Proper visitor management is essential for securing the workplace environment, making operations more efficient and ensuring that visitors receive professional treatment. Conventional manual registers allow storing some data about visitors, yet they lack transparency, reporting, verification and emergency readiness capabilities.
A contemporary Visitor Management System (VMS) allows automating all processes related to registration, verification, monitoring and managing of visitors. The capabilities of different VMS products vary depending on the solution; some products offer functionality for managing visitor badges, host alerts, safety notifications, reporting and multi-location capabilities.
However, selecting appropriate visitor management software cannot be reduced to choosing the product that offers the largest number of capabilities. The solution has to suit your company’s needs in terms of security, visitor traffic, compliance and scalability.
The following is a list of 10 factors to consider while selecting a visitor management system for your organization.
What Is a Visitor Management System?
A visitor management system refers to a software solution that manages the process of managing visitors in and out of an office or any other establishment.
Instead of having visitors fill out paper forms with their details, a digital visitor management system captures details like:
Name of the visitor and contact information
- Company/Organization
- Purpose of the visit
- Hosted by/employee visited
- Date and time of entry and exit
- Identification
- Acknowledgment of consent and safety
Advanced systems can issue visitor badges, host alerts, generate reports and offer real-time data about who is present in the facility.
Centralized visitor management solutions can be useful for businesses that have multiple offices/plants/buildings/facilities.
Why Is Selecting the Proper Visitor Management System Important?
Every organization has varying needs when it comes to visitor management.
A corporation might be interested in a quick and professional check-in process. A manufacturing plant would want training for emergencies. And a hospital would require strict verification of identity and privacy management.
Hence, the proper system must consider:
- Security
- Usability
- Visitor experience
- Privacy
- Safety
- Reporting
- Integrations
- Scalability
- Cost
Now, let us consider some of the most important aspects.
1. Simple and Quick Visitor Check-In
Visitor check-in is one of the first points to consider when assessing the security system.
If visitors are expected to fill out complicated forms or rely much on receptionists, long lines can form during peak hours.
You should seek for the solution that ensures fast and convenient registration.
The key features may include:
- Touchscreen or kiosk check-in
- Pre-check-in
- Appointments check
- QR-code check
- Mobile check
- Automatic host notifications
- Digital visitor badges
Kiosks help save time and effort for the reception and security personnel while offering guests easy check-in experience. For example, the solution called VisiteX Touch allows performing touch screen-based visitor registration and verifying visitors by their mobile OTP before issuing QR-code badge.
2. Identification Verification and Authentication of Visitors
It is crucial to know who your visitors are before allowing them entry into your premises for their safety.
In assessing a visitor management system, it will be essential to establish how it confirms the identity and appointment of the visitor.
Some functionalities that will be of help to you based on your needs include:
- Mobile OTP authentication
- Collection of identification details
- Capture of the visitor’s photograph
- Verification of the appointment
- Approval from the host
- Company details
- Purpose of visit
In high security areas, the system can be designed to integrate with the current security infrastructure.
3. Customizable Visitor Information Capture
Organizations require the capture of different information from visitors.
For instance, while a corporate organization requires visitor information such as their names, phone numbers, companies and hosts, a manufacturing firm may require information about the vehicles, IDs or equipment used in the premises among others.
A quality visitor management software must therefore allow customization of the visitor information to be captured.
This is because you would like to know whether the following fields can be included:
- Visitor’s name
- Phone number
- Company
- ID information
- Reason for visit
- Host
- Vehicles information
- Assets or items taken into the organization
VisiteX Touch provides customizable visitor information capture.
4. Data Privacy and Security
A visitor management system processes personal data, which means you must consider data security while evaluating your options.
When choosing a provider, find out:
- Where will the visitor data be stored?
- Who will have access to it?
- Will access be determined by user roles?
- How will the data be secured?
- How long will the visitor data be kept?
- Will records be exportable for auditing purposes?
