Key takeaways
- Guards read site groups only while they are on duty.
- Off-duty guards can't read site groups, including the history.
- Guards who are let go are removed instantly.
- The office and the client stay in the site group across shifts.
- Available to security companies that use CGuard Pro.
In most chat apps, membership is permanent until someone remembers to change it. That works for an office team, but not for a security company where dozens of guards rotate across sites every week. If every guard who ever covered a site stays in its group, the group becomes a list of everyone who knows that client’s alarm procedures. On-duty access flips the default: reading follows the schedule.
What on-duty access does in C Chat
On-duty access is a reading rule for site groups created through the CGuard Pro integration:
| Who | Can read the site group |
|---|---|
| Guard on duty at the site | Yes, for the length of the shift |
| Same guard, off duty | No |
| Guard who was let go | No, removed instantly |
| Office (supervisors, dispatch) | Yes |
| Client | Yes |
The key effect is that sensitive operational details are only in front of the people who need them right now. A guard covering a bank branch on Tuesday doesn’t carry that branch’s chat around all weekend.
How on-duty access works step by step
- Shifts are scheduled for guards in CGuard Pro.
- When a guard’s shift at a site begins, the site group becomes readable for them in C Chat.
- The guard reads the pinned post orders and the previous handover, then works the shift.
- When the shift ends, the guard posts the handover and the site group stops being readable for them.
- If the guard is let go, their access to all site chats is removed at once.
Nothing in this flow depends on a supervisor clicking “remove” at 6 a.m. That’s the point.
Real scenarios from business teams
Rotating relief guards. A relief guard covers four different sites in a week. With on-duty access they see each site’s group during their shift there and nothing else. The handover pattern for each change is in security guard shift handover by chat, and the general version for any team is in shift handover communication.
A guard leaves on bad terms. Removal is instant, so the former guard can’t screenshot next week’s instructions. The full offboarding flow is in instantly remove former guards from site chats, and the security side is in instant access removal for former staff.
An incident at night. The guard on duty uses the 🚨 alert to notify the site group and the office. Off-duty guards aren’t notified about a site they’re not working. In a real emergency, the guard should also call the local emergency number.
Privacy, permissions and limits
On-duty access controls who can read a site group; encryption controls how messages are protected. C Chat encrypts messages in transit with TLS and at rest with AES-256 using per-organization keys.
Oversight stays with the company: security companies using CGuard Pro can audit site groups and security-related chats between guards and the office. See security company oversight of CGuard Pro groups.
Limits to be clear about:
- On-duty access works with CGuard Pro shift data. Without CGuard Pro, membership is managed by team owners and admins.
- It applies to site groups, not to every conversation a guard has in C Chat.
- A guard who is on duty can still see what’s on screen; train staff not to photograph or forward site instructions.
Tips for admins
- Keep schedules accurate in CGuard Pro. Access follows the schedule, so a missing shift means a guard can’t read the site group.
- Pin everything a new guard needs: post orders, emergency contacts, client preferences.
- Use the same handover template at every site so relief guards don’t have to relearn it.
- Review site groups after incidents using the audit capability, and close the loop with the client in the same group.
Read the broader picture in secure messaging for security companies and see how site groups work for other industries.
Getting started
Security companies on CGuard Pro can ask support@cguardpro.com about turning on site groups with on-duty access. To explore C Chat itself, sign up at getcchat.com/c; see pricing for the current free limits.
Frequently asked questions
What is shift-based access control in a chat app?
It's a rule that ties who can read a conversation to who is working. In C Chat with CGuard Pro, a guard can read a site group only while on duty at that site; off duty, the group is not readable for them.
Why shouldn't off-duty guards read site groups?
Site groups often include alarm states, access instructions and client details. Limiting reading to the guards on shift reduces how many people hold that information at any moment and lowers the risk of leaks.
What happens to a guard's access when they are fired?
They are removed instantly from site chats, so a former guard can't keep reading client sites. No one has to remember to remove them group by group.
Do supervisors and the client lose access when a shift changes?
No. On-duty access applies to guards. The office and the client stay in the site group so they can follow every shift.
Can I use on-duty access without CGuard Pro?
No. On-duty access relies on the shift information in CGuard Pro. Other teams can still control membership manually through team owners and admins.