Subscription note: Visitors on Basic plans can only have one sign-in flow per location. Visitors Premium and Enterprise plans include unlimited custom sign-in flows.
Overview
Every workplace sees a mix of visitors, and each type arrives with different expectations, different information you need to collect, and different security needs. A candidate coming in for an interview should have a fast, discreet experience. A contractor working on-site for a week needs a safety waiver, proof of insurance, and access to specific areas.
Envoy Visitors lets you build a tailored sign-in flow for each group using visitor types. When someone taps to sign in at the kiosk, they choose the type of visit they are here for, and Envoy runs the flow you configured for that group: the right sign-in fields, the right documents, the right badge, and the right notifications.
This guide gives you a starting point for the visitor types most companies see, with recommended fields and settings for each. It complements our Visitor Setup Guides by Industry: use those guides for the security posture and integrations that fit your vertical, and use this guide to shape the individual flows within them. Adjust each example to match your own policies.
Types of visitors
Candidates and interviews
What to expect: A candidate's visit is often their first in-person impression of your company, and many arrive a little nervous. They value a fast, low-friction check-in, clear direction to where they need to go, and discretion. Many candidates may prefer that their reason for visiting is not on display to other guests in the lobby.
Information to collect:
Collect this information by creating sign-in fields for each required data point.
Full name, email, and phone number
Position applied for
Host: this is almost always the recruiter, coordinator, or hiring manager. Use multiple hosts on invites so the whole interview panel is notified on arrival.
Recommended settings:
Pre-register with an invite. Have recruiting send an invite so the candidate arrives with a QR code pass and their details pre-filled. This keeps the lobby experience quick and private.
NDA. Candidates often see confidential roadmaps or meet with senior staff, so prompt them to sign a legal document at sign-in.
Badge. Print a badge. Consider a neutral label such as "Guest" rather than "Candidate" to protect their privacy.
Access control and Wi-Fi: Candidates are typically escorted throughout the visit, so they usually don't need access credentials. Guest Wi-Fi is a nice touch if they'll be waiting or if they need to present any materials they've prepared.
Contractors
What to expect: Contractors are on-site to perform work, often for extended or recurring periods, and frequently need to reach specific areas of the building on their own. Compliance and safety are the priority here: verify who they are, confirm they are cleared to be there, and keep a clean record.
Information to collect:
Collect this information by creating sign-in fields for each required data point.
Full name, company, and contact details
Host or sponsor (usually facilities, security, or the project owner)
Work order or ticket number
Areas or floors they need to access and expected duration
Recommended settings:
Required document uploads. Collect a Certificate of Insurance (COI) and any training or certification records before the visit using pre-registration document uploads.
Safety waiver and NDA. Prompt contractors to sign a site-safety acknowledgment and, where relevant, an NDA with legal document signing.
Identity verification. Add ID scanning or Identity Screening to confirm identity and screen for risk, and use the block list to keep flagged individuals out.
Badge. Print a clearly labeled "Contractor" badge.
Recurring visits. For contractors who return regularly, use returning visitors so they do not re-enter everything each time.
Access control and Wi-Fi: Contractors often need to move through the building unescorted, so provisioning temporary access control credentials scoped to the doors and dates of their visit is common. If they need network connectivity, place them on a restricted guest Wi-Fi network rather than your main one.
Vendors and suppliers
What to expect: Vendors may include sales reps, account managers, and service providers arriving for scheduled meetings. They want a professional, on-brand welcome, and they may bring equipment or samples and arrive as a small group.
Information to collect:
Collect this information by creating sign-in fields for each required data point.
Full name, company, and contact details
Host: the employee they are meeting
Recommended settings:
NDA (optional). If vendors will discuss confidential information, prompt an NDA at sign-in.
Plus-one sign-in. Enable plus-one so a vendor can bring a colleague without a separate sign-in.
Host notifications. Make sure host notifications are on so the meeting owner is alerted the moment their vendor arrives.
Badge. Print a "Vendor" badge.
Access control and Wi-Fi: Vendors are usually escorted, so they rarely need access credentials. Guest Wi-Fi is often useful for product demos and presentations.
