How To Guides

Getting started with a guest WiFi captive portal

Understand how GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portals can better manage guest usable space, grow lists, gather data and target high-value and low value customers.

You will learn

Learn how to create and customize guest WiFi captive portals in GoGoGuest to launch in your coffee shop, restaurant, pop up store or retail storefront. With a guest WiFi portal, you can better manage your guest WiFi amenity, collect emails, zip code, phone numbers, and build long-lasting customer relationships with diners and shoppers.

By following a few key principles, you can implement a beautiful, high-converting guest WiFi captive portal for your business.

You will need a GoGoGuest account to get started.
Brainstorm the business goals for your guest WiFi captive portal.
Choose the type of GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal you'd like to implement for your business:
1. GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal with unique codes. This type requires an integration with your POS.
2. GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal without unique codes.

Establish your guest WiFi policy.
Develop a clear message and communication plan for both your front-of-house team and your target audience.
Where would you like to store the data that you capture?
Set-up guest segmentation and email marketing automations.
Go live and test your guest WiFi captive portal and email marketing automations.

This guide will give an overview of each step.Once the guest WiFi captive portal is created, designed, and targeted, you can go live in your store with just a few clicks.

Before you begin

Requirements:

When implementing a guest WiFi captive portal with unique codes you will need to connect or authorize GoGoGuest in you POS system.

Check if your locations are equipped with the right hardware access point. Here are some helpful articles:

Choose your GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal log-in options

The GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal offers two primary customer log-in experiences to support your goals, including:

If your primary goal is to increase the average spend of a customer who uses your coffee shop, bar or restaurant like a coworking space, a guest WiFi captive portal that limits connectivity up to a certain time and requires a purchase would be the best option for you.
Meanwhile if your primary goal is to connect with potential customers, learn more about your audience convert email subscribers to SMS subscribers, then a guest WiFi captive portal that do not require unique codes would be a better fit for your business.

After determining your business goals and preferred customer log-in options, you are ready to choose a GoGoGuest plan that is best for your business.

There are two types of GoGoGuest captive portals for your business.

Establish a guest WiFi policy

What is a guest WiFi policy? A guest WiFi policy is a set of guidelines and rules put in place by a business or organization to control access and usage of their guest wireless network. This policy is created with the aim of elevating the in-house guest experience, ensuring network security and safeguarding sensitive data.

What are the key elements of a guest WiFi policy?

Determining The types of SSIDs that your business will need. In a food service business or retail storefronts here are the popular SSIDS:

Guest WiFi SSID - This SSID is created for guests
Team or Employee SSID - This SSID is created for the specific use of employees
Private SSID - Typically used for more sensitive hardware sources including your POS system, security system, cameras and more

With a Meraki or Unifi WiFi hardware access point, you can set up 10 or more SSIDs for each device. For guidance on crafting a guest WiFi policy for your business, read this article: What is a guest WiFi policy?

Gather all the assets to launch a GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal

Now that gather all the necessary assets for your GoGoGuest captive portal. Here are the key elements you need to consider:

Branding: Your guest WiFi captive portal should reflect your business's branding. This includes using your company logo, colors, and fonts to create a cohesive and recognizable experience for your customers.
Login options: Your GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal's log-in option should support your business goal.

Communication plan and messaging

Now that you've defined your business goals and you've chosen a guest WiFi policy, the next step is to prepare your messaging and communication plan about your guest WiFi log-in, usage policies and terms and conditions to your front-of-the house team and guests.

In your message, you can include information about bandwidth restrictions, content filtering, and any other limitations or rules you want to enforce. This helps protect your network and sets expectations for your guests.

To effectively communicate the guest WiFi policy, prominently display signs in high-traffic areas of your physical store or food service business. These signs should outline any changes to your policy, as well as provide clear instructions for guest WiFi log-in and usage.

A fully branded and responsive GoGoGuest captive portal

Take advantage of branding opportunities

Take advantage of the branding and customization options available with the GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal.

This means you can tailor the portal with your company logo, color palette and unique offerings. You can add images, promotional messages to engage with your guests and informational links to your offerings, events and Instagram account.

Submit all your captive portal assets to our Customer Success team.

Where do you prefer to store the data that you capture?

GoGoGuest provides a variety of options for capturing and storing data from the guest WiFi captive portal.

A Basic account offers the option and flexibility of an integration with your preferred email marketing providers.
A Boost or Growth account comes with a premium email marketing and SMS marketing features.
Enterprise accounts have access to a CDP with sales performance and analytics or option to request for custom integrations with existing systems.

Set-up your guest segmentations and email marketing automations

Regardless of whether you choose to utilize GoGoGuest's built-in CDP, premium email marketing, SMS marketing, or one of our partner's platforms to store data and engage your audience, we highly recommend setting up your guest segmentations and implement email marketing automations as part of your guest WiFi captive portal experience.

Sample guest segments

First time visitor
Repeat visitor (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th)
Local visitor by zip code, by phone number
High-value customer based on average spend per visit
High-value local customer
High-value online customer
Low-value customer based on average spend per visit
Low-value local customer
Low-value online customer

Segmenting your subscriber list is a crucial step in maximizing the impact of your guest WiFi captive portal.

By dividing your guest list into smaller, targeted groups based on various criteria, you can personalize your messaging and offers to meet their specific needs and preferences.

Sample email marketing automations

Welcome journey
Request for feedback via an internal domain
Request for a public review
Repeat customer visit, digital punch card loyalty journey
High-value customer, special promo journey
Out-of-town customer journey, special offer redeemable online
Request for SMS opt-in, to a special customer club or loyalty program

Once you have segmented your guest list, email marketing automations can be a powerful tool to streamline your communication and drive effective guest engagement. With email marketing automations, you can set up a series of personalized emails that are triggered based on specific customer actions with dynamic rules on time-intervals.

Testing your GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal

Prior to the official launch of your GoGoGuest guest WiFi captive portal, it is crucial to conduct onsite testing to ensure that the entire experience is functioning correctly and set up accurately.

Live testing onsite presents a valuable opportunity to train your managers and front-of-house team on how to effectively address customer inquiries regarding the recently implemented guest WiFi policy.

Your team should be prepared to respond to questions about the new guest WiFi policy. Here are some examples:

Why is it necessary to make a purchase in order to access the guest WiFi?
How long can I stay connected to the guest WiFi once I have connected?
What will you do with my personal information that I provide when using the guest WiFi?
Is it possible to start a tab and receive a new guest WiFi code when my current one expires?
Why am I experiencing difficulty streaming Netflix or YouTube even though I have entered a valid guest WiFi code?