1.1 Creating your company account
Most companies are set up from an invitation link sent by InstaNotified. Opening the link takes you to the sign-in page with the invitation applied.
- Choose Create Account if you are new, or Sign In if you already have an InstaNotified login for another company.
- Fill in Full Name, Email, phone number, Company Name, Industry and a Password (at least 8 characters), then confirm the password.
- Click Create Account. You are signed in and land on the dashboard as the company owner and first admin.
The Industry you pick sets the vocabulary (Guard / Site / Patrol, or Cleaner / Property / Inspection, and so on) and turns industry-specific features on or off. You can change it later under Settings > Company.
If you already have a login, the Sign In form shows extra fields for Company Name and Industry so you can create the new company under your existing account.
Where: instanotified.com/auth
1.2 Signing in
- Go to instanotified.com and click Sign In.
- Enter Email and Password.
- Forgot your password? Click the reset link, enter your Email in the Reset Password dialog and follow the email you receive.
Guards (employees without an admin or branch-manager role) cannot use the company portal. They are redirected to the employee portal at employees.instanotified.com, which is the browser version of the mobile app.
1.3 The Get Started checklist
The first time you open the dashboard, the Dashboard page shows a Get Started card with the core setup steps. Each step links to the right page and is ticked automatically when done:
- Configure Company Settings — confirm the company name.
- Select Your Industry — choose the vertical (can be done inline on the card).
- Add Your Sites — create the locations you protect or service.
- Add Employees — create guard, branch-manager and admin accounts.
- Assign Employees to Sites — connect people to the places they work.
- Understand Roles & Permissions — a short explainer of Admin, Branch Manager and Guard.
When these are complete the card reads Core setup complete! and is replaced by Feature Discovery tiles for Scheduling & Payroll, Security & Patrols, Communications and Incidents & Reporting. The tiles can be dismissed at any time. A tile (or a step inside it) whose page is not in your plan carries the same lock marker as the sidebar — a grey lock for any paid plan, an amber spark for Complete — and opening it shows that page's Upgrade prompt.
1.4 Finding your way around
| Element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Primary rail (far left) | One icon per hub: Monitor, Organization, Schedule, Operations, Patrols, Communications, AI Supervisor, Payroll, Invoicing, Compliance, Insights. At the bottom: What's New, Help & FAQ, Billing & Usage and Settings (admins only). Hover an icon for its full name. |
| Secondary column | The pages inside the selected hub. Locked pages show a grey lock (paid plan) or amber spark (Complete plan). |
| Company switcher (header, left) | If you belong to more than one company, switch between them here. |
| Quick Add (header) | Create common records from anywhere: Schedule Shift, Report Incident, Log Entry, Call-Out / Tardy; Campaign, Message, Push Notification; Add Guard, Add Site, Add Customer, Add Branch. Each entry opens the page where that record is created. Entries whose page is not in your plan are greyed and carry the same lock marker as the sidebar (on Free everything but the Organization group; on Core only Schedule Shift); they still open the page, which shows its Upgrade prompt. |
| Command Menu (⌘K / Ctrl+K) | Search pages, employees, sites... — type two or more characters to find Customers, Employees, Sites, Branches, Incidents, Campaigns, Custom Forms, Tools, Scan Points, Patrol Routes and Templates by name, jump to any page, or run Actions such as Ask AI, theme toggle, Profile and Sign Out. |
| Notification bell | In-app notifications with filter tabs All, Unread, Incidents, Patrols, Requests, Shifts, Clock-ins, Messages & Calls, Billing, Compliance and Other. Click one to jump to the record. |
| Ask AI (⌘I / Ctrl+I) | Opens the AI drawer to ask questions about your own operations. See section 9.5. |
| Theme toggle | Light, dark or system appearance. |
| Profile menu | Branch Filter (admins: pick one branch or All Branches), Profile (opens Account Settings with Profile and Password tabs) and Sign Out. |
On a phone or narrow window the rail becomes a bottom bar with the first five hubs and a More button for the rest.
1.5 Account Settings
Open the profile menu and choose Profile.
- Profile tab: update your Full Name and Email, then Save Changes. A new email address takes effect once you confirm it from the message sent to it.
- Password tab: enter your Current Password, a New Password (at least 6 characters) and Confirm New Password, then click Update Password.
1.6 Branch Filter
Companies with more than one branch can scope every list, chart and report to one branch:
- Open the profile menu and choose Branch Filter.
- Pick a branch, or All Branches.
Branch managers are automatically locked to their own branch and cannot change this.