- How will the visitor consent be managed?
- Which privacy policies will the solution comply with?
Organizations need to evaluate privacy policies relevant to their location and business sector together with their legal department.
According to VisiteX Touch, the software supports consensual data collection, encrypted data storage, role-based access management, and GDPR and DPDP Act policies.
5. Visitor Safety Training and Emergency Management
It is not enough for visitor management systems just to know who has come into the premises. In many business environments, it is also directly linked to the safety of the visitors.
In manufacturing plants, warehouses, laboratories, construction sites, and industrial facilities, visitors will likely have to undergo safety training before coming in.
A visitor management solution can assist with integrating safety into the check-in process.
This could include:
- Safety instructions
- Safety acknowledgments
- Emergency contact collection
- Visitor rosters
- Evacuation reports
- Visitor location or entry information
Scrum Systems VisiteX Touch has built-in capabilities for fast safety training and emergency contact registration in the visitor flow.
6. Integration With Existing Business Systems
The best solution is one that works with your existing systems, not as a separate standalone system.
Questions to ask before you buy:
Integration capability with:
- Features that include:
- Safety information
- Safety confirmations
- Collection of emergency contacts
- Current lists of visitors
- Emergency evacuation details
- Visitor whereabouts or entry details
6. Compatibility With Other Systems
The visitor management system you purchase must be able to function well alongside other systems used in your organization.
Before buying, find out whether it is possible to integrate your platform with:
- Access control systems
- ERP systems
- SAP
- Badge printers
- Security systems
- Employee databases
- Notification systems
Integration will minimize data inputting and facilitate creation of an integrated security and workplace management system for organizations.
According to Scrum System, VisiteX Touch allows for integration with access control systems, ERP systems, SAP systems, badge printers, and security systems.
7. Reporting and Audit Trails
The utility of digital visitor management systems is greatly enhanced when the data generated by them can be used for reporting and auditing purposes.
Administrators must be able to look up the records from digital sources without having to search through old paper-based registration forms.
Features that include:
- Current visitors on site
- Daily visitor activity
- Check-ins and check-outs
- Visitor frequency
- Host details
- Visitor categories
- Emergency list
- Audit trail
VisiteX Touch offers visitor reports and automated entry counts, according to Scrum System.
Always request a demonstration of the reporting dashboard from the vendor when comparing the various options.
8. Multi-Site Management and Scalability
Visitor management software that works great for one site may not be the best fit for a business with 10 or 50 sites.
For a company with multiple office buildings, factories, warehouses, campuses, or plants, it is important to consider whether the system is capable of managing multiple locations.
Some important features include:
- Centralized dashboards
- Multiple locations
- Location-specific visitor policies
- Various levels of administrator permissions
- Centralized reporting
- Different workflow for each location
VisiteX Touch provides multi-site management capability along with independent workflows and visitor safety policies at each site.
While now your company may have just one location, a scalable system will help you avoid changing the technology in the future when you expand.
9. Ease of Management
A visitor management system should not add complexity to the already busy work of receptionists, security staff, administrators, and facility managers.
When considering a visitor management system, think about the ease with which you can:
- Add and delete employees
- Set up visitor fields
- Create workflows for visitors
- Set up permissions
- View visitor records
- Generate reports
- Manage multi-site operations
- Update safety information
The experience of the visitor matters, but so does the experience of those who have to manage the system on a daily basis.
An intuitive interface will aid in adoption and minimize training needs.
10. Cost of Ownership and ROI
Price plays a role, but the lowest cost visitor management system is not always the most cost-effective.
Think about the full cost of ownership rather than the initial cost of software only.
Possible costs could include:
- Software licensing fees
- Hardware or kiosk
- Printer for badges
- Installation
- Integration
- Training
- Maintenance
- Support
- Upgrades
- Supplies
Also think about possible operational savings.
