Key takeaways
- Guests join one group by invitation, not your entire team.
- Typical guests: subcontractors, cleaning crews, vendors, and clients who want updates.
- Guests sign up like anyone else, with a phone or email code.
- The group stays auditable by your team's owners and admins.
- Remove guests when the job, contract or season ends.
Very little work happens only inside one company. A building has a cleaning contractor, a security provider and a property manager. A renovation has five subcontractors. A service company has clients who want to see progress. Bringing all of them into your internal chat is risky, and leaving them on personal WhatsApp means you lose control. Guest access is the middle ground.
What guest access does in C Chat
Guest access lets you invite an outside person into one specific group of your team. The group remains yours: the outside person is a guest user of that one group, the group keeps your team’s encryption, and it stays available to your owners and admins for audit and export.
| Team member | Guest | |
|---|---|---|
| Joins | The team, then its groups | One group, by invitation |
| Sees | The groups they are added to | Only the group they were invited to |
| Typical people | Employees, supervisors, office staff | Contractors, cleaning staff, vendors, clients |
| Removed by | Owner or admin | Owner or admin |
More detail is in guest access security: what guests can see.
How to use guest access step by step
- Create a group for the shared work, named after the job or client (“Plaza Mall – Cleaning – Client”).
- Add your own people first, including the supervisor responsible.
- Invite the guest with a link, QR code, WhatsApp, SMS or email. See invite by link or QR code.
- Pin the rules of the group: purpose, working hours, how to report problems, who decides.
- Remove the guest when the job or contract ends.
Real scenarios from business teams
- Subcontractors on a job site. The general contractor runs one group per trade with the foreman of each subcontractor. Read subcontractor coordination on job sites and team chat for construction companies.
- Cleaning crews and building managers. A janitorial company invites the client’s facility manager into the site group to receive completion photos. See cleaning crews and client sites in one chat and messaging for cleaning teams.
- Facility vendors. An HVAC supplier is invited to a maintenance group for one building. See facility vendor coordination.
For workflow-level guides, read coordinating contractors, client communication in a dedicated group and vendor and supplier communication.
Privacy, permissions and limits
- Guests are outsiders by design. Do not post internal pricing, staff issues or other clients’ details in a group with guests. Keep a separate internal group for that.
- Group oversight still applies. Your owners and admins can audit and export groups that include guests, which is useful for disputes about what was agreed.
- Direct messages are private. A guest’s direct conversation with one of your employees is not part of the group audit. Anything that must be on record belongs in the group.
- Block and report work for everyone, guests included.
Tips for admins
- Write a guest policy once using inviting guests and contractors safely.
- Review guests monthly. Contracts end quietly; access should not linger.
- Name guest groups clearly so everyone knows outsiders are present.
- Keep the owner circle small so you know who adds and removes guests.
Getting started
Create your team at getcchat.com/c, set up one shared group for your next job, and invite the contractor or client to it. Your internal groups stay internal, and the shared record stays with you.
Frequently asked questions
What can a guest see in C Chat?
A guest sees the group they were invited to, along with its messages, files and members. They do not get access to your team's other groups. For the precise boundaries, see the guest access security page.
Do guests need a paid account?
No. C Chat is free for now, for members and guests alike. Guests create a normal C Chat account with a phone number or email and a one-time code.
Can a guest message my staff privately?
Yes. Like any C Chat user, a guest can send direct messages to other users. If that is unwanted, staff can block and report, and you can remove the guest from the group.
How do I remove a contractor when the job is done?
An owner or admin removes the guest from the group. From then on, the person no longer sees new messages in it. Make removal part of your project close-out checklist.