This article will provide an in-depth look at what Tours are, the Tour module options, the pros and cons of different Tour checkpoints, and some common tour setups. 

What is a Tour?

Tours generate a report listing "checkpoints" completed by a m-Post user at a site location. There are various ways to set up checkpoints and scan them at a post location. Checkpoints are customizable to provide clients with what they need to see in the reports. 

 

Tour Management 

When you create a Tour, it is set at the Location level or 2nd level in the Client/Account hierarchy. This means that any Posts nested under this Location will inherit the same Tours. 

Sample of a Client / Account hierarchy structure:

(Please see the Resource Center article Creating a New Client Levels 1-4)

In the above example of a Client/Account hierarchy structure, Security Posts under Location will share the same Tours.

The Security Post under Site Details will have its own.

NOTE: The same applies to Activity/Incident Templates. This is important because the m-Post license is associated with the Security Post. Even though the Security Post has its own logbook, they can only see tours that apply to other Sites or Posts with the same Location. 

 

Tag Based Tours 

Checkpoints can be triggered by physically scanning NGC Tags of QR Codes placed around the area to be patrolled.

The officer will be presented with a list of checkpoints in a tour and will use their device to scan the NFC Tag of the QR Code at each checkpoint. 

The list can be done in any order, and each checkpoint can be linked to an Activity Template and/or a Post Order. 

 

NFC Tags 

Near Field Communication Tags

The most common Tour setup is the standard NFC Tag-based tour. 

Users on m-Post will be given a list of checkpoints to go to and use the NFC reader on their device to confirm they have visited this checkpoint.

This setup relies heavily on the user's device to perform the tour.

Note: Not all devices will have the built-in NFC reader, especially the less expensive phones that security contractors lean towards. It is vital to ensure the client does their research before purchasing any devices for this method. 

Some may refer to these as "RFID" or "Detex". It is important to understand an NFC is a specific frequency, and while some RFIDs share this frequency, they are not the same. 

Detex is a specific brand that uses an RFID system.

Please see the Help Center article Selecting NFC Tags for specifics on which NFC tags will work with our software.

Pros of using NFC Tags: 

• It can be painted over to hide
• Weather resistant for outdoor use 
• Can be sourced from many suppliers (https://gototags.com/, or from Amazon.com) 
• It can be used to trigger activities and tours automatically 

Cons of using NFC Tags: 

• Cannot be placed on some metallic surfaces, causes interference with the reader 
• Can be removed if not properly secured 
• Dependent on device capability 

 

QR Codes 

Quick Response Code

These are standard coding systems used by many optical scanning technologies. Like scanning barcodes at the grocery store, the officer can use the smartphone camera to scan the QR code to confirm they have visited a checkpoint. This opens the door to many cheaper device alternatives as it only requires a camera, which almost all smartphones have. 

It is important to understand that a URL is embedded in the QR code that needs to be in a specific format for our m-Post app to read correctly.

Our Support team generates the QR Code. The code can then be converted to a QR Code image ready to be printed. 

NOTE: There is a setting in m-Post to enable QR Codes, so each device the client has will need this setting manually turned on. See this article from our Help Center for more instructions: Adding a QR Code as a Tour Checkpoint 

Pros of using QR Codes: 

• Cheaper checkpoints 
• Allows for more inexpensive devices (No NFC reader Required) 
• They can be printed on various materials 

Cons of using QR Codes: 

• The code embedded must be generated from Trackforce Support 
• It is less reliable for officer accountability as they can easily duplicate the image 
• The camera needs a clear, focused view of the code to read it 
• Not very durable

 

Enforcing Officer Accountability 

Both options for Tag-based tours have the possibility that someone might fool the system by removing or duplicating the tags. This can lead to the officer being able to scan the tags from another location and make it seem like they were doing their job correctly.

There are two solutions to enforcing officer accountability using GPS:  

1. Passive: Enable Activate GPS Position (for each tag)

This will include their GPS location every time they scan a tag.

The report will show they are either at the correct location or elsewhere. 

This is the passive check because you will not know until after the fact. 

2. Aggressive: Enable Send Anomaly When GPS Position is Missed and set the GPS Coordinates of each tag/checkpoint. 

This will check their location and compare it to where you told the system you placed the tag.

If it is not within the Reading Perimeter of these coordinates, it will send an anomaly, which can also trigger a notification to the Supervisors. 

 

GPS Based Tours 

A cheaper alternative to deploying NFC Tags or QR Codes is to utilize the GPS location services on the device.

The strength of the GPS connection can vary by make and model, so it is always a good idea to test for any dead zones or interference with third-party apps like GPS Test. 

 

GPS Triggered Checkpoints 

The GPS-triggered checkpoint option is similar in functionality to a Tag-based tour. However, instead of scanning a tag, you use the device location to virtually "scan" a checkpoint.

For each checkpoint, you must enable GPS Triggered checkpoint, set the Reading perimeter (50-150 Feet is typical), and then drop a pin on the map to mark the coordinates. 

With this method, you can still link activity templates and post orders to each checkpoint. 