External partners and clients
What to expect: Partners and clients are relationship-driven, high-touch visitors. The experience should feel welcoming and on-brand, and returning contacts appreciate being recognized rather than asked to re-enter their information. These visits often involve working sessions that run for a few hours.
Information to collect:
Collect this information by creating sign-in fields for each required data point.
Full name, company, and email
Host: the employee or team they are meeting
Recommended settings:
Pre-register and brand the experience. Send an invite ahead of time and pair it with a branded welcome screen so the arrival feels intentional.
Recognize returning contacts. Use returning visitors so repeat partners breeze through sign-in.
Mutual NDA. A mutual NDA is common when both sides share confidential information.
Badge. Print a welcoming, clearly labeled badge.
Access control and Wi-Fi: Regular partners who visit often may warrant scoped access control credentials. Guest Wi-Fi is usually expected for working sessions.
Events and group visits
What to expect: Events bring many people through the door in a short window, often people you do not know individually in advance. Throughput and wayfinding matter most, and you may only want this flow visible on event days.
Information to collect:
Collect this information by creating sign-in fields for each required data point.
Attendee name and email (useful for follow-up, with appropriate consent)
Event name (if you want to re-use the same "Event" flow. For Event-specific sign-in flows, we recommend including the event name as a part of the visitor type title.)
Host or organizer
Recommended settings:
Group and bulk invites. Use registration with invites and group invites to pre-register attendees and speed up arrival.
Show the flow only when needed. Enable the "Event" visitor type on the kiosk only on days you are hosting, and hide it otherwise.
Waiver or photo release. Add a document to sign if your event requires a waiver or media release.
Badge. Print event badges for easy identification.
Access control and Wi-Fi: Access control is usually unnecessary or scoped only to the event space. Guest Wi-Fi is frequently offered to attendees.
Friends and family / personal guests
What to expect: These are employees' personal guests stopping by. The visit is casual and brief, and the goal is a friendly, low-friction check-in.
Information to collect:
Collect this information by creating sign-in fields for each required data point.
Guest name
Host: the employee they are visiting
Keep the rest of the flow minimal
Recommended settings:
Minimal fields and host notifications. Collect just enough to notify the host with host notifications.
Badge and photo optional. Turn these off unless your lobby policy requires them.
Access control and Wi-Fi: Personal guests are escorted by their host, so neither is typically needed. Offer guest Wi-Fi only if your workplace does so by default.
Deciding on access control and Wi-Fi
A simple rule of thumb helps when you are unsure whether a visitor type needs either:
Provision access control credentials when a visitor moves through the building unescorted or returns repeatedly. Contractors are the clearest case, and some regular partners qualify too. Escorted, one-time guests such as candidates, couriers, and personal guests generally do not need credentials. Depending on your ACS provider, you may be able to create distinct permissions for each visitor type. This is very useful if your building and/or lobby require an access card, but you don't want to grant full-building permissions. Envoy integrates with systems like Genea, Verkada, Rhombus, Acre, and on-premise access control systems, among others in the access control collection.
Offer guest Wi-Fi when a visitor stays long enough to work: partners in a working session, vendors running a demo, and event attendees. Quick drop-offs and short escorted visits rarely need it. If your workplace is in a "dead zone" where cell service is unreliable, consider offering all guests Wi-Fi access so they can use their phones. Envoy connects to networks like Cisco Meraki, Ubiquiti UniFi, and Juniper Mist, among others in the Wi-Fi collection.
How to build these flows
Each example is a visitor type with its own settings.
To set one up:
Go to Visitors > Settings > Sign-in flow in your Envoy dashboard.
Click Add visitor type and give it a name your visitors will recognize on the kiosk.
Configure the sign-in fields, documents, badge, photo, and security settings for that flow.
Toggle Show on iPad when you are ready to display it.
You can configure most settings per visitor type and location, so you can match the policy to the use case. If you manage several locations, global sign-in flows let you roll a consistent flow out everywhere at once.
Learn more
Visitor Setup Guides by Industry: pair these visitor-type examples with the security posture and integrations recommended for your vertical.
Visitor Types and Visitor Sign-in Flows: the full mechanics of building and customizing flows.