Manual visitor management led to security vulnerabilities

The Washington Commanders are one of the most storied franchises in the history of the National Football League (NFL). With a strong fanbase, millions of visitors each year at Commanders Field, and logistical support that rivals a small city, the organization has two priorities. The first is to build a strong football club and ensure success every season. The second is to deliver a safe and secure environment for guests to enjoy all stadium events.

Part of the stadium security and systems team’s daily processes is capturing all stadium visitors. Security staff used to keep track of these visitors, including deliveries, with a pen and paper. This approach led to thousands of sheets of paper each year, opening the door for inaccuracies and security vulnerabilities.

“You’d better hope you don’t lose them, or else you’re going to have gaps in your log,” said Chanan Rothenberg, Manager of Stadium Security and Systems for the Washington Commanders. “The league doesn’t want to see that.”

An intuitive platform with robust integrations

In response to the pandemic and new public health and safety regulations, the NFL passed a set of rules that forced each stadium to keep comprehensive visitor and delivery logs during the regular season and the off-season. The Commanders saw this as an opportunity to gather more specific data and help visitors navigate the stadium more efficiently.

Envoy did everything they needed in one package, and has become a key part of the Commanders’ infrastructure.

Rothenberg primarily uses Envoy Visitors as their visitor management system and Envoy Deliveries to keep on top of delivery logs at the loading dock. With just a few iPads at pre-established locations, visitors can sign in digitally, and the system records the appropriate information about their visit. 

Envoy sends a welcome email before a scheduled visit so people know where to park and where to enter. More than creating a great experience, it improves the professionalism of the Commanders. “It can be very confusing if you don’t know where to go here,” Rothberg said. “[The email] looks official and lets the guests know they’re coming to a very good workplace and a top-tier organization.”

Apart from the platform’s benefits, the Commanders also see great value in the integrations. Two of the most essential ones involve Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Azure. When someone joins the organization, the system automatically creates a login with Envoy, reducing time and burden on the IT staff. And because Envoy stores all visitor logs automatically, it’s easy to share them with the NFL as required.

For a platform that does so much, it’s also easy to use, which is a big bonus for an organization whose employees span many different departments, ages, and technical abilities.

“It’s not overly complicated,” Rothenberg said. “It’s easy to understand and doesn’t require much to figure out. It does what it needs to do, and it does it well.”

“Envoy makes everything easy to understand while looking professional and organized. Everyone knows where they’re going and that they’re in a safe environment.” 

Enhanced visibility and scalability

Since the Commanders have embraced automation, they don’t need to have their lobby or loading dock open 24/7. Instead, they’ve established designated delivery times for both locations and can reallocate their staff to more critical security zones.

They can also see trends easier, noticing how much busier they are during the regular season and scaling up staff accordingly.

With more streamlined processes, the Commanders’ security team has more resources to explore additional opportunities for adopting automation and technology, ultimately improving the visitor experience and keeping everyone safe.