When an exhibitor scans an attendee badge in the Certain Touchpoint app and the result comes back as “Unknown Lead” (or blank), it means the QR code value on the badge did not match any attendee record in the event. This is one of the most common issues reported during live lead retrieval sessions, and in the vast majority of cases it is a configuration or data issue—not a software bug.
This article explains how the matching works, what causes the error, and exactly how to fix it for a single attendee or a group.
1. How QR Code Matching Works
Every attendee profile in Touchpoint has a field called
External Matching Code / QR Code source (also referred to as
the Lead Code). This is the value that the Touchpoint app
uses to identify an attendee when their badge is scanned.
When an exhibitor scans a badge, the app reads the value embedded in the
badge QR code and looks for an attendee whose
External Matching Code / QR Code source field contains that
exact same value. If a match is found, the attendee's contact information
is returned. If no match is found—for any reason—the result is
“Unknown Lead.”
The value encoded in the badge QR code must exactly match
the value in the External Matching Code / QR Code source
field on the attendee's Touchpoint profile. Any difference—extra characters,
different format, wrong source field—will produce an Unknown Lead result.
The attendee's in-app My QR Code button (when the My QR Code feature is enabled) auto-generates a QR code from this same field. If the field is blank, no QR code is displayed for that attendee in the app.
2. Common Causes of “Unknown Lead”
The attendee exists in Touchpoint but their
External Matching Code / QR Code source field was never
populated. This is most likely to happen with walk-in registrants,
manually added attendees, or events where the attendee upload omitted
the Lead Code column. Without a value in this field, there is nothing
for the scanner to match against.
The attendee has a Lead Code on file, but the QR code printed on their badge was generated from a different value—for example, the badge printer used an internal sequence number, a different attendee ID, or a formatted string that doesn't match Certain's registration code exactly. The values must be identical, character for character.
Customers using a third-party registration system (such as Stova, Cvent, or others) to print badges will find that those systems embed their own QR code values, which will not automatically match Certain's External Matching Code. The external system's QR value must either be imported into Touchpoint as the Lead Code, or the badge printer must be given Certain's Lead Code values to encode instead.
When using Certain Platform badge printing, the QR code type on the badge template must be set to “Basic” (Simple QR Code). Using any other QR format will produce a value that does not match the attendee's registration code stored in Touchpoint.
Onsite or last-minute registrants whose data was not yet imported into Touchpoint will scan as Unknown Lead because there is no matching profile in the system at the time of the scan. These scans cannot be retroactively associated with an attendee record after the fact—the attendee data must be in the system before scanning occurs.
If a walk-in attendee was manually added in the Touchpoint CMS and also came in through the Platform integration, two records exist. The manually created record typically has no External Matching Code. When the badge is scanned and the system resolves to the wrong (manual) record, the result is Unknown Lead. Deleting or merging the duplicate resolves the issue.
3. Fix: Updating a Single Attendee Record
Use this method when you need to correct one or a handful of attendee records during or after an event.
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In the Touchpoint CMS, navigate to your event and go to Attendees. Find the affected attendee and click Edit on their record.
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Scroll down to the QR Code / Lead Retrieval Profile section. (This section only appears if Lead Scanning or Session Check-In Scanning is enabled on the event's Manage Purchases page.)
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Check the External Matching Code / QR Code source field. If it is blank or contains an incorrect value, this is the cause of the Unknown Lead error.
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Determine the correct value to enter. For Platform-integrated events, this should be the attendee's Registration Code from the Certain Platform. For non-Platform events, this should match the value encoded in the QR code on their printed badge.
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Enter or correct the value and click Save. The attendee's QR code in the app will update immediately.
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To verify, ask the attendee to open their My QR Code in the app (if the feature is enabled). A QR code should now be displayed. Have the exhibitor scan it to confirm a successful match.
If you have access to the attendee's physical badge, scan the QR code
with your phone camera outside the Touchpoint app. The raw text
value will appear. Compare it exactly to what is in the
External Matching Code / QR Code source field in the CMS—they
must be identical.
4. Fix: Updating Multiple Attendees via Bulk Import
When several attendees are affected—for example, after a large wave of walk-in registrations or when a badge vendor used different QR values—use the bulk upload process to update Lead Codes for a group of attendees at once.
Step 1 — Export your current attendee list
From the Attendees section of your Touchpoint event, export the current attendee
spreadsheet. The External Matching Code / QR Code source field
is shown in the export as the Lead Code column. This gives
you a starting point to see which records are blank or incorrect.
Step 2 — Populate the Lead Code column
In the spreadsheet, fill in (or correct) the Lead Code column for each affected attendee. The value you enter must exactly match what is encoded in that attendee's badge QR code. Common source values include:
- The attendee's Registration Code from the Certain Platform (for Platform-integrated events)
- The attendee's External ID as assigned by your registration or badge vendor
- The attendee's email address (acceptable for non-Platform events if the badge QR encodes the email)
- Any unique identifier, as long as it matches the badge QR exactly
Each Lead Code must be unique per attendee within the event. Duplicate Lead Codes across multiple attendee records will cause unpredictable matching results.
