In this article we will provide an in depth look at what Tours are, the Tour module options, pros and cons of different Tour checkpoints and some common Tour set up. 

What is a Tour?

Tours are used to generate a report listing “checkpoints” completed by a m-Post  user at a site location. There are a variety of ways to setup checkpoints and how they are to be scanned at a post location.  Checkpoints are  customizable to provide the client what they need to see in the reports. 

 

Tour Overview

• Tour Management
• Tag Based Tours
• NFC Tags 
• QR Codes 
• Enforcing Officer Accountability 
• GPS Based Tours 
• GPS Triggered Checkpoints 
• Position Tracking Only 
• “On Sight” Based Tours
• Long Press Function 
• Additional Tour Features
• Linked Reports 
• Linked Post Orders
• Scheduling Tours
• Tour Notifications 
• Copy & Merge Tours 

 

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 their 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 will be able to see Tours that may only apply to other Sites or Posts that share 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 the device to scan the NGC Tag of 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 heavy on the type of device the user is using to perform the tour.

NOTE: Not all devices will have the built in NFC reader, especially the cheaper end phones that security contractors lean towards. It is important to make sure the client does their own research before they purchase 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 RFID share this frequency, they are not the same. 

Detex is a specific brand that uses a RFID system.

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

Pros of using NFC Tags: 

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

Cons of using NFC Tags: 

• Cannot be place 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 a standard coding system 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 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 there is a URL embedded in the QR code that needs to be a specific format for our m-Post app to read properly.

The QR Code is generated by our Support team. 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 cheaper devices (No NFC reader Required) 
• Can be printed on various materials 

Cons of using QR Codes: 

• The code embedded must be generated from Trackforce Support 
• Less reliable for Officer Accountability as they can easily duplicate the image 
• Camera needs clear focused view of code to read 
• Not very durable

Enforcing Officer Accountability 

Both options for a Tag based Tours have the possibility that someone can try to 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 properly.

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 that 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, then 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 this one: 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 are using the devices location to virtually “scan” a checkpoint.

For each checkpoint you will need to 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 setup checkpoints 
• Officers cannot try to fool 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 
• Can be time consuming to setup all the checkpoints 

Position Tracking Only 

This method is different 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.

At every specified interval, the device will log its current position 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 a vehicle). Since there is no physical tag to scan and the checkpoints are automated by the interval time set. The added benefit being they would not have to stop to scan something or visit specific locations. 

Pros of Position Tracking:

• No cost to setup checkpoints 
• Officers cannot try to fool 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 to simply allow 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 setup checkpoints 
• No Tag to scan
• Easy set up - enabled by a User Right
• User will be able to easily manually update their progress in all Tours

Cons of On Sight Based Tours:

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

 

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 specific 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 own discretion. 

You will need to add a Tag S/N if you plan to create dummy tags in order for the system to identify the checkpoint properly. 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 setup checkpoints 
• Allows for cheaper devices (No NFC reader or camera required) 

Cons of Long Press Function

• Very little officer accountability 
• Can only be enabled by granting a User Right, so it applies to all tours the use 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 check list 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 then a checklist to complete for each one. 

 

Linked Post Orders 

Similar to Linking Reports, you can also 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 have quick access to relevant information that may be too large to try and fit in the checkpoint Instructions or comments fields.

It may also be useful to include instructional videos or PDFs 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 the Trackforce 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 started 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 setup 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 setup Alerts for when a Tour is late.

You can also just 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 report of activity through the day. 

See this article from our Help Center on how to configure Tour 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 be useful if you want to 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