- Web: the gate screen, the guard page and the SmartMy VMS Guard app apply the rules. The app is built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- The kiosk: only Self-service types without an ID requirement are offered
- Not on the printed badge: Badge Colour can be set on a type, but the badge is printed in one colour
What you control
Settings
- Photo Required: on for new types
- ID Proof Required: off for new types
- Maximum Stay (hours): 0 (no limit) for new types
- Allowed Gates: empty (every gate)
- Self-service: off for new types
- Hosts Can Invite: on for new types (Growth)
Approvals
- Visitor at the gate: one level to start with, the host and the alternate host. Only For steps per visitor type, with Delivery and Government / Inspection approved at once as the product ships
Notifications
- Visitor Waiting for Approval: to the host and the alternate host when a walk-in of a type that waits arrives. By app push, WhatsApp, SMS, email and in-app
Works with
SmartMy HRMSInterview candidates and hiring-drive guests arrive on passes made from the interview.
Questions
Can deliveries come in without calling the host?
Yes. Delivery and Government / Inspection are let in at once as the product ships. You can add or remove types in the Visitor at the gate approval chain.Can we keep contractors to the service gate?
Yes. Set Allowed Gates on the Contractor / Maintenance type. A walk-in or a pass of that type at any other gate is refused, with the gates that are allowed.What happens when a visitor stays longer than allowed?
The visit is flagged Overstay on the gate screen and in the visit list, checked every 15 minutes. No message is sent for an overstay.Does the badge colour change the printed badge?
No. Badge Colour can be set on a type, but the printed badge comes in one colour today.Can each entity have its own types?
Yes. A type with an Entity belongs to that entity; a type with no Entity is shared by all of them.Related features
VISITORS AND CHECK-INVisitor photo and ID proofDecide per visitor type whether the gate must take a photo and note an ID proof. The gate cannot let the visitor in without them. The full ID number and the ID image are seen only by guards, reception and administrators; everyone else sees the number masked.VISITORS AND CHECK-INWalk-in registration with check-in and check-outThe guard or reception registers a visitor without a pass on one form. It has mobile, name, photo, whom they see, the kind of visit and what they brought. Every visit keeps its gate, its arrival, check-in and check-out times, and a four-digit gate pass number the visitor uses to leave.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.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.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 TOOLSSelf check-in kioskA tablet at the gate or at reception where visitors check themselves in and out. They scan a pass or type its code. Without a pass, they register with a photo and accept your terms, while the guard deals with the next person.
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.