> ## 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. # Respond to a Visitor Alert > Read a GoGuardian Visitor email or text alert for a confirmed sex offender registry or watchlist match, and find the full details in Visitor. GoGuardian Visitor sends you an alert when a staff member at your school confirms that a visitor checking in matches a sex offender registry record or a watchlist entry. If you receive an alert, you're on a notification list: your site's default list for sex offender registry matches, or a list attached to that watchlist. The alert tells you what was matched, where the visitor is, and who they are, so you can follow your school's procedures. This article shows you what each alert includes and where to find more details in Visitor. You don't need access to Visitor to receive alerts. For how staff review a possible match before confirming it, see [Review Screening Alerts](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/review-screening-alerts.md). ## Know What Happened Before the Alert Visitor sends an alert only after a staff member reviews a possible match and chooses **Confirm Match**. By the time you receive it: * A staff member confirmed the visitor's identity, compared them with the record, and confirmed they're the same person. * Visitor denied the check-in or check-out. If the visitor used a kiosk, it shows "You could not check in" and "Please see the front desk." * The staff member who confirmed the match saw **Escalation Started**, which means Visitor sent the alert to the notification lists. If you're on the notification list, you receive the alert even when you're the staff member who confirmed the match. GoGuardian Visitor sends alerts for 2 kinds of match: * **Sex offender registry match:** sent to your site's default notification list. Registry data comes from a third party, and GoGuardian does not independently verify it. * **Watchlist match:** sent to the notification lists attached to that watchlist. A watchlist is a list your school keeps of people staff need to know about at check-in. Flagged answers and **Confirm Students** reviews never send alerts. For how screening works, see [Understand Visitor Screening](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/visitor-screening.md). ## Read an Email Alert Email alerts come from GoGuardian Visitor ([visitor-noreply@goguardiannotifications.com](mailto:visitor-noreply@goguardiannotifications.com)). The subject line names the kind of match: | Match | Subject | Heading in the email | | - | - | - | | Sex offender registry | Sex Offender Alert | Visitor Alert: Sex Offender | | Watchlist | Watchlist Alert: *watchlist name* | Visitor Alert: Watchlist - *watchlist name* | Below the heading, the email says, for example, "A staff member confirmed and escalated an offender match for a visitor at Lincoln Middle School." A watchlist alert says "a watchlist match" instead. A table follows with these details: | Field | What it shows | | - | - | | **Site** | The school where the visitor is attempting to check in. | | **Room** | Where the visitor is attempting to check in, such as the front office. | | **Kiosk** | The kiosk the visitor used. Not included when staff started the check-in at the **Front Desk**. | | **Watchlist** | The watchlist the visitor matched. Watchlist alerts only. | | **Visitor** | The visitor's name from the check-in. | | **DOB** | The visitor's date of birth, in year-month-day format. | | **Height** | Height from the sex offender registry results for the match. Included only when the registry provides it. | | **Weight** | Weight from the sex offender registry results for the match. Included only when the registry provides it. | | **Photo** | The photo taken of the visitor during check-in. Included only when the form took one. | If you can use the Visitor **Front Desk**, the email also has a **View Front Desk** button. See [Find More Details in Visitor](#find-more-details-in-visitor). Emails and texts are in the language set in your GoGuardian account preferences. ![Watchlist alert email titled Visitor Alert: Watchlist - Custody Orders, with the site, room, kiosk, watchlist, visitor name, date of birth, and photo, and View Front Desk](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/respond-to-a-visitor-alert/01-watchlist-email.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=f75b35d6a2f95df98131fd4424475f61) ## Read a Text Message Alert If your notification list sends SMS alerts, you receive a text message. Like the email, it's sent only after staff confirm the match. Texts are short and don't include a photo or a link. For a sex offender registry match: ```text theme={null} Sex Offender Alert Lincoln Middle School - Front Office Name: Jordan Sample DOB: 1980-01-01 Height: 5'11" Weight: 180 lbs - GoGuardian Visitor ``` For a watchlist match, the first line names the watchlist, and the text has no height or weight: ```text theme={null} Watchlist Alert: Custody Orders Lincoln Middle School - Front Office Name: Jordan Sample DOB: 1980-01-01 - GoGuardian Visitor ``` The second line is the site and the room where the visitor is attempting to