How to Use the "Plan Your Visit" Feature

Are you looking for a way to engage site visitors and make them feel welcome before they even get to your church doors? 

Using the "Plan Your Visit" feature is exactly what you need! People appreciate knowing what to expect when they come to your church, and you can utilize the Plan Your Visit button to set those expectations. The more people know what to expect, the more comfortable they are.

What Will My Site Visitor Experience When They Click "Plan Your Visit"?

The "Plan Your Visit" button will float on your site so that it remains visible to anyone visiting any page on your website. This is a "call to action" to prompt your site visitor to take the next step.

Once the visitor clicks on the "Plan Your Visit" button, a window will open asking for

1) their First and Last Name; and

2) ...their email address and cell phone number. This info will be placed into the Directory Visitor info area of your website for Flourish Plan members. This information is also emailed to you so that you will be able to keep a record of who is planning to attend your church for the first time.

3) The last thing they will need to do is to select which service they are interested in attending. This list is connected to your Events section, so be sure you have your latest events loaded into your website Events page.

Once they have completed this information, a confirmation notice will appear and a confirmation email sent to their personal email box.

If your site visitor chooses to click "Learn More About Your Visit," you have the option to set the link to wherever you want them to go. An example would be to load a Welcome Video into your site and link your visitor there. Your welcome video could include information on Children's ministries and Adult ministries.

What Happens On the Admin Side of "Plan Your Visit?"

You will find the "Plan Your Visit" button floating in the bottom left-hand corner of your website. 

When you click the "ON" toggle switch, there are just a few steps to personalizing the experience of your visitor.

Click on the tab that says "Email Settings." There are two parts of this settings area that will need some personalization by you.

1. Admin Notification

When you set up the "Recipient's email address," it will default to the email address of the website owner. You can edit this address, and even add multiple email addresses - just be sure to separate them by a comma. 

2. Visitor Notification

The "Visitor Notification" section is an email that will be sent to your site visitor when they complete the steps of "Plan Your Visit." You will choose 

• Whom the email will be from (Email address)
• The email subject line
• The greeting that will be sent in the body of the email.

The default content of the email contains what is known as "shortcodes" or dynamic content tags so that the email will be personalized to the recipient. If you accidentally delete these shortcodes, you will be able to replace them using the toolbar helps. Click and make any changes, and be sure to SAVE your updates when you are done!

Editing the last Window in the Visitor View

While you are still in the "Settings" mode of your view, clicking on the "Plan Your Visit" button, will allow you to page through the visitor windows.

When you get to the last window, you can edit the text and the button link by clicking on the edit pencil at the top of the text box.

In this text box, you can rewrite the default text - or keep it! You will need to set the link in the button since the default will send them to the home page. If you are unfamiliar with setting a button link, you will want to read our article on creating links.

Your link can send your visitor to a welcome video, or to a special "I'm New Here" page created just for them! When your setup is complete, be sure to log out and click through the "Plan Your Visit" from the

Where Is My Visitor Info Stored?

The Plan Your Visit feature is only available on the Grow and Flourish plans. If you are a Flourish plan member, your visitor information will be located in the Directory section (don't worry - this does not give the visitor access to the private church directory.) The information is also stored for the Grow Plan members, but it is not accessible until they upgrade to the Flourish plan.

I Have A Visitor Coming...Now What?!

Hooray! You had someone complete the "Plan Your Visit," and now it's up to you to make them feel welcome! Here are a few tips on how you can do that...

1. Anticipate their arrival by informing your greeters of the coming guests.
2. Have your greeters ask visitors for their names so you can confirm later if they planned their visit online.
3. Have specific visitor info available to them. If your church campus is large, be sure to include a simple map of your facility layout.
4. Ask a church member to "Adopt" the visitor... sit with them, and show them the areas of the building they need (ie: bathrooms, children's rooms, etc.).

Reach out to our team if you need more ideas as to how to implement this feature!