Your Host Knows the
Moment Their Visitor Arrives.
Vizitor sends an instant notification to the host the moment their visitor checks in via the visitor management system. SMS, email, Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, or app push. The host sees the visitor's photo, name, and arrival time in under 5 seconds. No phone calls. No delays. No visitor standing awkwardly at reception.
Last updated: 20 May 2026
Host notified from moment visitor checks in
SMS, email, Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, app push
Automated, no manual phone calls needed
Organizations using Vizitor notifications daily
Manual Host Notification Takes 3 to 5 Minutes and Still Fails
Six failures in the traditional reception call process and how Vizitor's instant visitor notification system eliminates every one of them.
The host is in a meeting, away from their desk, or the phone line is busy. The visitor waits at reception for 5 to 10 minutes
SMS, Slack, or push notification reaches the host wherever they are, in a meeting, on another floor, or working from home
Name misspelled, company missed, or context lost during the telephone relay. Host comes to reception not knowing who to expect
The notification includes the visitor's full name, company, check-in time, and the photo captured during check-in. No relay errors
If the front desk is unattended, no one calls the host. The visitor sits in the lobby with no indication that anyone knows they have arrived
The visitor management kiosk sends the notification directly. No receptionist is required in the loop for the host to be informed
The receptionist can only call one person. For group visits or contractor arrivals, multiple stakeholders need to know and the process fails entirely
Configure multiple notification recipients for a single visit. Facilities manager, project lead, and account executive can all be alerted at the same time
A contractor who should have left at 3pm is still on premises at 6pm. Nobody notices until security does a manual sweep
Set a visit duration threshold. Vizitor sends an overstay alert to the host and security team when the visitor exceeds it
During an evacuation or security incident, there is no fast way to alert all visitors and staff simultaneously. Verbal announcements are unreliable
Send an emergency alert to all visitors currently checked in and all registered staff with a single click from the admin dashboard. Works with visitor management
Every Notification Your Team Needs, Delivered Through Every Channel They Use
From arrival alerts to overstay warnings to emergency broadcasts, Vizitor's instant visitor notification system covers the complete visit lifecycle across all communication channels.
One Check-In Triggers an Alert on Every Channel Your Host Already Uses
Hosts choose their preferred notification channel in Vizitor's settings. When their visitor checks in, the alert arrives via exactly the channel the host monitors most. No app downloads for hosts. No configuration beyond choosing a channel. Works with every communication tool your team already uses daily.
Host Sees the Visitor's Face Before Leaving Their Desk
Every notification includes the visitor's photo captured at the kiosk during check-in. The host can visually identify their guest before reaching reception. No more meeting a stranger at the door and having to ask if they are the visitor.
Automatic Alert When a Visitor Exceeds Their Scheduled Visit Time
Configure a visit duration threshold per visitor type or per individual booking. When a visitor remains on premises past their scheduled departure, Vizitor sends an automatic overstay alert to the host and security team before it becomes a problem.
Notifications at Every Stage of the Visit, Not Just Arrival
Vizitor's notification system covers the entire visit from pre-arrival through departure. Hosts receive an arrival alert when the visitor checks in, a departure confirmation when they sign out, an overstay alert if they stay too long, and a pre-visit reminder before an upcoming appointment. Security teams receive watchlist match alerts and emergency broadcasts on demand.
Visitor and Host Both Reminded Before the Meeting Starts
For pre-registered visits, Vizitor sends the visitor a reminder with their QR check-in code before arrival and reminds the host that a visitor is expected. Both parties are prepared and on time. Integrates with visitor pre-registration.
Different Visitor Types Route to Different Recipients Automatically
Configure custom notification routing by visitor type. Contractors arriving for maintenance automatically notify the facilities manager. Interview candidates notify HR. Delivery drivers notify the mailroom. Each visitor type routes to the right person without any manual configuration at check-in.
What Changes When Hosts Are Notified in 5 Seconds Instead of 5 Minutes
Vizitor data from 5,000+ organizations shows measurable improvements in visitor wait time, host response time, and visitor satisfaction from the first day instant notifications are enabled.
Visitor Wait Time at Reception
Average time visitors wait at reception before the host arrives to collect them
4-5x faster host response than manual calls
Notification Delivery Rate
Percentage of visitor notifications successfully delivered to the host within 10 seconds of check-in
- Redundant delivery via fallback channel
- SMS backup when Slack is unavailable
- No single point of failure
Preferred Notification Channel by Team Type
Which channel hosts choose when setting up their notification preferences in Vizitor
- Tech teams prefer Slack by 4:1 over email
- Field teams and senior staff prefer SMS
- Most set up 2 channels as backup
From Visitor Check-In to Host Notified in Under 5 Seconds
Vizitor's instant notification pipeline runs automatically the moment a visitor completes check-in at the kiosk or via the mobile app.
Instant Notifications Work for Every Team in Every Office
Whether your team uses Slack, SMS, Teams, or email, Vizitor's visitor notification system reaches every host through the channel they already monitor.
Know the moment their guest arrives, wherever they are, without relying on a receptionist to track them down.
- Alert via preferred channel
- Visitor photo in notification
- Acknowledge or reassign from phone
- Pre-visit reminder before arrival
Freed from making manual phone calls for every visitor. Notifications route automatically, letting reception focus on the guest experience.
- No more extension hunting
- No missed notifications
- Dashboard shows all pending visits
- Override routing for special visits
Watchlist match alerts arrive instantly. Overstay alerts flag visitors who have exceeded their permitted time. Emergency broadcasts reach all on-premises visitors in seconds.
- Watchlist match instant alert
- Overstay threshold notifications
- One-click emergency broadcast
- Departure confirmation tracking
Centralized notification configuration, Slack and Teams integration management, and delivery reporting without any bespoke development work.
