This article will explain the 'Categories’ section on the e-Reception Book dashboard and how to manage your categories. Read this article to learn more about managing, editing, and creating visitor categories on the dashboard.
What are Categories?
Categories enable the sorting of visitors into various groups. For example, you can establish categories such as 'Visitors' and 'Contractors' to streamline visitor check-in.
Assigning categories helps tailor questions for specific groups; for instance, asking visitors about their experience with their visit. When visitors sign out, these tailored questions can appear, aiding in collecting valuable feedback.
Categories Overview Screen
When looking at the 'Categories' screen, you will see this page. This is an overview of all of the visitor categories you have created. Below is a breakdown of each section and what it means:
This section on the left of the page shows you, in order, the categories you have created and allows you to add a new category.
In the centre of the screen is category statistics. This will show you the total categories you've created, the total categories that are active, and the categories that you have archived.
This list shows you information relating to your categories:
Category name - The name of your visitor category. For example, "Contractor".
Documents attached - Documents you have assigned to appear when somebody of that category signs in. For example, a fire escape document they have to sign before entering your premises.
Label enabled - Whether or not you have a visitor label printed when a visitor of an assigned category signs in. This could help staff to identify visitors as they are walking around your building.
Feedback enabled - Whether or not you have certain feedback questions appear when a visitor signs out. For example, when a visitor signs out, you can have a question appear asking them how they found their visit today.
Fields added - How many questions you've assigned to the visitor category.
Notifications - Whether or not you have notifications turned on when a visitor from an assigned category arrives. For example, you may want an email notification sent to you when a contractor arrives so you can go and greet them and they're not left waiting.
Timed Category - The Category will be only visible during the selected time frame.
Automatic Checkout - When a visitor checks-in to this category, they will be automatically checked-out after a set time.
How to Add Categories
Follow the steps below to learn how to add visitor categories and how these categories show on the iPad app:
How to Edit Categories
Follow this guide below to learn how you can edit existing visitor categories:
How to Duplicate Categories
Follow the steps below to learn how you can duplicate an existing visitor category:
How to Archive Categories
Follow the steps below to learn how you can archive a visitor category:
How to Reorder Categories
Follow the steps below to learn how you can reorder visitor categories on the dashboard and how this will show on the iPad app:
How to Add or Remove Questions as part of a Category
Follow the steps below to learn how you can add questions for visitors to fill out when they sign in:
If you would like to learn more regarding Custom Questions, please refer to our Custom Questions guide here.
How to Rearrange the Order of Questions
Follow the steps below to learn how you can rearrange the order in which questions are filled out when a visitor signs in and how this will appear on the iPad:
How to Update Email Templates for your Visitor Categories
Follow this guide to learn how you can update and create email templates for your visitor categories:
What are Time-Based Categories?
e-Reception Book's time-based categories feature helps organise visitor entries by the time they arrive or leave. This makes it easier to manage and track visitors efficiently.
The e-Reception Book's time-based categories feature lets you set specific check-in and check-out times for different visitor groups. For instance, a school can set the breakfast club category to appear only between 8 AM and 10:30 AM on the iPad. This means anyone checking in before or after these times will be unable to see the breakfast club category.
Please see the table below for examples of how this can be used for Professional, Education and Care licences:
Professional | Set a "Cleaning Staff" category between 6 PM to 8PM.
Set a "Training Sessions" category between 1 PM to 3 PM. |
Care | Set an "Evening Visitors" category from 6 PM to 8 PM.
Set a "Lunch Entertainment" category between 12 PM and 2 PM. |
Education | Set an "Breakfast Club" category from 7AM to 8AM.
Set a "After School Club" category between 4PM and 5PM. |
Please see an example of what this looks like below where the category shows in between those times e.g between 7-8AM using the example above.
Please see an example of what this looks like below where the category is no longer available as it has gone past the end time:
This feature is available on Professional, Education and Care licences, but is NOT available for the Business licence.
How To Enable Time-Based for a Category
To create and enable time-based categories on the e-Reception Book dashboard, please follow the steps we have provided below:
Time-Based Categories are confined to a 24-hour period and cannot span across multiple days. For instance, an after-hours security category can be set from 7 PM to midnight (12 AM) but cannot extend past that time.
Additional Support
If you have any immediate questions, please use our Live Chat on the bottom right-hand side of the page.