Choosing a visitor management system doesn’t need to be a daunting task.
Finding a system to sign in visitors, contractors, students and staff members can be a chore. There are so many options out there on the market that it can be difficult choosing the visitor management system that’s exactly right for you.
So, take a look some of our top tips on choosing a visitor management system that meets all of your requirements. From cost and visitor types to access control integration and so much more, we’ll take you through our top requirements for a visitor management system.
Evaluate your current challenges
Before you do anything else it’s important to document the challenges your business is currently facing that you need to resolve. Think about the hurdles you encounter, how often they occur and which stakeholders are affected.
Cost
How much are your current systems costing? This could include paper visitor books, badges, resources spent on manual data entry.
Safety
Are you employing the best safety practices? Do you know who’s on site quickly in the event of an emergency?
Accuracy
Can you read the handwriting on the book? Can you be sure of who is on site at an exact point in time?
Privacy
Can your visitors see each other’s data when they come in? This is a common security flaw with paper visitor books.
Identification and visitor types
Identification
Do you want everyone to wear identification badges, or only visitors? Do you want to be able to print ID badges or do you need plastic ID cards?
These are all core considerations that you need to make before creating the user journey that will help you choose a visitor management solution.
Visitor types
Who do you want to use your system? Do you have the following types of visitors coming onto your premises?
- Staff
- Visitors
- Contractors
- Deliveries
- Volunteers
- All of the above?
If you picked all of the above, pick a visitor management system that allows multiple visitor types.
Finding the system that’s perfect for your visitors
Who do you expect to come through the door on an average day? Knowing your visitors’ requirements allows the features of your visitor management system to be tailored exactly to their needs.
- How many visitors arrive on an average day?
- Do they all arrive through the same entrance, or are there multiple entry points?
- Should visitors be able to sign in using an ID card?
- Do you want to limit visitor access to certain areas of the premises
- Would integration with existing systems help streamline access? E.g. integration with access control or management systems
Integrations
Access control
If you already have a door access system, you may be able to use your existing access cards with your visitor management system for quick sign-in.
Not sure what system your organisation uses? Be sure to find out so you can ask providers if they offer integration. Some of the most common access control systems and frequencies include:
• Mifare
• Paxton
• 13.56MHz frequencies
• 125KHz frequencies
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Read more about about the whats and whys of integrating access control technology and visitor management.
Management information systems
Some visitor sign-in solutions offer integration with a range of popular management information systems including Tribal, Capita SIMS, Wonde, Ellucian, Microsoft Active Directory, isams, UNIT4, Progresso and more.
Calendar integration
Want to synchronise appointment and room booking with your visitor management system? Make sure your solution of choice includes calendar integration with systems such as Outlook and Google Calendar.
Site terms, policies and NDAs
Many workplaces have particular terms and conditions that must be agreed to before you are allowed on site.
Perhaps your organisation deals with sensitive information that requires a non-disclosure agreement, or you may need to make a visitor aware of particular health and safety risks.
The system should allow you to easily upload terms, and provide a tickbox for explicit consent, as well as a digital record of acceptance.
With VisiPoint, you can display all of this information to your visitors during the sign-in process. Visitors must consent via tickbox before proceeding to the next step.
Data storage and security
With GDPR in force, it’s more important than ever to ensure your data capture, handling and storage is compliant and secure.
A visitor management system can be a fantastic way to ensure your reception processes are GDPR compliant.
Key considerations:
– Providers’ data processing & GDPR statements
– Requirements for data storage – on premise or cloud storage
– How long data is stored for
– How easy it is to access data records
Get the guide
Want the full rundown on choosing a visitor management system? Download the guide!
- Evaluating your current challenges
- Budgeting and research
- User journey and experience
- GDPR compliance and data storage
- Set-up, support, training and expansion
Click the download button below to get the definitive guide to choosing a visitor management system delivered straight to your inbox!
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