- Single admin panel for all settings
- Slack and Teams native integration
- Per-visitor-type routing rules
- Notification delivery audit log
Connects With Every Communication Tool Your Team Already Uses
Vizitor's visitor notification system integrates natively with Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, and every major messaging and email platform with zero custom development required.
Never Keep a Visitor Waiting at Reception Again
Join 5,000+ organizations using Vizitor to send instant visitor notifications to hosts via SMS, Slack, Teams, email, and WhatsApp. Visitor photo included in every alert. Host notified in under 5 seconds. Start free. No credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vizitor sends host notifications within 5 seconds of a visitor completing check-in. SMS and app push notifications typically arrive within 2 to 3 seconds. Slack and Microsoft Teams notifications are delivered in real time through their respective APIs and arrive at the same speed. Email notifications follow within the same window, though email server latency can occasionally add a few seconds. In all cases, the notification is triggered and dispatched before the visitor has left the kiosk screen.
Yes. Vizitor captures the visitor's photo during the check-in process using the iPad's front-facing camera. This photo is automatically included in the host notification. For email and app push notifications, the photo is embedded directly in the notification body. For Slack notifications, the photo is included as an attachment in the direct message. SMS notifications include a link to the visitor record where the host can view the photo. This allows hosts to visually identify their guest before leaving their desk to collect them.
Yes. Multiple contacts can be configured to receive notifications simultaneously for a single visitor check-in. For contractor arrivals, both the facilities manager and project lead can be alerted at the same time. For group visits involving multiple hosts, each host receives their notification independently. For deliveries, the mailroom and the delivery recipient can both be notified. Notification recipients are configured per visitor type in the admin settings, or can be set per individual pre-registered visit.
Every Vizitor notification includes: the visitor's full name, company or organization, check-in time, the name of the host they selected during check-in, the visitor's photo captured at the kiosk, and the location if you operate multiple buildings or floors. Additionally, for pre-registered visits the notification includes the purpose of the visit and any pre-visit notes the host or receptionist added. The notification also includes a link to the full visitor record in the Vizitor dashboard for hosts who want to see the complete check-in details.
Vizitor supports six notification channels: SMS text message, email, Slack direct message or channel, Microsoft Teams chat or channel, WhatsApp Business message, and push notification via the Vizitor iOS or Android mobile app. Each host can configure their preferred channel in their profile settings. Multiple channels can be enabled simultaneously as a redundant delivery setup, so if a Slack message is not acknowledged within a set time, an SMS backup can be triggered automatically.
Connecting Vizitor to Slack takes under 2 minutes. In the Vizitor admin dashboard, go to Integrations and click the Connect Slack button. Authorize Vizitor to access your Slack workspace using the standard OAuth flow. Once connected, each employee can choose their Slack username as their notification destination in their Vizitor profile. Visitor arrival notifications are then delivered as Slack DMs with the visitor's name, company, check-in time, and photo. No IT configuration, webhooks, or app installation by individuals is required.
Yes. Vizitor integrates natively with Microsoft Teams and supports both individual chat notifications and channel-based notifications. For enterprise Teams deployments with custom security policies, Vizitor uses the Teams Bot framework for integration, which is fully compliant with standard Microsoft 365 security configurations. Notifications appear as a bot message in the host's Teams chat and include the visitor's name, company, photo, and check-in time. The integration works with both commercial and government Teams tenants.
Vizitor supports fallback notification routing to handle delivery failures. If the primary channel notification is not acknowledged within a configurable time window (for example, 2 minutes), Vizitor automatically re-sends via the secondary channel. For example, if a Slack DM is not acknowledged, an SMS can be triggered as a backup. The admin dashboard logs all notification delivery statuses in real time, so reception staff can see if a host has not acknowledged a visitor arrival and take manual action if needed. The reception view also shows all pending uncollected visitors prominently.
Administrators configure an overstay threshold in Vizitor's settings, such as 30 minutes past the expected departure time or past a specific clock time for visits with a scheduled end. When a visitor remains on premises beyond this threshold without checking out, Vizitor sends an overstay alert to the host and optionally to a security or facilities contact. The alert includes the visitor's name, check-in time, expected departure, and how long they have overstayed. Different thresholds can be configured for different visitor types: contractors, for instance, might trigger an alert after 30 minutes while regular business visitors trigger after 2 hours.
Yes. Vizitor's emergency broadcast feature sends a mass notification to all visitors currently checked in and all registered employees on premises with a single click from the admin dashboard. The emergency message can be pre-configured with standard templates (fire evacuation, security lockdown, shelter in place) or typed manually at the time of the incident. Notifications are sent via SMS and email simultaneously to maximize reach regardless of which communication app any individual is using. This feature is available from the admin dashboard on any device including mobile phones.
Yes. Vizitor supports custom notification routing by visitor type. You can configure different notification recipients, channels, and escalation rules for each visitor type you define. Contractors checking in can automatically notify the facilities team in addition to their project contact. Delivery drivers can trigger a notification to the mailroom department email as well as the individual recipient. Interview candidates can notify the HR department calendar and the hiring manager simultaneously. All routing rules are configured in the admin settings and apply automatically based on which visitor type the guest selects during check-in.
Yes. When a host pre-registers a visitor in Vizitor, the visitor automatically receives a confirmation email with their QR check-in code, office address, directions, and any pre-visit instructions the host configured. Optionally, a reminder can be sent automatically 24 hours or 1 hour before the appointment time. The host also receives a pre-visit reminder to ensure they are available to collect their guest at the agreed time. Pre-visit notifications integrate with Google Calendar and Outlook events so the reminder timing aligns with the meeting schedule. This feature is included on all paid Vizitor plans.