This article is meant to act as a landing page for common errors and troubleshooting techniques that our clients run into. If you don't see your error on this page, have no fear; try searching keywords on the top search bar or selecting the chat bubble in the lower corner to talk with us directly.

This article assumes you have a basic level of knowledge regarding how the system works. If you're just getting started and looking for an introductory course on using the product, try out this article for new accounts, and this one for new Users on existing accounts.

If you're attempting to upload new Contacts via CSV file and encounter errors, first, be sure you're using the correct formatting. On the Contacts page of the web portal, once you select "Import CSV," you'll see a button that reads "Example CSV." You can select that to download our example file with the relevant formatting. We suggest you work from that document rather than creating your own.

If you've already done so and still see errors, please ensure your document is saved as a UTF-8 document, rather than a simple comma-separated value (CSV) file. When saving the file, the correct format option will look something like this:

Have you added new contacts that are showing on the web portal but not during check-in on the iPad itself?

Contacts are not automatically assigned to buttons; you can select which contacts show on which buttons to ensure that the check-in process is customizable. Contacts can be assigned to buttons either by editing the buttons or editing the contact information. This article goes into more depth about assigning contacts to your check-in buttons.

While most customization is done on the web portal, you may need to make changes to the app on the iPad itself. These will require you to access the secret settings menu. It's easy to access and has a host of customizable goodies!

To access the secret settings menu on the iPad, start on the home screen of The Receptionist. Once there, touch and hold one finger on the top center of the screen for about six seconds or until the screen flips.

One common troubleshooting step using the secret settings menu is a hard logout. Hard logouts can be helpful if you find the system is stuck or loading slowly and you're confident it's not a network error, among other things. To initiate a hard logout, press and hold the log out button until you're prompted to confirm that you want to hard logout. A hard logout will disconnect your printer if you're using one, so you'll need to reconnect it once you log back in!

Before you try printer troubleshooting, please make sure you've followed our setup guides here. We are only compatible with the printers visible on the web portal (the Brother QL-710W, QL-720NW, QL-810W, and QL-820NWB). Printer setup with The Receptionist is not done following Brother's instructions, so be sure to reference our documentation.

If you've already followed those steps, start with our printer troubleshooting bot — it will gather data our support team will need to help you solve the issue!

If you're using an old app version, you may run into errors or be unable to use our newest features. To update The Receptionist app, you can start by closing The Receptionist. Then, open up the App Store and search for The Receptionist. Select the app with the blue TR logo. You'll see a button that says Open if no updates are available. If there are available updates, that button will say update.

We recommend keeping your iPad on the newest operating system. When a new generation launches, i.e., moving from iOS 16 to 17). We may suggest you remain on the older operating system while we ensure that the new system hasn't introduced any bugs. That aside, though, keeping your iPad updated will help minimize errors and keep the iPad running smoothly.

To update the iPad, close The Receptionist app. Then open up the settings app and navigate to General > Software Update. Turn on Automatic updates. You will see an option to download the update if there are available updates. Once the update is downloaded, you may need to press an Install button to install it; it may not begin installation immediately.