Dissatisfied employees, industrial espionage, unqualified contractors. People visiting a company’s headquarters, campuses or research locations can introduce a threat to personnel and property security. When facilities can’t differentiate between visitors that pose a security threat versus those that deliver productive outcomes, companies are vulnerable and liable.
Balance visitor experience with security requirements
Visitors checking in via an iPad-based Visitor Management System (VMS) at your reception or lobby enable your organization to verify their identity, confirm they are not on any third-party or internal watchlist and digitally sign legal documents ensuring your organization is protected within a few seconds of checking in. The following VMS features enable companies to ensure superior security while creating a memorable visitor experience.
- Scan and verify government-issued ID
- Capture guests’ pictures, business cards, and driver’s licenses.
- Digitally sign legal documents, NDAs and waivers.
- Check visitors against third-party and corporate watchlists
- Print visitor ID badges customized to visitor types
- Send invitations, and provide pre-registration to visitors, expediting on-site check-in
- Notify hosts of guests’ arrival via email, Slack, SMS and email.
- Provide visitors with designated parking stalls
- Download and export compliance records instantly
Visitor paper logs are the last non-digitized frontiers
Organizations have innovated engagement with web visitors, customers and employees. Digital strategy, customer relationships and employee management systems are some of the fastest growing technology segments. Yet, when it comes to visitor management, a recent survey indicated more than 25% of organizations still use manual processes or paper logs.
Yet, more and more enterprise organizations standardize on visitor management solutions as part of their overall facility ecosystem. Paper logs are inherently flawed.
- Information documented can easily be falsified. Having a system that does not consistently verify the identity of a guest.
- Your competitors or other guests have no problem reading the pen and paper log book, exposing confidential information.
- Frequently, visitors will neglect to sign out. Unauthorized visitors could potentially gain access to a facility using a discarded badge leaving your employees, data and facility at risk.
- Physical log books can be stolen, lost or misplaced leaving companies without a verifiable audit trail.
- Records of visitors recorded as dangerous or unwanted at one business facility are not readily available to security personnel from other company sites.
Visitor Management Systems work across industries, meeting complex user demands.
The benefits of using a visitor management system exceed merely digitizing and automating guest/host invitations and notifications. An ever-growing number of customizable platform offerings take on the combined character and functions of a receptionist and facility security manager morphed into one friendly, security savvy, utterly thorough and lightning-quick welcoming service.
To wrap your mind around how a VMS can be tailored to meet specific business needs, consider these use case scenarios:
- Gaming companies are installing Visitor Management Systems to control security at their offices. They need to track guests and provide secure temporary WIFI login credentials. Additionally, they need a system that lets them know when a visitor has checked in and out via Slack or text. Having unauthorized visitors in their offices could potentially lead to a leak of a new game or feature.
- Construction companies also see a VMS as an added layer of security as well as a system to make their check-in process more efficient. Construction site & safety is paramount for any construction or development company. Having visibility on every contractor’s check-in and check-out data is crucial. To satisfy compliance and security standards, they have contractors sign NDAs and waivers and watch instructional site & safety videos at sign-in. Their qualifications and certifications are checked and validated via the Contractor Compliance integration. A Visitor Management platform can help these operation managers nail these goals.
- Aerospace manufacturers are mandated by the industry regulatory body, ITAR, to verify visitors’ US citizenship prior to entering facilities. Airport-grade security scanners can verify any government-issued ID. Visitors are provided with printed ID badges that display their photo captured by the iPad sign-in console. The badge displays access restrictions and the details of their escort. All compulsory visitor requirements are instantaneously met, and it takes minutes to process visitors.
Hosting visitors who feel important and safe
A VMS makes it possible to consolidate and centralize the guest experience and security processes onto a single platform. Its cloud-based character allows standardized protocols to be deployed to all relevant locations. Endless labor-hours are won back with human error excluded from the equation. Besides these crucial benefits, a VMS also contributes to business operations- and continuity in new, meaningful ways.
- Increase operational efficiency – Most Visitor Management Systems integrate with your facility’s email, CRM and security systems. A data-rich environment increases business intelligence and leads to greater resource and capacity planning.
- Improve guest support – Having security protocols integrated with the visitor sign-in experience compliments one another. Guest preferences are remembered on follow-up sign-ins, leaving them feeling valued and safe.
- Augment emergency response strategy- In the event of an evacuation, security personnel have a real-time view of all checked-in guests. They can receive emergency alerts and be checked-off as safe from the cloud-based guest book once they safely reach assembly points.
A visitor management system is able to automate processes that records and tracks all contact visitors have with facilities. Scanning identities against watchlists and verifying IDs ensure your facilities, staff and data are safe as houses. Processing times are faster, security and emergency preparedness are increased, and all visitor data is available in real-time.
Companies are audit-ready and enormous stores of data bring insights that help streamline operations.
To any security or facility manager, this probably sounds like a dream come true. There are, however, many VMS providers out there and several key components to consider before making a choice.
To find out how Sign In Enterprise's visitor management system can help you secure your premises and create five-star guest experiences, book a demo today.