Managing Visitors for Multifamily admins

With VTS Activate for Multifamily's Visitor Management solution, Property Admins get an inside look at visitors entering the property and can pull important reports, manage access for visitors, create visitor passes, and more. We'll explore how.

1. View Visitor Reports
2. Manage the Watch List
3. Adding Visitors on Behalf of a Resident
4. Creating and Managing PIN Codes
5. Manage PIN Codes
6. Custom Range for Visitor Passes

View Visitor Reports

There are three visitor reports you can view:

1. Visitor Log Report: Tells you who has checked in and entered the property.
2. Authorized Visitors Report: Tells you who has been credentialed to enter the property anytime today or in the future. These are individuals who have or will have access.
3. Access Logs: If your property is utilizing hardware, this report displays scan attempts.

Visitor Logs Report

Step 1

Upon logging into the Admin Portal, select Access and then Visitors.

Step 2

In the top navigation, select Visitor Logs. This will show you, everyone who has checked in, both pre-credentialed and kiosk credentialed.

Step 3

To ensure the Visitor Log Report includes all of your Visitor Logs, make sure the Items per page is larger than the number of items in the list.

💡 If your list has over 1,000 items, download the first page, then any subsequent pages.

Step 4

Export the report by selecting Export as CSV from the top of the screen.

Step 5

You can see additional details for the visitor pass by selecting the Service Number or the three dots to the far right of the listing and then selecting Details.

Authorized Visitor Reports 

Step 1

To view Authorized Visitors, select Access and then Visitors. You will then select Authorized Visitors in the upper navigation.

Step 2

Authorized Visitors allows you to view all individuals who have a valid Visitor Pass for either today or in the future. From here you are able to edit or delete existing Visitor Passes by selecting the three horizontal dots to the right of the Visitor Pass you wish to edit or delete.

Step 3

To ensure the Visitor Log Report includes all of your Visitor Logs, make sure the Items per page is larger than the number of items in the list.

💡 If your list has over 1,000 items, download the first page, then any subsequent pages.

Step 4

Export the report by selecting Export as CSV under the More drop-down.

Access Logs

The Access Logs report allows you to view individual scan attempts based on the hardware location.  You can see if the pass being scanned was successful or if it failed to grant access.  It also shows who scanned the pass and when it was scanned.  

Step 1

Select Access in the left side menu.  Next select Access Logs under Access Management.

Step 2

Here, you'll see the list of scan attempts. Access Logs is Activate Multifamily's more granular report to document each and every time a user interacts with Access Hardware.

Step 3

To save the Access Logs Report as a CSV file, select Export as CSV in the top right corner. 

Manage the Watch List

The Watchlist can be used to ensure that visitor passes cannot be created for individuals you wish to keep out of your property. 

Step 1

Select Access and then Visitors from the left navigation menu.

Step 2

Select Watch List from the top, followed by Add New.

Step 3

Input the information for the individual you would like to add to the Watch List and select Submit.  

• Photo: Property Admins can add photos of individuals on the Watch List.
• First / Last Name: First and Last name of the person to be added to the Watch List.
• Email / Phone Number: Contact information of the person being added to the Watch List. When a Visitor pass is being created, Activate Multifamily will compare the contact information against the Watch List.
• Unit: Unit that requested the individual be added to the Watch List.
• Notes: Any additional information.
• Height / Weight: This may be added to give your Staff a better idea of the person's build.
• Date of Birth: This may be added to give your Staff a better idea of the person's age.
• Address: Include their home address if relevant or known.
• Reason: Reason the individual has been added to the Watch List.

When a Visitor Pass is being created, the platform will check the Watch List—if there's a match, the pass will NOT be created and the individual attempting to create the pass will be notified that the pass can't be created. 

Watch List Messaging

Step 1

Select Settings and then Visitors in the side navigation menu.

Step 2

Locate the Watch List Alert Message box and add your text for the message Residents will receive upon attempting to create a Visitor Pass for someone on the Watch List. You can find it just below the Visitor Pass Message setting. 

Step 3

Select Save Changes.

Adding Visitors on behalf of a Resident

Individually adding Visitors

Step 1

Select Access and then Visitors from the left navigation menu.

Step 2

Select Add New from the top right corner under Authorized Visitors.

Step 3

Enter the resident information for the pass you're making, followed by the visitor's contact information.

• Unit: Unit of the Resident
• Resident: Name of the Resident 
• First Name: First name of the Visitor
• Last Name: Last name of the Visitor
• Email / Phone Number: Either an email and/or a phone number must be included as this is how the Visitor Pass will be sent out. One or the other may be included.

💡 If you want to support international phone numbers, reach out to your partner at VTS Rise contact for assistance.

