Employee: Pre-approve a Visitor

Pre-approve a visitor

If you know somebody is coming, register them beforehand. They arrive, the guard scans their code, and they are admitted. Nobody rings you, and your visitor does not wait in the lobby.

It takes about thirty seconds.

First, claim your record

You only do this once.

1. Install Plinth and sign in with the mobile number your employer has on your roster record.
2. Your employee record is matched to you automatically. If your admin used a different number, ask them to correct it on the roster.

Once claimed, you can pre-approve visitors and respond to walk-ins asking for you.

Pre-approve a visitor

1. Open Visitors and choose Pre-approve.
2. Enter the visitor's name and mobile number.
3. Set when they are expected. A window rather than an exact time is fine and usually better.
4. Add the purpose if it helps the guard, for example "interview" or "AMC vendor".
5. Save.

A pass with a code is created. Share it with your visitor: send the code or the link by WhatsApp, SMS or email, whichever you already use with them.

When they arrive, the guard verifies the code at the desk and admits them. You are not interrupted.

What your visitor gets

Your visitor receives a code and a link. They do not need to install anything. The link shows the pass and the code, which the guard can scan or key in.

If your visitor is unlikely to have their phone out at the desk, tell them to have the code ready, or just tell the guard the visitor's name in advance by adding a clear purpose.

Respond when a walk-in asks for you

Somebody arrives without a pass and names you. You get a notification.

1. Open the notification. It shows the visitor's name, phone, purpose and a photo if the guard took one.
2. Choose Approve or Deny.
3. The guard sees your answer immediately.

If you do not respond, the request escalates to reception after the timeout your office has set, usually about five minutes. Reception then decides. This means a visitor is never left standing while you are in a meeting, but it also means somebody else may make a call you would have made differently. If you are expecting somebody, pre-approve them and avoid the situation.

If you are going to be unreachable for a stretch and you are expecting a visitor, tell reception.

Set up a regular visitor

For somebody who comes often, a cab driver, a vendor, a courier you use weekly, use a recurring pass rather than creating one each time.

1. Open Visitors, then Recurring or Templates.
2. Create a template with the person's name and number.
3. Use it to issue a pass in one tap whenever they are due.

Review your templates occasionally and remove people who no longer come. A pass for a vendor you stopped using two years ago is exactly the sort of thing an audit finds.

Deliveries addressed to you

A courier with a parcel for you by name triggers a notification. You can accept it, and the parcel is held until you collect it. Parcels addressed to the company generally go to reception with a pickup code.

Collect promptly. Reception counters are not storage.

Etiquette that makes this work

• Pre-approve rather than relying on the walk-in flow. The walk-in path exists for surprises, not as the normal route. If everybody uses walk-ins, reception ends up making decisions all day.
• Give the visitor the code in advance, not when they are already at the desk.
• Deny promptly when you do not want to see somebody. An unanswered request becomes reception's problem in five minutes.
• Tell reception if you are expecting somebody unusual, for example a large delivery or a group.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need my admin to create the pass? No. Pre-approving your own visitors is something you do yourself. That is the point.

Does my visitor need to install an app? No. They get a code and a link that works in any browser.

Can I pre-approve several people for one meeting? Create a pass for each person, so each arrival is recorded individually. A single shared code cannot tell you who actually came.

What if my visitor arrives early? The guard can still admit them, and can send a request to you or reception if the pass window has not opened yet.

What if I miss the notification? After the timeout, the request escalates to reception, who will decide. Pre-approving avoids this.

Can I see who visited me previously? Yes, your visitor history is in the Visitors section, subject to how long your office keeps records.

Is my phone number shown to visitors? No. Visitors see the pass and code. Your contact details are not shared with them.

Related: Reception: approve walk-ins · Set up office visitor management