Checking in and out
Some events ask you to check in when you arrive on site and check out when you leave. It takes one tap at each end, from the same event portal link you use for the run of show (runsheet). This article covers where the button is, what each tap does, what your planner sees, how to fix a mis-tap, and what happens when you have no signal at the door.
Where the button is
When your planner has turned check-in on for the event, a card near the top of your event portal holds a large Check in button. It sits above the run of show, so it is the first thing you reach when you open the link at the venue.
Check-in is set per event. If you work several events for the same planner, you may see the button on some links and not on others. That is normal: it only appears where the planner wants a head count.
Guests and clients holding a link to the event see the same card, and it works the same way for them.
Checking in
Tap Check in when you arrive. There is no name to pick, because your link already knows who you are, and there is no "are you sure?" prompt.
The card turns green and says You're checked in, with On site since and the time you tapped, for example "On site since 7:15 am, 14 Mar". The time is shown in your planner's time zone, so it matches what they see.
The button greys out while the tap is being sent, so a quick double-tap on a phone counts once.
Checking out
When you leave, tap Check out on the same card. This one asks first: a prompt reads "Check out" followed by your name, and you tap Confirm to go ahead. It asks because checking out tells your planner to stop expecting you on site.
Once you are checked out, the card shows the Check in button again, with Last checked out and the time underneath. If you come back later (a split shift, a second load-in), tap Check in again. You can check in and out as many times as the day needs.
Nothing checks you out on its own. There is no timeout and no end-of-day reset, so if you leave without tapping Check out, your planner still sees you as on site. Tap it on your way out.
What your planner sees
Your planner has a live count of who is on site and a list of names, with the time each person arrived or left. Your tap shows up on their screen within a few seconds, without them refreshing.
- You do not see the list. The card on your link shows your own state and nothing about anyone else.
- No one is notified. Your planner is not sent an email or alert when you check in. They see it on their count.
- It is not a timesheet. It records that you were on site and when, not hours worked or breaks.
- It does not tick anything off the run of show. Marking your items is separate; see Marking items done.
- Every check-in and check-out is kept with its time, so your planner has a record of who was in the building.
Your planner can also check you in or out themselves, for example during a head count or when your phone has died.
Fixing a mistake
- Checked in by accident? Tap Check out and confirm. You are back to not checked in.
- Checked out by accident? Tap Check in again.
Both taps are recorded, so the planner's record shows the correction rather than hiding it. If the timing matters (you checked out by mistake an hour ago and have been on site the whole time), tell your planner so they can read the record correctly.
With no signal
Loading docks and back corridors often have no bars, so check-in works offline once the page has loaded on that phone before.
- Tap as normal. The card changes straight away and shows a Queued badge. The On site since time is left off until the tap reaches 1pm.
- It sends itself. When your phone finds a connection again, the tap is sent without you doing anything, and the card fills in the time.
- The time is when it arrives, not when you tapped. A check-in made at 6 pm in a dead spot is recorded at the time your phone reconnected. If that gap is long, mention it to your planner.
- Only your last tap counts. If you tap in and out several times while offline, only the final state is sent.
- Stay in the same browser. The waiting tap is held in the browser you tapped it in, so reopen the link there.
Using 1pm offline covers the offline cache and the connection indicator in full.
If the button isn't there
- Your planner hasn't turned check-in on for this event. There is no card at all in that case. Ask them if you expected one.
- They turned it on after you opened the page. The card does not appear by itself. Pull down to refresh, or reload the page.
- You are on the public run of show link rather than your own event portal link. Check-in belongs to a person, so it needs your personal link. Open the message your planner sent you and use that link.
If the card looks wrong
- The card says Check in, but your planner says you're checked in. They have probably checked you in from their side, and your card does not update by itself. Tapping Check in is safe: nothing is doubled, and the card refreshes to show You're checked in. Reloading the page does the same.
- You tap and the page changes to "Link not active". Your link has been switched off. Ask your planner for a new one.
- The card stays on Queued. Your phone has not reconnected yet, or the connection is too weak to send. Move somewhere with signal and give it a moment.