SwapAccess provides full control over the Session Scanning experience in the venue, improving the way Organizers track attendance and control access onsite.
Available on all iOS devices, the app allows staff members to scan Attendee's badges at the entrance or exit of any session.
When combined with our online platform, this new addition to the Swapcard family has the ability to provide in-depth insights into the Attendee's behavior, both onsite and virtually.
How does it work
Beforehand, in the Studio, Organizers can decide to scan Attendees using one of the following three modes:
- Attendance tracking - To track Attendee behavior and know who entered or left the session.
- Access control: People registered only - For those who want to control session access, and only allow people who already registered for the session.
- Access control: People registered and who can register - To allow access to people that already registered for the session or those who can register according to their group(s) and the specific sessions' permission settings.
Then, on the SwapAccess app, the on-site team will be able to scan the Attendees’ QR codes or badges to control or monitor the session access. There is no limit on the number of devices using the same access code for SwapAccess, and they can be set to scan as people enter the session (Scan In) or as they exit the session (Scan Out)
Likewise, according to the needs of the organizing team, the device can be set for Attended or Unattended Scanning.
Attended Scanning should be used when the device is going to be held by one of the staff members. This way, the user will be able to easily switch between scan in and scan out as well as see a real-time update on the number of scans for this particular device. When doing Attended Scanning with Access Control, the Organizer will have the option to "force" allow a person in the room even if they are not on the allowed list.
On the other hand, when using Unattended Scanning, Organizers can leave the device on a stand or tabletop. The number of scans is not shown and a special 4-digit code is required to exit scanning.
*For a true kiosk mode Apple's Guided Access should be used.
How to enable SwapAccess
1. Preliminary Steps
Before enabling SwapAccess, there are a few measures to consider while building your event:
- Create a badge code for each Attendee
- Usually, a badge should be created by your registration tool and imported onto Swapcard. The information imported from your registration tool can be selected by going to Event Builder → Integrations → Edit.
- Add a Content Button that redirects Attendees to their QR code/ badge
- To give your Attendees easy access to their badge code, add an Event Ticket Button to the home page of the event. To do this, go to the Event Builder → Content display → Content Buttons, click on Add Button and choose Event ticket. Then make sure to select QR Code in the Code Type menu. Read also: Generating and using QR codes for Attendees
- Define your Default Session Preferences
- Even before creating the Sessions per se, it is best to define which would be the onsite session scanning preference. Keep in mind that those default preferences will only be applied to newly created Sessions. For past Sessions, you will have to edit the scanning preferences one by one, as it is not possible to edit in bulk via the Excel Session import at this given time. To set your default Session preferences, go to the Content → Sessions → Session Settings → Default Session Preferences.
2. Create an Access Code in the Studio
First, in Session Settings, you will need to go to the Attendance Scanning tab and click on the Create Access Code button. Then, just label it and define an exit code.
Once you have set up your code, you will be prompted to copy your new Access Code information. For security reasons, this is the only time you will have the chance to copy all data and download the QR code.
Important: we highly suggest you take a screenshot of this Access Code for backup purposes as it will not be possible to retrieve another copy of it.
Setting up SwapAccess in iOS devices
- Download the app.
- To log in, use the Access Code details. You can either Scan the QR code to log in or Login Manually. You can name the device as you want. For example, you can use the name of the person in charge of the room or the number/name of the room itself.
- Then, click Browse all Sessions and Bookmark the ones you will need to track so they show up on your device's main page (under Sessions added).
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- After that, your device will be set up and ready to go. Just get into the session you would like to track, and you may select Attended or Unattended scan.
- A pop-up window will appear where you’ll have to select if you want to scan people entering (Scan In) or leaving (Scan Out). For Unattended Scans, the message will also remind your Exit Code, the password you will need to exit scanning mode.
- Scan the badge or QR code of the Attendee, and once it goes through you’ll see a confirmation. If someone is not allowed access, you will receive a failure message. In the case of Attended Scanning, you can click on Force if you'd like to make an exception; for example, on a private session where the Attendee accidentally unregistered but was on the Attendees list initially.
- Regardless of the scanning mode, Organizers may scan badges without an Internet connection. However, the device setup requires an Internet connection and the scan syncing will only occur when connected to the Internet and having the app open.
Reporting & Data
Currently, all scanned data can be accessed via an Excel file that can be exported directly from the platform. As a premium member of Swapcard, you should have access to the Analytics module which can be found in the Studio's left sidebar under Analytics → Reports, and download the report “Session registrations, attendance, and feedback”. This export contains the date and time of the first Scan In and the last Scan Out, when available.
Additionally, all scanned data can be queried using the developer API. Using the API, every scan including ones that failed or had an error will be available.
Other considerations
- Please note that if you have more than one device scanning QR codes/badges, you will need to manually sum the total scans - the system will not automatically add the number of scans between devices.
- Access control uses a cached copy of the allowed registrants to let people in. If you don’t have access to the Internet, there might be some discrepancies if you don’t have the most updated copy of the allowed registrants.
- Only available on iOS, but works with everything from an iPod Touch to an iPad Pro.
- SwapAccess can be used in "Unattended" mode in conjunction with Apple's Guided Access to allow for a completely contactless scan experience, but for a true kiosk mode Organizers should use Apple's Guided Access to prevent anyone from closing the app or putting the device to sleep.