The 8 steps to follow for creating your visitor policy

Visitor management has evolved way beyond simply asking guests at the front desk to sign in on a piece of paper. And as workplaces navigate a growingly complex landscape, it's easy to see why.

Security and facilities teams are stretched thin, managing everything from workplace compliance to securing multiple satellite offices against breaches and attacks. Workplace threats, in particular, are a growing concern, and for good reason. Our recent survey report shows that half of companies have experienced one to five onsite security incidents.

Given these issues, workplaces need to establish their own standardized approach to front desk security, one that sets easy-to-follow processes for staff and delivers a consistent high-level experience for all visitors coming onsite. For many workplaces, that means establishing a visitor policy for all their sites and facilities.

What is a visitor policy?

A visitor policy is a set of guidelines and procedures that an organization sets to manage and monitor visitors entering their premises. These policies typically outline which guests are allowed onsite, when they can visit, which areas they can access, and the steps they must take to gain access. These can include signing in, presenting identification, and reviewing and signing legal documents.

In short, a visitor policy helps ensure guests are properly vetted and screened, establishing security protocols and simplifying compliance management in the process. Companies may also have varying policies for different visitor types. For example, a manufacturer may require non-citizens to answer questions and sign documents that a U.S. citizen may not be obligated to do so.

8 steps for creating your visitor policy

A good visitor policy keeps people and assets safe and makes guests feel welcome. Here’s how to put your plan into motion:

1. Decide if your front desk will be staffed. A staffed front desk can provide a personal touch and handle complex visitor issues more effectively. On the flip side, an unstaffed front desk might rely more on automated systems such as Envoy’s Virtual Front Desk, which can be paired with static QR codes and self-service kiosks. These systems can make check-ins more efficient and consistent while reducing staffing costs. This is particularly valuable when teams are spread across locations and require secure visitor management, even after regular operating hours or at offices with limited staff. Consider your volume of visitors and your specific security needs when making this decision.
2. Identify your visitor types. Figure out the different kinds of visitors your facility may have, like contractors, vendors, job candidates, or customers. The information you capture and access levels you provide may vary based on each guest’s reason for visiting. Knowing these differences helps you tailor security measures and make the check-in process smoother.
3. Set up pre-visit communication. Clear communication before a visit improves the visitor experience and speeds up check-ins. Establish a process to share important information like parking details, check-in steps, which ID to bring, and contact points upon arrival. This helps visitors come prepared and understand the security procedures.
4. Maintain a digitized record of all visitor entries and exits. Determine the information you need to collect from visitors for auditing purposes, such as their name, contact details, purpose of visit, areas accessed, and duration of stay. Digitized visitor logs are crucial for checking security measures and proving compliance with safety standards.
5. Determine necessary legal documents for signing. Depending on the nature of the visit, visitors may need to sign legal documents such as non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), safety waivers, or data privacy consent forms. Automate the distribution and signing of these documents as part of the check-in process to ensure compliance and minimize paperwork.
6. Establish procedures for identity verification. This could include checking a government-issued ID or performing background checks. Many visitor management systems can connect with identity screening software like Visual Compliance to make this process smoother. Some modern solutions even come with photo capture and facial recognition capabilities, which can further streamline identity checks.
7. Develop a process for creating and printing visitor badges. Choose what details to print on badges, such as visitor names, host names, sign-in times, and custom messages, which can include access control QR codes and Wi-Fi credentials. Visitor management systems let you customize badges for different types of visitors and include options to add logos, photos, and barcodes.

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8. Implement host notifications. In your visitor management system, you can customize notification settings for each host. This can involve choosing how they'll receive notifications—via email, SMS, or app notifications—and tailoring the content in the message. You can also adjust settings to ensure notifications are sent only during specific times, based on visitor type, or for denied entries (e.g., a visitor matches a block list).

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Are you in the process of establishing a new visitor policy? To learn more, check out our recent blog, "Top 5 risks of having an outdated visitor management policy."