How to check in walk-in families without a line

Your regulars scan in and walk off in seconds. Then a new family arrives with three kids, a diaper bag, and no account, and the line stops while a volunteer types their details into a tablet.

Walk-ins are the families you most want to impress, and they're usually the ones who wait longest. Here's how to fix that.

Check-inCheck-out

Walk-ins

• The Park family2 kidsFilling in on phone…
• LenaPlanned a visit · 1 kidCheck in
• The Mensah family3 kidsCheck in

Send to Phone

Add your family

ParentJin Park

KidsHana, 4 · Theo, 7

AllergiesPeanuts

Done

#Let families type their own details

The slowest part of a walk-in is typing, and the volunteer is the wrong person to do it. In the Check-In Portal, select Send to Phone and the family adds themselves on their own phone: parent, kids, allergies, and the rest.

While they fill it in, the volunteer helps the next person in line. Nobody stands around watching someone else type.

#Keep walk-ins in one inbox

Every walk-in lands in one place: the walk-in inbox on the Check-in tab. Families who used Plan a visit show up there too, so a leader can see at a glance who's new today and who's ready to check in.

The same tab shows live attendance for your location, and you can check in by scanner.

#Send kids to the right room

A first-time family doesn't know which room is theirs. Set a grade range for each check-in location, and a child whose grade isn't in that location's group is pointed to the right station. No guessing, and no sending a seven-year-old to the nursery.

#Make pickup just as quick

Check-out matters as much as check-in. It's the moment a parent decides whether they trust you.

• Scan and confirm. On the Check-out tab, scan a pick-up pass and confirm.
• Get kids ready early. The Prepare list shows children whose parent is on the way from another room, so leaders can have them ready at the door.
• Skip a step when it's busy. Auto Check-out skips the confirmation screen.

The best check-in is the one families forget about.

#Give regulars a kiosk

Families who've checked in before don't need a volunteer at all. Set up the self-service kiosk on an iPad, and they can check themselves in while your volunteers focus on new families. The Check-In Portal works on iPhone and iPad, in layouts that fit every size.

#Start this Sunday

You don't need to change everything at once. Turn on Send to Phone for walk-ins this week, and add the kiosk and grade ranges when you're ready.

Culminate Life Check-in is free for up to 50 check-ins a month. See how Check-in works, or read about a calmer Sunday morning at kids check-in.