Visitor management is the process of welcoming visitors on to your premises. The sign-in part is only a small percentage of the process. There are other elements to consider as well; visitor safety and security, evacuation management, notifying employees that a visitor has arrived to see them and ensuring your visitor is willing to comply with non-disclosure agreements - which are unique to your company or facility.
While a visitor management system address all areas of welcoming visitors into your workplace, many visitor management systems also facilitate contactless sign in, employee sign in and out and smart workspace management. These features offer a progressive way to approach people management in the workplace, particularly with the adoption of a hybrid workplace model where you'll need to know who is working on site, who is working remotely and have easy access to all records for quick contact tracing.
What is visitor management?
While visitor management has predominantly been handled via manual processes in the past - including a paper visitor book and the need for the reception staff informing the employee a guest has arrived in person - it’s now easy to manage all of these parts of the process in one place. And it’s called a visitor management system.
Also referred to as a visitor management solution or visitor management software, all you’re required to do is download an app and install it into an iPad or Android tablet to keep at your front desk. Smart, simple and professional.
In this blog post we provide an introduction to visitor management and the results you can expect to see by transforming your sign-in processes from a paper-based system to a digital solution.
Depending on your business, your sign-in process may be as simple as having visitors sign their names and show their ID. For other industries, it can be quite complex, dictated by numerous rules and regulations. For example, food and beverage manufacturing requires detailed visitor records. These may include visitor health questionnaires and acknowledging visitors' understanding of good manufacturing practices.
A visitor management system ensures all your I's are dotted and your T's are crossed. In other words, no one gets lost in the shuffle of a busy day when multiple visitors arrive at once, or the receptionist walks away for a moment. Not only is this critical to the safety and security of your company, but it also ensures a seamless audit.
First, visitors sign in using their smartphones or a tablet. They'll answer the required questions and sign the needed documents, such as NDAs. Once completed, the system captures their photo and prints their visitor ID badge. Then, it notifies the person they're visiting that they've arrived. Lastly, the visitor quickly checks out.
There are a multitude of benefits you can expect by implementing a smart visitor management system in place of a paper guest book. Not only does it present a modern and professional look for your business, but you can notify staff quickly via email or SMS text message when a visitor has arrived for them, manage health and safety procedures for your staff and visitors alike, ensure all data remains private and enjoy customization settings to showcase your branding right from the first encounter guests have with your business. And the best part? All these beneficial features are hosted in one app on a smart looking iPad or tablet (usually purchased separately, or in a bundle package, with your visitor management software).
The visitor experience is important; it’s crucial to make a good first impression to clients, potential customers and visitors. Your reception area is the first port of entry, so it makes sense to ensure you use all the tools at your disposal to create a warm and welcoming space in your reception area. Digital sign-in using a visitor management system can help with this. While you communicate your branding and design, you can also show your visitors that you truly care about their safety and security using a data privacy compliant system. Leave guests feeling impressed right from the beginning as they journey into your world.
Let's expand on the subject of safety & security. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) “of the 5,147 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2017, 458 were cases of intentional injury by another person.” The lobby or reception serves as the first line of defence for site security and all of the features of a visitor management software can help to identify when undesirable situations might occur including instant notifications, the ability to monitor multiple entry and exit points, digital agreement compliance, evacuation management and ID badge printing.
Then there's the subject of data privacy, CT-PAT and GDPR. Whichever country your business operates in, it's highly likely that you need to abide by some serious data privacy laws. A visitor management system will help you comply with these data privacy laws, meaning that your business is at no risk of accusation or lawsuits regarding misuse of visitor data. It is important to understand what compliance requirements your business has to determine if a VMS can support them.
95% of organisations agree that a digital workplace is important and, the good news is, the transformation starts here with a staff in-out board. A visitor management system will not only help propel your business into a smarter, streamlined future by reinventing your business' welcome but it has invaluable benefits around employee management too. Encourage employees to clock in and out, enjoy full transparency and visibility and empower a more positive employee experience using the employee in out board. Or even better, by issuing staff with an employee sign in app.
As you can see, the benefits of a visitor management system are many, from creating that all-important positive first impression to securing the required documents and signatures in a digital format and effortlessly printing out visitor badges. When it's time for an audit, you can quickly pull up the information for any visitor the auditor requests.
Additionally, a visitor management system offers the following:
If you don't have a visitor management system, you probably need one. Why? Any solution that streamlines operations, enhances security, and ensures industry regulatory compliance is essential in today's world. The following represent a few clues that suggest it's time for a visitor management system:
Choosing the right visitor management system for your business or facility can be daunting. But here are the essentials:
We hope you found this blog post helpful. If you’d like to learn more on the subject of visitor management, download our free, handy guide: Tap In, Tap Out: SwipedOn’s In Depth Guide To Visitor Management