How to track who opens your document QR code

Short answer

A plain document QR code tells you a document was opened, not by whom. Putting a two-field form in front of it turns each open into a named record: who, which company, and when. The document opens straight after they submit, so the friction is one screen.

Anonymous versus identified

The trade is real: some people will not fill in the form. For a public brochure that is a bad trade. For a price list, a spec sheet or a proposal, the people who will not give you a name were rarely going to become customers, and the ones who do are worth a follow-up.

Where this is worth doing

• Price lists sent to prospects, where the open is a buying signal
• Proposals and quotes, where you want to know it was read before you chase
• Spec sheets on a product or a machine, where the reader is likely a specifier
• Event handouts you want to attach to a name

And where it is not: safety information, instructions someone needs immediately, anything regulatory. Never put a form in front of something a person may need in a hurry.

Step-by-step

1. Upload the document, or use its existing URL as the destination.
2. Ask the assistant to build the link with a form in front asking for name and company.
3. Keep it to two fields. Every extra one costs you opens.
4. Print or send the code.
5. Watch submissions in the dashboard, filtered by date.

Getting told as it happens

The workflow records who opened the document. To be notified at the moment it happens rather than checking the dashboard, use one of these, both configured in Settings:

• Webhooks send each event to any endpoint as it occurs, which is how you get a message into Slack, a CRM, or your own backend.
• Email digests summarise activity daily or weekly, which is enough when the follow-up is not urgent.

These are workspace settings rather than something the assistant configures. The assistant builds the gate; the notification carries it to you.

Limits and caveats

• The form records what people type. Nothing verifies it, so treat a name as a claim rather than a fact.
• Anyone who receives the document itself can forward it freely. The gate covers the QR code route, not the file afterwards.
• A gate suppresses some opens. If the count matters more than the identity, do not gate it.
• Do not gate anything safety-critical or legally required.
• Tell people what you will do with the details. A line under the form is usually enough, and in some jurisdictions it is required.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see who opened it without asking them?

No. A scan gives you device type, approximate city and a timestamp, none of which identify a person. The form is what turns an open into a name.

Will one person opening it twice show up twice?

Yes, as two submissions. The new-versus-returning breakdown tells you which opens are repeats.

Can I skip the form for people who already filled it in?

Yes. A scan condition can route returning visitors straight to the document.

Can I stop the document being shared?

Not through the QR code. Once someone has the file they can pass it on. If that matters, host it somewhere with its own access control and point the code there.

Does this work for something other than a PDF?

Yes. The destination can be any URL — a slide deck, a shared drive file, a page on your site.