Pros of GPS Triggered Checkpoints

• No cost to set checkpoints 
• Officers cannot try to fool the system 
• Allows for cheaper devices (No NFC reader required) 

Cons of GPS-Triggered Checkpoints

• Susceptible to poor GPS signal, dead zones on a site location 
• It can be time-consuming to set up all the checkpoints 

 

Position Tracking Only 

This method differs from all the other options described so far because there is no set number of checkpoints.

When you enable Is position tracking only for a tour, you will only set a Position tracking interval in seconds.

The device will log its current position at every specified interval as a checkpoint until the officer ends the tour. 

NOTE: There are no options for the individual checkpoints with this enabled (i.e., no Linked Reports or Post Orders) 

This is a good option for mobile officers (i.e., officers on bicycles or driving vehicles). Since there is no physical tag to scan, the interval time set automates the checkpoints. The added benefit is that they would not have to stop to scan something or visit specific locations. 

Pros of Position Tracking:

• No cost to set checkpoints 
• Officers cannot try to fool the system 
• Allows for cheaper devices (No NFC reader required) 

Cons of Position Tracking:

• Dependent on a good GPS signal
• No linking Activity Templates or Post Orders 

 

"On Sight" Based Tours 

Another setup option would be simply allowing the officer to manually confirm their progress as an activity in m-Post while on a Tour.

Pros of On Sight Based Tours:

• No cost to set checkpoints 
• There is no tag to scan
• Easy setup - enabled by a User Right
• User will be able to manually update their progress in all Tours easily

Cons of On Sight Based Tours:

• Low Accountability
• No GPS to confirm location (puts a lot of trust in the officer performing the tour)

 

Long Press Function 

By allowing the User Right, CAN_CHECK_STRIPS_ON_SIGHT, the m-Post user can click and hold on a checkpoint during a tour to mock scanning the tag. 

The User Right can be added to a User ID, a User Group, or at the Role level. 

NOTE: Please contact your Customer Success agent to assist with enabling this feature.

This is great for demonstrating a Tour or testing, as you don't need the NFC Tag, QR code, or GPS to trigger the checkpoint. 

When coupling this with the Activate GPS Position (for each tag) enabled, you could use this to have the office log their position at their discretion. 

You must add a Tag S/N to create dummy tags for the system to identify the checkpoint correctly. The S/N can be any string of text or numbers as long as it is unique to each checkpoint and cannot be blank. 

Pros of Long Press Function

• No cost to set checkpoints 
• Allows for cheaper devices (No NFC reader or camera required) 

Cons of Long Press Function

• Very little officer accountability 
• It can only be enabled by granting a User Right, so it applies to all tours the user has access to 

 

Additional Tour Features 

Linked Reports 

Each checkpoint can be linked to a specific Activity Template from the Client's Location.

This can be very useful for situations that require a checklist to be done on multiple items.

For example, a client may be responsible for checking the condition of all fire extinguishers in an area. One activity template can cover all the checks the officer should perform when inspecting a fire extinguisher, and they can create a tour with NFC/QR codes placed near each station. By linking the activity template to the tags, an officer can be presented with a list of locations where the extinguishers are located and a checklist to complete for each. 

 

Linked Post Orders 

Like Linking Reports, you can link a specific Post Order to a checkpoint.

Please see the Resource Center article Linking a Post Order to a Checkpoint

This will allow the client to quickly access relevant information that may be too large to try and fit in the checkpoint Instructions or comments fields.

Including instructional videos or PDFs may also be helpful if, for example, the officer may need to pull up a user manual for a nearby machine or access codes to doors or gates. 

 

Scheduling Tours 

Automating the client's workforce is among the top reasons to use this solution. Scheduling tours is one of the most common ways to automate the workforce, and it is also another way to enforce officer accountability. 

By setting a Tour Schedule, when the officer logs into m-Post, they receive a notification when it is time to start a tour. If the tour is not begun within the Grace Period of the scheduled tour, an anomaly is triggered and can be coupled with a notification to a Supervisor. 

See this article from our Help Center on how to schedule tours: Scheduling Tours 

 

Tour Notifications 

Email and, in some cases, SMS notifications can be triggered by actions surrounding tours. 

The most popular notification to set up is the Incomplete Tours Only event. This setting is paired with the Minimum # of tags for Complete Tour value. 

When the minimum is not met and the end of a tour, a notification can be sent to the Supervisor.

If the Tour is Scheduled, you can also set up Alerts for when a tour is late.

You can also have the completed Tour Report emailed upon completion with the All Tours event.

NOTE: This option can create a large volume of email notifications depending on the frequency and volume of tours completed. An Automatic Report may be a better solution for getting a compiled activity report throughout the day. 

See this article from our Help Center on how to configure your notifications: Tour Notifications 

 

Copy & Merge Tours 

QUICK TIP: Copying a tour will duplicate a tour with its checkpoints to another location or within the same location. Merging will combine the selected tours into a new tour. 

Copying:  Copying can help break one master tour into smaller tours. You can copy a tour and then remove specific checkpoints from the copy tour to make a subset of a tour. 

Merging:  Merging tours can be useful if someone mistakenly created a new tour when they meant to add checkpoints to an existing tour at their location. 

Pros of Checkpoint Types:

Variety of uses

• NFC Tags
• QR Codes
• GPS Triggered
• "On Sight"

Enforcing Officer Accountability

• Passive
• Aggressive