Automation may decrease the need for manual entry of information, eliminate paper handling and processing, facilitate badge printing, and decrease the number of staff hours spent on visitor registration.
Scrum System describes VisiteX Touch as an automation tool to help visitors track themselves and badge making.
Visitor Management System Comparison Checklist
Before selecting a provider, use this checklist:
| Requirement | Questions to Ask |
|---|---|
| Check-in | Is the visitor registration process quick and intuitive? |
| Identity verification | Does the system support OTP or other verification methods? |
| Data capture | Can visitor fields be customized? |
| Security | How is visitor data protected? |
| Privacy | Does the system support consent and applicable privacy requirements? |
| Safety | Can safety instructions be included during check-in? |
| Emergency response | Can you quickly identify visitors currently on-site? |
| Badges | Can the system create QR or digital visitor badges? |
| Notifications | Are hosts notified when visitors arrive? |
| Reporting | Can administrators generate visitor and audit reports? |
| Integration | Can it connect with existing security and business systems? |
| Multi-site | Can multiple locations be managed centrally? |
| Scalability | Can the system accommodate future growth? |
| Administration | Is it easy for security and facility teams to manage? |
| Cost | What is the total cost of ownership? |
| Support | What implementation and ongoing support are included? |
What Makes VisiteX Touch an Attractive Option?
For companies planning to automate their manually operated visitor register systems with digital visitor management systems, VisiteX Touch brings together features such as visitor registration, identity validation, safety processes, QR badge issuance, reporting, and support for multiple locations.
Its features listed include:
Possible expenses associated with VisiteX Touch include:
- Software license
- Hardware or kiosk
- Badge printer
- Installation
- Integration
- Training
- Maintenance
- Support
- Upgrades
- Consumables
- Mobile OTP validation
- Custom data entry
- Safety training
- Emergency contact management
- Quicker visits on return
- QR badges
- Visitor reports
- Automated visitor tracking
The software is suitable for corporate offices, educational institutions, hospitals, factories, industries, and government offices.
Final Thoughts
Implementing a visitor management system is about much more than simply moving from a paper logbook.
The correct choice needs to suit the organization’s needs in terms of security, workflow, privacy, safety, technical platform, and future plans.
Prior to purchasing a product, an organization needs to assess the system based on the 10 criteria presented above:
- Experience of visitors at check-in
- Identity verification process
- Custom data capture capability
- Privacy and security of data collected
- Safety management and emergency situations
- Integration with other systems
- Reports and audit trails
- Scalability across multiple sites
- Administration convenience
- Cost-effectiveness
A properly designed visitor management system may allow organizations to streamline their handling of all people visiting the premises.
If you’re considering a digital visitor management solution for your organization, take a closer look at VisiteX Touch and its visitor management capabilities.
FAQs
What should I consider when choosing a visitor management solution?
Some of the features you need to pay attention to include fast check-in, identification of visitors, customization of data input fields, visitor badges, notifications to hosts, reports, security settings, emergency management, integration, and multi-site functionality.
Why is identity verification necessary in the context of visitor management?
Identity verification is useful for organizations because it helps them know who is visiting their premises in addition to appointment and access-control procedures.
Can a visitor management system work for multiple locations?
Yes. Some of the solutions offer multi-site functionality enabling them to be managed centrally while individual locations can set their workflow rules and policies. VisiteX Touch offers centralized multi-site management.
Does visitor management software integrate with access control?
Yes. Not all solutions have this feature, but VisiteX Touch claims that its software can integrate with access control, ERP, SAP, badge printers, and security systems.
Is a visitor management system appropriate for manufacturing facilities?
Yes. The use of visitor management systems can be helpful in manufacturing plants where they are used to process visitors’ registration, identity verification, safety briefing, tracking, and emergency alerts.
What are the differences between a paper register and a visitor management system?
Paper registers basically just record details by hand. A visitor management system, on the other hand, can automate these tasks and many others.
