4 ways visitor management helps your workplace work better

You’ve got a lot on your plate. In fact, you may need an extra pair of hands to carry that plate. Along with meeting employee needs on a daily basis, you also field the needs of everyone who walks through the front door. More specifically, managing the flow (and sometimes rush) of visitors.

You might even have more than one plate to handle, like a specialty act on a variety show, attempting to do the impossible by keeping several plates spinning in the air at once. It must be exhausting!

You may want to consider a different way of handling the incoming activity that makes your head spin faster than those plates. We want to introduce you to visitor management solutions and the four ways they increase the efficiency of your organization—while lowering your stress.

Helping workplaces work better

Not having a complete record of every single person who enters your company building can be problematic. While most people are trustworthy, some may seek to inflict harm, either through physical means or by stealing intellectual property. 

That’s where visitor management shines. It helps you verify the identity of everyone who is welcome in your space and allows you to keep track of those who have been given access to your office, employees, and Wi-Fi network. 

Policies vary by business, industry, and geographic location. Collecting a visitor’s name on a sheet of paper may be enough for some companies. However, others may have more pressing security needs that require additional steps:

• Printed visitor badges
• Unique Wi-Fi credentials 
• ID scanning
• Signed legal documents
• Integrations to check visitor names against third-party lists

Visitor management systems ensure the proper implementation of your security policies. To create an environment that is safe and secure, all you need to do is replace your pen and paper logbook with an iPad sign-in app that is fully customizable and dependable.

The four key benefits of visitor management

Visitor management is the best way to create a great experience for everyone right off the bat. Guests can sign in and get their photo taken with just a few clicks, the host is automatically notified, and a memorable visit has begun. You’ll benefit from this streamlined system in multiple ways:

1) Make a good first impression

Your lobby is your company’s calling card. It’s the first thing visitors see and it sets the tone for their entire time onsite. By upgrading your front desk with a sleek, branded tablet for digital sign-in, you’ll ditch the clutter and set the stage for a positive first impression.

2) No more printing, filing, or messaging

When you select a visitor management system, filing paper documents and handwriting badges will be a thing of the past. What’s more, you won't need to hunt down employees when their guests arrive thanks to automatic notifications. Another bonus?  They’ll know exactly who they are meeting, what they look like, and what their visit is about.

3) Enhanced workplace security

Your front desk is your first line of defense against unwanted visitors and your visitor management system helps you recognize potential threats before they materialize. This works in a few ways:

1. Pre-registration - Visitors can send all their information before they arrive, so you’ll know who to look for, who they are there to see, and if they’ve signed legal documents ahead of time.
2. At-a-glance identification - Visitor badges provide extra verification and prove that guests have completed the sign-in process and are authorized to be in the workplace.
3. Intellectual property protection - Getting digital signatures on NDAs or waivers at the time of check-in, along with providing unique Wi-Fi access, helps keep your data and your network safe.

4) Meet complex compliance and regulation needs

Securely gathering and storing information related to regulations like ITAR, FSMA, and PCI is crucial. The right visitor management system simplifies the process:

1. Flexible information collection - Customize sign-in for your office to have guests answer specific questions and fill out necessary forms.
2. One-click exports - Export years of guest logs with one click, making reporting fast and simple.
3. Confirm consent to data collection - Under GDPR, individuals must consent to data collection. This can be done automatically before sign-in begins.
4. Delete data upon request - GDPR impacts data retention, so you can simply request to anonymize your visitor data at any time.

If you're ready to implement a visitor management solution

We think Envoy offers the best all-around digital visitor management system (yes, we may be biased). If you're ready to finally put down those spinning plates, sign up for a trial to see firsthand how easy visitor management can be.