Recor Medical, founded in 2009, developed Paradise® Ultrasound Renal Denervation (RDN), a groundbreaking, FDA-approved therapy that offers a medication-free option to treat hypertension. After being acquired by Japan-based Otsuka Medical Devices in 2018, Recor doubled its workforce from 150 to 300 employees—prompting the need for a more efficient system to manage employee and visitor access at its Palo Alto facility.

Challenge: Managing a hybrid workforce and visitors with inaccurate data

Recor Medical’s hybrid work model offered flexibility, assigning permanent desks to employees onsite four or more days a week, and requiring others to reserve desks as needed. But as headcount grew, demand for desks quickly outpaced availability. 

Managing seating felt “like a game of Tetris,” said Ed Pate, Director of Facilities. “We tried to maintain 10% vacancy to facilitate moves, but we couldn’t validate attendance and occupancy with our manual processes.” 

The company used spreadsheets to manage its limited space and visitors, which presented several challenges:

• No reliable occupancy and usage data. Without an easy way to track daily attendance and forecast peak days, it was tough to allocate meeting rooms, plan lunches, and manage employee seating.
• No booking system for hot desking. Employees couldn’t reserve desks  ahead of time, leading  to confusion and frustration upon arrival at the office.

At the same time, Recor’s visitor check-in process lacked the oversight and compliance safeguards needed to scale. Visitor logs were handled manually on paper, with no easy way to verify completed NDAs or confirm acknowledgment of Prop 65 disclosures—a California requirement for notifying individuals about potential exposure to hazardous substances. This not only slowed down front-desk operations but also introduced compliance risk across their facilities.

Improving the guest experience and increasing compliance with Envoy

Pate came to the table with a solution. Having used Envoy at a previous employer, he recommended the platform to Recor. To ensure a thorough evaluation, the team gathered quotes from two other vendors.

“We did an apples-to-apples comparison, and Envoy came out on top,” Pate said. “It was the best in terms of functionality and scalability.”

Recor began with a basic implementation of Envoy Visitors, meeting weekly with the local Envoy team to ensure a smooth rollout. Within two months, they expanded to Envoy Workplace. Together, the two solutions enabled Recor to automate guest registration, desk assignments, and facility management. They also deployed Envoy Emergency Notifications to send out standardized alerts during crises.

These tools have significantly impacted both the employee and guest experiences. With Envoy, Recor introduced:

• Digital visitor check-ins with built-in Prop 65 compliance, and temporary badge issuance
• Self-service hot desk reservations for hybrid employees
• Comprehensive occupancy data, including daily, weekly, and long-term to metrics to guide space allocation and planning.
• Template-based emergency alerts that deliver clear, real-time instructions during incidents. 

“Envoy generates metrics that make our job easier. We can drill down to individual users and specific days and hours to validate what’s happening onsite.”

At its core, Envoy Visitors creates a seamless check-in experience for guests while providing valuable tools for Recor employees and the facilities team.

Envoy automatically notifies hosts when their guests arrive, so they can greet them at reception. “It eliminates the stress of chasing down people to let them know their visitors are here,” Pate said. “It also sets the expectation that employees are responsible for meeting and escorting their guests through the building, instead of asking receptionists to do it.”

Recor also uses Envoy to pre-register individuals and groups, speeding up the check-in process. “We sometimes host groups of VIPs from Japan,” Pate shared as an example. “With pre-registration, they don’t have to line up to sign a logbook. It improves the guest experience when we simplify things.”

Envoy further streamlines visits by safely storing relevant guest information, allowing for faster logins for returning guests. It also digitally archives NDA and Prop 65 signatures, helping Recor meet compliance requirements and protect itself in case of a dispute.

“Envoy’s automated NDA and Prop 65 signatures ensure full compliance and better accountability.”

Results: Data-driven facility management

Envoy’s intuitive hot desk reservation system quickly became second nature for Recor Medical employees. By booking desks in advance, they avoid last-minute confusion and ensure consistent workspace availability.

For Ed Pate, Director of Facilities, the visibility into real-time and historical desk usage is invaluable. It allows him to ensure that employees who need permanent seating have it—without the need for additional headcount. “Without Envoy, I’d need at least one more person—and the information still wouldn’t be as accurate,” he noted.

To streamline operations even further, Pate introduced Neighborhood Captains to manage desk blocks within each team. “We’re trying to bring accountability to the lowest level possible and still get the job done. That frees up my team to focus elsewhere,” he explained.

Envoy also delivers key usage insights that guide daily logistics and long-term planning. “We know Thursdays are our busiest days—about 175 people onsite. That helps us plan lunches, allocate space, and make sure the right resources are in place.”

With confidence in the data, Pate can advocate for future growth. “I met with our CEO and said we needed more seats. I had the metrics to back it up—and got approval.”

Despite being a self-described skeptic when it comes to tools, Envoy has won him over. “It’s an invaluable tool for us. We wonder how we got along without it before. I’d recommend Envoy in a second.”