> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.goguardian.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Visitor Notifications

> See which notifications GoGuardian Visitor sends staff, who gets them, and how each staff member turns email, push, and SMS notifications on or off.

GoGuardian Visitor notifies staff when a visitor or student checks in to see them or is headed to their room, so a host or teacher knows they're on the way without a call from the front office. Each staff member chooses how they get these notifications (email, push, SMS, or none) in their own **Account Settings**.

Everyday notifications are separate from escalation alerts. When staff confirm a possible match from screening, Visitor alerts your notification lists, and staff can't turn those alerts off in **Account Settings**. See [Compare Escalation Alerts](#compare-escalation-alerts).

## Review the Notifications Visitor Sends

| Notification | Sent when | Who gets it | Channels |
| - | - | - | - |
| Check-in | A visitor or student finishes checking in, at a kiosk or the **Front Desk** | The visitor's host and staff assigned to the destination room | Email, push, SMS |

If your school also uses GoGuardian Hall Pass, a form's **Create Hall Pass** step creates a pass, and Hall Pass notifies involved staff based on each staff member's **Pass events** setting.

## Understand Check-In Notifications

These staff members get a check-in notification:

* **Hosts:** the staff members chosen in the form's **Choose Host** step.
* **Destination staff:** staff assigned to the room chosen in the form's **Choose Destination** step, so the teacher or staff member in that room knows the visitor or student is on the way.

Each staff member gets 1 notification per check-in. A host who is also assigned to the destination room gets the host version. The student who checks in isn't notified, and neither are deactivated accounts. If no host is chosen and nobody is assigned to the destination room, Visitor sends no check-in notification.

Each notification says who checked in and where. Destination staff also see where the visitor or student is headed.

* **Email:** sent from [visitor-noreply@goguardiannotifications.com](mailto:visitor-noreply@goguardiannotifications.com) with the subject "Jordan Sample checked in at Lincoln Middle School". The email shows the **Visitor** or **Student**, **Checked in at** (the check-in point), **Destination** (if there is one), **Site**, and **Time**. For a visitor, a host's email is titled "Your visitor checked in."
* **Push:** titled "Visitor Checked In - Lincoln Middle School" or "Student Checked In - Lincoln Middle School," with the same message as the SMS.
* **SMS:** a short message signed "- GoGuardian Visitor."

A host gets this text:

```text theme={null}
Jordan Sample has checked in at Main Office with you selected as their host.

- GoGuardian Visitor
```

Destination staff get this text:

```text theme={null}
Jordan Sample has checked in at Main Office to travel to Room 104.

- GoGuardian Visitor
```

Notifications use each recipient's GoGuardian language preference.

![Host check-in email titled Your visitor checked in, saying a fictional visitor checked in at Front Office and you're listed as their host, with Visitor, Checked in at, Destination, Site, and Time](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/notifications/01-host-email.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=01580c7ad6a02554d14d71d31dc9db26)

## Turn Notifications On or Off

Check-in notifications are on for email, push, and SMS by default. Each staff member sets their own preferences, and the settings apply at every site they belong to. Admins can't change them for someone else.

The setting is called **Visitor Check-in Host Notifications**, but it covers every check-in notification, including ones you get as destination staff. It appears only for staff and admins at a site that uses Visitor.

1. Click your name in the top-right corner, then select **Account Settings**.
2. Under **Notification preferences**, find **Visitor Check-in Host Notifications**.
3. Turn **Email**, **Push**, and **SMS** on or off.
4. Click **Submit**.
5. Verify the result: The switches stay as you set them when you reopen **Account Settings**.

![Account Settings with Notification preferences listing Pass events, Writeups, Smart Reports, Site Scans, and a highlighted Visitor Check-in Host Notifications group with Email, Push, and SMS switched on, above Submit](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/notifications/02-preferences.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=802c6c91781a2ae2fd7640fa38f132dd)

## Set Up Push and SMS Notifications

**Push** notifications go to each browser where you've allowed notifications from GoGuardian. When you open GoGuardian, your browser asks whether to allow notifications. Click **Allow** in every browser where you want them.

If you blocked notifications, turn them back on in the browser's site settings.

**SMS** notifications go to the phone number on your account in GoGuardian Org Management. Visitor can text a number only if it has 10 digits (or 11 starting with 1) and no extension. Use a mobile number, because a landline passes this check but can't receive texts.

If your number is missing or isn't in a format Visitor can text, a warning icon appears next to **SMS** in **Account Settings**. Point to it to see "Your account does not have an SMS-capable phone number. Ask your administrator to update your account phone number."

A Super User can update the number in Org Management. See [Edit Account Permissions](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/org-management/create-manage-user-accounts.md#edit-account-permissions).

## Compare Escalation Alerts

Escalation alerts go to notification lists, not hosts, and individuals can't turn them off.

| | Everyday notifications | Escalation alerts |
| - | - | - |
| Sent when | A check-in finishes | Staff click **Confirm Match** on a possible sex offender registry or watchlist match |
| Who gets them | Hosts and destination staff | Members of the notification lists for that match |
| Channels | Email, push, SMS | Email, SMS |
| Who controls them | Each staff member, in **Account Settings** | Site Admins, on each notification list |

To choose who gets escalation alerts, see [Notification Lists](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/notification-lists.md). For what an alert contains and what to do with it, see [Respond to a Visitor Alert](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/respond-to-a-visitor-alert.md).

## Troubleshoot Notifications

| Problem | Cause | Fix |
| - | - | - |
| A host didn't get a check-in notification | The form has no **Choose Host** step, the visitor picked another host, or the host turned notifications off | Check the form's steps and the check-in in the **Activity Log**. Have the host check **Visitor Check-in Host Notifications** in **Account Settings**. |
| A teacher didn't get a notification for a student check-in | The teacher isn't assigned to the room the student chose, the form has no **Choose Destination** step, or the teacher turned notifications off | Check the room's assigned staff in **Settings** → **Rooms** and the form's steps. Have the teacher check **Visitor Check-in Host Notifications** in **Account Settings**. |
| Email notifications don't arrive | The email went to spam or was filtered | Check spam and filtered folders, and add [visitor-noreply@goguardiannotifications.com](mailto:visitor-noreply@goguardiannotifications.com) to your safe senders. |
| Push notifications don't arrive | The browser blocks notifications from GoGuardian | Allow notifications for GoGuardian in the browser's site settings. See [Set Up Push and SMS Notifications](#set-up-push-and-sms-notifications). |
| Texts don't arrive | **SMS** is off, or the account phone number can't get texts | Turn on **SMS** in **Account Settings**. If a warning icon appears next to it, or the number is a landline, see [Set Up Push and SMS Notifications](#set-up-push-and-sms-notifications). |
| A staff member gets too many notifications | They're assigned to a busy destination room or picked often as a host | Have them turn off the channels they don't need in **Account Settings**. |

## Resources

* [Notification Lists](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/notification-lists.md)
* [Respond to a Visitor Alert](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/respond-to-a-visitor-alert.md)
* [Form Steps Reference](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/form-steps-reference.md)
* [Check-In Points](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/check-in-points.md)
* [Users and Permissions](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/users-and-permissions.md)


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