Step 4

Enter the time frame for the visitor pass to be valid. 

• Visitor Type: Options include Guest, Service, Contractor, or Delivery.
• Pass Type: Options include: 
  • Today: Visitor pass is valid for today's date:
  • Specific Date: Visitor pass is valid for a specific selected date.
  • Daily: Visitor passes are valid for each day within the selected time frame. 
  • Weekly: Visitor passes are valid on the selected days of the week in the selected time frame.
  • Indefinitely: Visitor passes are valid indefinitely, if your property allows.
• Start / End Time: Include the time frame during which the Visitor Pass will be valid.
• Add another visit: If additional passes must be created, it can be done so here.
• Note to Staff: If Staff needs to be made aware of anything surrounding this Visitor Pass, a note may be added.
• Notify others: If someone outside of the creator or host needs to be notified upon Visitor check-in.

Bulk import Visitors via CSV

Step 1

Select Access and then Visitors from the left navigation menu.

Step 2

Select More from the top right corner under Authorized Visitors. This will open a drop-down, select Import from CSV.

Step 3

Download Sample CSV so you know what fields to be included in the import.

Step 4

The sample CSV will look like the example below.

• firstname: Include the first name of the visitor.
• lastname: Include the last name of the visitor.
• email: Email and/or phone number is required in order to send the visitor pass to the visitor. It can be one or the other, but at least one must be included.
• phone_no: Phone number and/ or email are required in order to send the visitor pass to the visitor. It can be one or the other, but at least one must be included.
• unit: Include the unit that the visitor is visiting. 
• resident: Include the name of the resident the visitor is visiting.
• visitor_type: Select what type of visitor the pass is for. Options include Guest, Service, Contractor, and Delivery.
• notes_to_staff: Include an optional note to staff.
• scheduling_type: This is the pass type, whether it be today, daily, weekly, monthly, or a specific date. 
• specific_date: If the pass is for a specific date, enter the date in MM/DD/YYY 00:00:00 AM/PM.
• start_time: Enter the start time that the visitor pass will be valid in MM/DD/YYY 00:00:00 AM/PM.
• end_time: Enter the end time that the visitor pass will no longer be valid in MM/DD/YYY 00:00:00 AM/PM.
• days: If the visitor pass is a weekly pass, enter the days of the week it is valid, separated by a comma.
• day_of_month: If the visitor pass is a monthly pass, enter the days of the month it is valid, separated by a comma.

Step 5

When your spreadsheet is complete, ensure you are saving it as a CSV (Comma-Separated Values). Import the CSV by selecting Select CSV.

Creating and Managing PIN Codes

Property Managers can configure PIN codes to allow visitor access at visitor kiosk locations without relying upon a visitor pass or mobile device. 

Step 1

In the left navigation menu, select Access and then Kiosk.

Step 2

Select PIN Codes from the menu at the top of the screen to create new PIN Codes and manage existing PIN Codes.

Create a new PIN Code

Step 1

Create a new PIN Code by selecting Generate PIN Code from the top-right corner of the screen. 

Step 3

Enter the PIN Code details and select Submit.

• PIN Code: Include a unique 6-digit PIN.
• Who is this for?: This is for record purposes to know who is entering the property using the PIN Code.
• Repeats: Options include Today, Specific Date, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Indefinitely. Depending on the selection made, determine the dates the pass is to be valid.
• Start / End Time: Select the time range the PIN code is to be valid.

Manage PIN Codes

Step 1

Upon entering the PIN Codes module, select the three horizontal dots to the right of the PIN Code you would like to manage. 

Step 2

Select the action you would like to take:

• Details: View details about the PIN Code's configuration.
• Edit: Make changes to the existing PIN Code information.
• Delete:  Delete the PIN Code and its credentials accessibility at your visitor kiosk. 

When PIN Codes are entered, the numbers aren't visible on the Kiosk, for privacy purposes. 

Hide PIN Code Option from Kiosk User

Step 1

Select Settings and then Visitors in the side navigation menu.

Step 2

Navigate to Display on Kiosk. If you would like to hide the PIN from the Kiosk, deselect PIN input.

💡 For more information on Kiosk, check out this article.

Custom Range for Visitor Passes

With Activate Multifamily, you can limit the number of valid passes at your property on a daily basis. 

Step 1

Select Settings and then Visitors in the side navigation menu.

Step 2

Under Visitor Passes, select the check box next to Enable custom range for visitor passes. Input the minimum and the maximum number of passes you would like to be valid on a daily basis.

If you have an ACS integration, when VTS Rise is pushing visitor credentials, the ACS will dedicate the provided range exclusively for Rise Passes.

💡 Enabling this will remove the ability to have passes with indefinite validity.