check in. Height and weight appear only when the registry provides them, written the way the registry lists them, so the format can vary. ## Follow Your School's Procedures GoGuardian Visitor's part ends when it denies the check-in or check-out and sends the alert. Follow your school's procedures for a confirmed match, such as who goes to the front office and who else to contact. ## Find More Details in Visitor The alert has what you need to act. For more, such as the record that staff confirmed, go to Visitor. You see check-ins on the **Front Desk** and in the **Activity Log** only for the check-in points you're assigned to. Site Admins see every check-in point. If you don't have Visitor access, or the check-in isn't listed, ask the staff member at the front desk or a Site Admin. See [Users and Permissions](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/users-and-permissions.md). 1. In the email, click **View Front Desk**. Or sign in to Visitor and go to the **Front Desk** for your site. Visitor works in your phone's browser too. 2. Find the check-in under **Recent Activity**, which lists the latest check-ins. Its status is **Denied**, with a red alert icon. 3. For the full details, go to the **Activity Log**, select **Escalated** in the **Alerts** filter, and select the check-in. 4. Verify the result: The **Screening** section shows **Offender Match** or **Watchlist Match**, the record that staff confirmed, who confirmed it, and the watchlist **Reason** for a watchlist match. The **Notifications** section shows whether each list member's email and text was **Sent**. ![Activity Log details for a denied check-in, with a confirmed Offender Match showing who reviewed it, the fictional registry record, and Notifications marked Sent for each Front Office Safety member's email and SMS](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/respond-to-a-visitor-alert/02-escalated-details.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=cf77373683f8f7f075f18f8c60342274) ## Make Sure You Receive Alerts You receive alerts when a Site Admin adds you to a notification list. Each list sends email, SMS, or both. * **Email:** sent to the email address on your GoGuardian account. * **SMS:** sent to the phone number on your account in GoGuardian Org Management. It must be a mobile number with no extension. To join a list or change whether it sends email or SMS, ask a Site Admin. To add or change your mobile number, ask a Super User. See [Notification Lists](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/notification-lists.md). ## Troubleshoot Visitor Alerts | Problem | Cause | Fix | | - | - | - | | You didn't receive an email or text | You aren't on the notification list for that match, or the list doesn't send that kind of alert. | Ask a Site Admin to check the list. A Site Admin can also check the **Notifications** section of the check-in in the **Activity Log** to see who the alert was sent to. | | You get emails but not texts | Your notification list doesn't send SMS alerts, or your account has no phone number or one Visitor can't text, such as a desk phone or a number with an extension. | Ask a Site Admin to check that the list sends SMS alerts. If it does, ask a Super User to add your mobile number in Org Management. See [Set Up SMS Alerts](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/notification-lists.md#set-up-sms-alerts). | | Alert emails go to spam or never arrive | Your school's email system filters the sender. | Ask your IT team to allow [visitor-noreply@goguardiannotifications.com](mailto:visitor-noreply@goguardiannotifications.com). | | The email has no **View Front Desk** button | You don't have access to the Visitor **Front Desk**. | Use the details in the alert, or ask a Site Admin for access. See [Users and Permissions](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/users-and-permissions.md). | | The check-in isn't on the **Front Desk** or in the **Activity Log** | You aren't assigned to that check-in point. | Use the details in the alert, or ask a Site Admin to add you to the check-in point's **Assigned Staff**. See [Check-In Points](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/check-in-points.md). | | The alert has no photo, height, or weight | The form didn't take a photo, or the registry doesn't provide height or weight. Watchlist alerts never include height or weight, and text alerts never include a photo. | No fix needed. Use the name, date of birth, and location in the alert. | ## Resources * [Review Screening Alerts](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/review-screening-alerts.md) * [Understand Visitor Screening](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/visitor-screening.md) * [Notification Lists](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/notification-lists.md) * [Watchlists](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/watchlists.md) * [Activity Log](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/activity-log.md) * [Hallway View](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/hallway-view.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.