If your business still uses pen and paper to maintain visitor details, you are either technologically impaired or unwilling to make crucial business investments. It has to be either of the two.
In today’s world, most businesses have a visitor management system to ensure the safety of visitors, employees and facilitate effective communication. By the end of 2026, the visitor management system market is projected to reach $2 billion.
Investing in a visitor management system ensures optimal security for your visitors and employees and streamlines daily operations. Take a look at the key features you must look for while choosing a gate pass management system, aka visitor management system.
Qualities to look for in a visitor management system
1. Conventional visitor management system VS Cloud visitor management system
Depending on your organization’s size and the nature of your business, you should make this decision. A conventional visitor management system is enough for a small-sized company with a reception and adequate staff.
If your business has offices in multiple locations and wants to automate operations, a cloud visitor management system is a good option. Regardless of the organization’s size, if you’re going to make a long-lasting impression and provide guests with a user-friendly experience.
2. Operational comfort
Handling visitors on the premises should be a smooth and hassle-free experience. If the visitor management software is complicated and time-consuming, it would reduce employee efficiency and cause discomfort to visitors.
An ideal visitor management system can be quickly installed without any hassle, and that too without the need for an expert technician. Not every employee or receptionist is proficient with computers or digital devices. Hence the visitor management system must be smooth, easy to install and operate.
3. Storage space
Before investing in a visitor management system, ensure that it has the highest possible security required for your business needs. Sensitive information like visitor logs, employee details, etc., are stored in the visitor management system.
What happens when you run out of space? With a cloud-based visitor management system, you have nothing to worry about. All you need to do is upload all the data to the cloud, saving you hours of manual data entry and reducing the possibility of errors.
The best part of a cloud-based visitor management system is that you can access it from any place on earth and at any given time. You will have complete information about anyone who goes in and out of the premises as he/she will have to register in the visitor management system.
4. Degree of security
If you own a large business or a corporate enterprise, it is impossible to inspect and interrogate every person who enters your premises physically. Organizations like schools, hospitals, government offices, etc., have hundreds of visitors each day.
A paper register won’t be able to manage the enormous number of visitors. A visitor management system has essential security features like fingerprints and iris recognition technology to ensure security.
An ideal visitor management system needs to have both efficient hardware and software. A visitor management system provides safety and security to visitors and employees in your organization, along with proper visitor management. Understand the nature of your business and its minute requirements and choose a visitor management system accordingly.
5. Customer service
Often overlooked, the level of customer service offered by a visitor management system is of utmost importance. No matter how good the features are, if the customer service is poor, you can’t enjoy the full features of the VMS. What are the key signs indicating a company with good customer service?
- Direct customer service number
- Email support
- Support Ticket System
- Live chat
Apart from the ones mentioned above, a visitor management service should also assist with webinars, online tutorials, etc. These sessions will guide users and enlighten them on exploring all the features and most benefits out of their visitor management system.
6. Integration
No software is self-sufficient. Depending on the organization and its customized needs, a visitor management system should be integrated with other apps/tools to achieve the best results. The more integrations, the more secure the premises would be.
However, before implementing changes and integrating new features, please ensure that the visitor management system can accommodate these changes. The last thing you want is a malfunction. Some of the integrations you should consider before investing in a visitor management system.
A. Background check – If your business gets visitors from all walks of life, you need a robust visitor management system that conducts deep background checks. You need to understand that background checks can be tricky, and it is essential to adhere to local, national, and other laws that regulate background checks. Ideal visitor management system integrations should include –
- Local, national, and state criminal records
- Real-time monitoring
- Vehicle records
- Reference checks
B. Student Information Systems – When you integrate your visitor management system with student information systems, it will notify you about student attendance, hours on the premises, late-comings, class-bunking, or leaving on short notice.
In short, you can track every movement of the students. Also, this will help sync the details of the student’s guardians and others who come to pick up the students to and from the school.
C. Crisis alert and management system – With efficient integration, you can integrate the visitor management system and crisis alert system. This integration will enable conveying information during emergencies and manage them accordingly.
Moreover, integrating with the crisis alert system will help identify guardians/parents for respective students and other visitors on the premises.
7. Configuration
A generic visitor management system doesn’t work for all organizations. Adaptation is the name of the game. It is important to make modifications as per the business requirements and market trends.
8. Excluded parties
It is not possible for you to manually prepare a list of people who are allowed on your property. Moreover, manual work of this kind is prone to errors. History sheeters, people with police records, individuals who have trespassed on your property in the past, people with custody and restraining orders, etc., are potential trouble-makers.
With an exclusion list in place, you can prevent trouble makers and shady characters from entering your organization. The moment such people try to enter your premises, the visitor management system will notify the front office staff, preventing the trouble-makers from causing any damage.
9. Pre-registration
If you host events on a large scale or have a large number of people visiting your premises, your visitor management system requires the pre-registration feature. Visitors can register themselves in advance, and the system will maintain records of the same.
The pre-registration feature ensures fast processing and will ensure visitors pass the excluded parties’ check before they enter the premises.
10. ID Validation
The visitor management system should not be restricted to taking pictures of licenses or other photo identification documents. You should be able to scan the barcodes as well. Proper barcode scanning will guarantee the authenticity of the ID and that the system registers the relevant information.
11. Emergency notifications
In emergencies and denials, it is vital to get the message across as soon as possible. Visitor management with this feature is instrumental in such situations. Any emergency, be it the front desk or any other checkpoint on the premises, the visitor management system will alter staff and send a notification.
Depending on the seriousness of the situation, you can assign the right staff or employee to handle the situation.
12. Geofencing features
With this crucial geofencing feature, you can put GPS technology to good use. It employs a virtual inspection checkpoint around your premises, identifying people the moment they enter the vicinity.
Once VMS approves the visitors, it conveys the information to the front desk, expediting the check-in process.
In a nutshell
Besides guaranteeing your employee’s and visitors’ security, a visitor management system’s main aim is to assure a personalized & smooth check-in experience. A pleasant check-in experience will improve your organization’s reputation in the market.
A well-integrated, fully-featured visitor management system welcomes visitors, provides valuable guidance, and reassures them. Right from check-in, navigation to access, an ideal visitor management system promises a tailor-made experience for guests and employees alike.
Before you invest in a visitor management system, analyze all the pros and cons. Apart from that, consider your budget, ease of operation, and integration with other tools for optimal performance and productivity.
CoReceptionist can provide you with the ideal visitor management system that your organization needs. Just state your budget and requirements, and we will devise a customized solution to take your business to unprecedented heights.
Call us on +1 714-927-1365 or visit – https://coreceptionist.co/. Together, we can make it happen.