Step 3 — Re-import the spreadsheet
In the Touchpoint CMS, navigate to Attendees > Import and upload the updated spreadsheet. The import will update existing records based on the attendee identifier. Lead Codes will be applied to each matching profile immediately upon successful import.
Step 4 — Verify
After the import completes, spot-check a few attendee profiles to confirm the Lead Code field is now populated. If the My QR Code feature is enabled, ask a test attendee to open the feature in their app—they should now see a QR code displayed.
5. Platform-Integrated Events
For events connected to the Certain Platform via the Platform-Touchpoint
integration, the External Matching Code / QR Code source field
is automatically populated with each attendee's Registration
Code when they sync from Platform to Touchpoint. No manual entry is required
for standard registrants.
However, Unknown Lead errors can still occur in Platform-integrated events in these situations:
- Walk-in attendees submitted through a walk-in form may be manually created in the Touchpoint CMS rather than coming through the integration, and will not have a Lead Code auto-populated.
- Certain badge printing with a non-Basic QR code type will embed a different value than the Registration Code. Always select the “Basic” (Simple) QR Code option in the badge template settings.
- Attendees who registered after the last sync may not yet have their record in Touchpoint. A manual sync or re-import will resolve this.
6. Third-Party Badge and Registration Systems
If your organization uses a third-party registration platform (such as Stova, Cvent, Whova, or a custom badge printer) to generate attendee badges, QR codes produced by those systems will not automatically match the Lead Codes in Touchpoint. You have two options to resolve this:
| Option | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Option A: Import the external system's IDs into Touchpoint | Export the attendee ID values from your external system, add them to the Lead Code column in your Touchpoint attendee spreadsheet, and re-import. Touchpoint will then match scans against those external IDs. | When you cannot control what value the badge printer encodes in the QR code |
| Option B: Provide Certain Lead Codes to your badge printer | Export the attendee list from Touchpoint (which includes the Lead Code column) and send those values to your badge vendor. Ask them to encode the Lead Code value—not their own internal ID—in each attendee's badge QR code. | When you have control over badge production before the event |
You can export the full attendee list including Lead Codes from the Attendees
section of the Touchpoint CMS. The
External Matching Code / QR Code source field appears as
the Lead Code column in the exported spreadsheet. Share
this column with your badge vendor and ask them to encode each attendee's
Lead Code value in their badge QR.
7. Walk-In and Onsite Registrants
Walk-in attendees represent the most common source of Unknown Lead errors during live events. Because they register onsite, their data frequently either isn't in Touchpoint yet at the time of scanning, or it was entered manually without a Lead Code.
Before scanning begins:
- Upload all walk-in registrant records to Touchpoint before exhibitors begin scanning, including a Lead Code for each.
- If walk-in badges are printed on-demand, ensure the badge printing station encodes the same value that will be uploaded as the Lead Code in Touchpoint.
If Unknown Lead scans have already occurred:
- Unknown Lead scans that occurred before an attendee's record was in the system cannot be retroactively linked to the attendee after the fact. The scan log records the raw QR code value, but the system cannot automatically match it once the event has progressed.
- For these cases, contact information must be collected directly from the affected attendees by the exhibitor.
- If exhibitors photographed the attendee badges, the encoded QR value (scannable via any standard camera) can be used to identify the attendee and manually enter their details.
There is currently no way to retroactively associate an Unknown Lead scan with an attendee record after the scan has been recorded. Prevention—ensuring all records are uploaded before scanning begins—is the only reliable approach.
8. Prevention Checklist
Use this checklist before any event where lead scanning will be used to minimize Unknown Lead results.
| Action Item | Who |
|---|---|
| Confirm all attendee records are uploaded to Touchpoint before scanning begins, including a unique Lead Code for each | Event Admin |
| For Platform-integrated events: verify that the Platform-Touchpoint sync has completed and that External Matching Code fields are populated | Event Admin |
| For Certain Platform badge printing: confirm the badge template uses the Basic (Simple) QR Code option | Event Admin |
| For third-party badge vendors: share the exported Lead Code column from Touchpoint and confirm the vendor will encode those values in the badge QR codes | Event Admin / Badge Vendor |
| Test-scan at least 3–5 attendee badges before exhibitor scanning begins to confirm matching is working | Event Admin / Support |
| For events with walk-in registration: establish a process to upload walk-in records (with Lead Codes) in real time throughout the event day | Event Admin |
| Advise exhibitors that any “Unknown Lead” result should be flagged immediately so the event admin can investigate while the attendee is still on-site | Exhibitor Coordinator |
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