Thank you for attending our July 2024 Office Hours! As this was an Advanced session, we have compiled all the questions you asked and the Creative Solutions topics from the session. If you have any remaining questions, please reach out to our Support Team using the orange chat bubble at the bottom right of this page.

If you haven't heard, we’re holding a referral raffle. For every referral that you pass our way, you’ll be entered to win the grand prize of a $300 account credit plus a free iPad. Do you know any colleagues in other offices or friends at other companies who might like to give The Receptionist for iPad a try? Send them our way for a chance to win big!

Is Office Hours recorded?

We don't record Office Hours. We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable asking questions and turning on their cameras without the pressure of being recorded or having that recording shared with other customers. All the questions from the session are added to a Q+A article (just like this one), so don't worry if you miss an explanation 😉 We host these sessions every month, so if you forget to ask a question, you can ask it next time. You're also always welcome to pop into our Support chat at the bottom right of this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (303) 954-8282.

I'm a new Admin! Where do I start?

This New Admin Resource article is a great place to start your Receptionist for iPad training. The Help Center is also a fantastic place to explore to get yourself acquainted with our system. If you have any additional questions beyond the Help Center, please let our Support Team know.

What is a Secret Button, and how do I set it up?

Secret Buttons are Contactless Check-In, Notification, Employee or Message Buttons that only appear when the visitor or an internal employee is provided with the specific Button link. This Button link will work whether the Button is active or not. Here is how to set it up:

Your Button will no longer appear to visitors on the iPad or via the Contactless link, but the link address for this Button will still work! This is a great way for your employees to have their own Button for internal processes.

If your visitors or employees are using the Secret Button while on-site, you'll want to disable Queue Visits for this Button. If you are sending the Secret Button to your visitors before they arrive at your facility, keep Queue Visits enabled.

I don't want the Contactless pop-up to appear on my iPad, but I want to use the Contactless QR code and/or link.

You can still use the Contactless QR code or link even if the feature is turned off. First, turn on Contactless Check-In, then save your QR Code/link, then turn off Contactless Check-In! Since the QR Code scanner will no longer appear on the iPad, you'll want to disable Queue Visits on your Buttons. Considering this, you'll only want to share the QR Code and link with visitors who are on-site.

One of my Contacts sometimes receives visitors, but we don't want just anyone to check in with them. Is there a way to hide Contacts depending on the visitor?

A great way to hide a Contact is to assign Departments to all your Contacts except the names you don't want to appear on the Contact List. These "hidden" Contacts will still be searchable in the search field and can receive visitors, but they won't appear on the standard Contact List for check-in.

Another option is to create different Buttons for different types of visitors. You can then assign Contacts only to their corresponding Buttons.

Some of my visitors don't know exactly who they're visiting, or they only know which department they're here to see.

Contacts don't always have to be individual people; Contacts can be associated with distribution list email addresses, shared SMS numbers, Slack Channels, and Teams Channels.

You can even create a Contact called "I don't know" with the email address or SMS number of the person who typically receives these types of visitors. If the person to be notified of these visitors is already in your system as a Contact, you can also add them as a Messaging Rule for the "I don't know" Contact instead. Make sure you assign this "I don't know" Contact to any Button where a visitor may not know who they are there to see.

You can also create a Contact for a whole department, such as the "Customer Experience Department," adding any Contacts that need to be notified as Messaging Rules.

A final option is to create a separate Notification Button for these types of visitors. Visitors will not need to select a Contact, but your specified Contact for this Button will be notified automatically.

I want to link The Receptionist for iPad with our payment portal/review website/patient portal, but there aren't any integrations that fit.

The easiest way to have visitors access an outside website/app within the check-in process is to create a new Message Button and upload a QR code as the Custom Icon. You can use a QR code maker to create the link to your app/URL. It will look like this:

Make sure to clearly label this button and provide additional instructions within the Header and Body text field, including that visitors need to scan the icon for this button to proceed. If you have any questions about this setup, please reach out to our Support team!

What is the Groups feature? What does it allow me to do?

Do you ever give tours of your business and want to upload your visitors to the system beforehand? What if you're hosting several VIPs in a few hours and want to print their badges before they arrive? With our Groups feature, you can do all that and more!

Groups function similarly to our Pre-Registration feature, and you'll need that feature turned on on at least one of your buttons to get started using it. Then, you can upload batches of incoming visitors for your team's internal reference and early badge printing!

Please note that, when using this feature, visitors will not interact with the iPad, and you will be unable to collect check-in information or Agreement signatures from them. If you still want visitors to check themselves in, check out our Pre-Registration feature.

Is Groups the best way to pre-register my visitors?

If you want to pre-print badges, check large groups of visitors in and out at once, and you don't need to collect any visitor information beyond name and company name, then yes!

Can I play a safety video for Groups?

No, visitors in Groups will not be able to view Agreement videos.

What if I want my Groups to sign an Agreement prior to coming onsite?

If you need your visitors to sign an Agreement before their arrival, you should not use the Groups feature. If you want visitors to sign the Agreement in advance, we suggest emailing the Contactless Check-In link to your visitors and having them complete the check-in process themselves.

Can I export the Visit Log to my colleagues who aren't Users?

Yes! You can Export the Visit Log to anyone in your organization, as long as you have their email address. Follow these instructions to learn how to Filter and Export the Visit Log!

Can a Contact check their visitor out, or can only Users check visitors out?

Users are the only people who have access to the Visit Log. However, you can enable Check Out Reminders for all your Buttons, which will provide a link via email, Slack, or Teams for your Contacts to check their visitor out after a period of time if the visitor has not checked out.

I have many carriers that deliver to my facility, but the Delivery button only allows me to choose 6. How can I include them all?

If you need more than 6 carriers, you can create a Check-In Button and label it "Delivery" instead of using our standard Delivery Button. Create a Name or Company Visitor Field for this Button to ask which carrier they are with if you want this information to be available in the Contact notification. If you only need the word "Delivery" in the notification, you can add a Multiple Choice field with all carrier options to streamline the process for your carrier. Either way, the Contact still receives a notification that their delivery has arrived!

My visitors aren't answering my Visitor Fields correctly and are complaining they have to enter their full email, even when I have added their domain. How can I make sure they're efficiently checking in?

Label, label, and label some more! Make sure your Visitor Field questions are clear, and list examples in the placeholder field. You can even add a note to tell visitors to use the email domains above the keyboard in the placeholder field!

Can you choose which visitors you want to print a badge for?

If you want to print badges for some visitors but not others, create separate Buttons for each type of visitor. Only turn on Badge Printing for the visitors who need badges.

I already have an iPad and a stand. Can I just buy a printer from The Receptionist?

The Receptionist only sells printers as an add-on to our Receptionist in a Box Bundle. You can purchase a Brother badge printer from any other office supply retailer. We recommend the Brother QL-820NWB.

Does Active Directory syncing override the Contacts you've added manually?

Yes, if you have Active Directory regularly syncing with The Receptionist for iPad, it will override any changes made to Contacts within the Web Portal.

When I delete a Contact from Active Directory, their Contact information remains in in the Web Portal. What's going on?

If the script is configured properly and you're not receiving any error messages, please check and make sure that your scheduling sync is running regularly. The script needs to be scheduled on a regular cadence to update your Contacts in the Web Portal.

If you are receiving an error message, please check the notes on the Active Directory Integration Page or contact our Support Team!

What is coming in the next release?

Our Product Portal is the best place to check for upcoming updates. If there's something you'd like to see at The Receptionist, you can submit a new idea or reach out to our Support Team to see how we can help!
​
​