Mobile credentials in a multi-tenant building: a rollout plan

Mobile credentials in a multi-tenant building work best when you roll them out in phases: main entrance first, then one tenant at a time, with cards still working until each tenant has switched. Shared office towers are now putting employee badges in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet for entrances, lifts, lockers and end-of-trip facilities, and the buildings that get there smoothly plan the switch, not just the technology.

A recent office tower project in Melbourne, reported by IT Brief Australia, moved dozens of commercial tenancies and thousands of users to wallet credentials, with mobile and physical credentials running side by side on the building's existing security infrastructure. Mobile adoption came in ahead of the original target. This guide covers what that kind of rollout means for building managers and installers.

Why multi-tenant buildings are moving to phone badges

A shared building has a card problem that a single-company office does not. Every tenant hires and loses people on its own schedule, and the building team ends up printing, posting and chasing back plastic cards for companies it does not run.

Cards get lost and reissued - every lost card is a desk visit and a new card to print.
Leavers keep cards - the building often hears about a leaver weeks later, if at all.
Visitors and contractors need short, scoped access, not a card that works forever.

A badge in the wallet on the phone people already carry removes most of this. It is issued remotely, it cannot be lent like a card because it is bound to one phone, and it can be revoked from every door at once.

Plan the mobile credentials rollout in phases

The Melbourne example shows that a full building does not need to switch on one day. A phased plan keeps the lobby calm and gives each tenant time to adjust.

Survey the doors. List entrances, lift lobbies, car park gates, lockers and end-of-trip rooms, and note which readers already support wallet passes.
Start with the shared entrance. The main door is where everyone feels the difference, so it is the best first win.
Pilot with one or two tenants. Pick tenants with a clear contact person and a mixed iPhone and Android team.
Add tenants floor by floor. Set zones and schedules so each tenant's people reach only their own floors and shared areas.
Retire cards per tenant once that tenant's people are using their phones every day.

Keep cards as a fallback during the switch

Running mobile and physical credentials side by side is what makes a phased rollout possible. teamzPass supports Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, phone NFC/BLE, cards and fobs (MIFARE, DESFire), keypad PIN and visitor QR passes in the same platform, so a person can hold a card and a phone badge while the tenant moves over.

Keep a small card stock for people without a compatible phone, for contractors who prefer a card, and for the first weeks of each tenant's switch. Cards then become the exception, not the default.

What happens at the reader

Readers that already support wallet passes are configured to read teamzPass credentials, which is a very secure method. Doors whose readers do not support wallet passes get wallet-ready readers from teamzPass. Door controllers and the access control system stay in place. The Credentials only and Credentials + readers offers are built for exactly this situation.

What tenants and their people actually experience

For the person walking in, the change is simple. Their company's administrator issues the badge, it lands in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and they tap their phone or watch on the reader. With Express Mode, you don't need to wake your iPhone or Apple Watch or open any apps to use your employee badge in Apple Wallet. Just tap your device on the reader to unlock.

That is different from some mobile badges, which are an app you have to install, unlock and open before every tap. In a busy lobby at 8:45, that difference is what decides whether people keep using the phone or go back to the card.

Track adoption tenant by tenant

Adoption is the number that tells you when to retire cards. Use the platform's audit trail to see which credential type each person used at the door, and review it per tenant every week of the rollout.

Which tenants have most people tapping a phone or watch?
Who is still using a card, and why (old phone, not issued yet, habit)?
Which doors see the most failed taps, so you can check reader placement?

When a tenant's people are mostly on their phones, retire that tenant's cards and move on to the next. See the teamzPass features for zones, schedules, roles and the audit trail, and the office buildings page for how this fits a shared tower.

What this means for installers

A multi-tenant tower is a long project with many decision makers, which suits a phased bid: survey, shared entrance, pilot tenants, then the rest. Doors with readers that do not support wallet passes become billable reader upgrades, and every live credential sits behind a monthly subscription. teamzPass partners get a free sandbox to set up a demo building before the first site visit, and pay only when credentials go live.

FAQ

How do you roll out mobile credentials in a multi-tenant building?

teamzPass recommends a phased rollout: start with the main entrance and one or two tenants, keep cards and fobs working side by side, then add tenants floor by floor. Each person gets a badge in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet issued remotely, and access rules are set per zone and schedule.

Do tenants have to give up their plastic cards on day one?

teamzPass supports Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, phone NFC/BLE, cards and fobs in the same platform, so cards can stay active as a fallback while each tenant moves to phone badges at its own pace.

Do we need to replace all the readers in the building?

teamzPass configures readers that already support wallet passes to read teamzPass credentials. Doors whose readers do not support wallet passes get wallet-ready readers from teamzPass. Door controllers and the access control system stay in place.

What happens when a tenant employee leaves?

teamzPass lets the administrator revoke a credential remotely, and revoking ends access at every door at once. Joiners and leavers can also flow in from the directory, such as Azure AD, Google Workspace, Okta or SAML 2.0.

Why put building badges in the wallet instead of an app?

teamzPass puts the badge in the wallet on the phone people already carry: issued remotely before day one, bound to one phone so it cannot be lent, and revoked from every door in one click. There is no separate app to install or open.

Planning phone badges for a shared building? Schedule a call and we will walk through your doors, tenants and rollout plan with you.

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