Whether it is a potential employee, foreign delegate, business partner or even law enforcement official, a company will often be judged on how efficient their front desk services are. It is one of the first indicators of the company’s culture and brand image. A bad experience here could damage the company’s reputation and even lead to negative repercussions.
This is, of course, common knowledge, and yet we often find that companies do not focus as much as they should on reception etiquette. How many times have you been to an organization and found yourself in a frustrating situation, whether it is a long queue to sign the entry log book or having to explain yourself to the receptionist?
Here are some examples of the most exasperating situations people face at the front desks of organizations, along with the features of a smart visitor management system that could offer the ideal solution.
Situation #1: The Unattended Reception
You have scheduled an important meeting with a vendor, who is supposed to come to your office at 12:00 pm. However, when the vendor arrives at your front desk, finds it unattended by anyone. He is left to wonder what should be done next and waits for a good 10 minutes, after which he grows impatient. You are left wondering whether he is late for the meeting and call him up. Much to your embarrassment, you find that he has been waiting in your reception area, while the receptionist has decided to take a prolonged break!
The Solution
While it is true that even receptionists need to take breaks now and then, such a situation could affect your brand image and business affairs. Your company admin should be cautious about such unprofessional situations. To avoid such incidents, a smart visitor management system can immediately send you notifications on your mobile on the arrival of important guests. Even if your reception area is unattended, under no circumstance will the guests be kept waiting, since you can immediately ask someone to usher them to your office.
Situation #2: The Confused Receptionist/ Front Desk Executive
How many times have we come across a receptionist who is so busy and hassled, that he/she doesn’t even acknowledge our presence, time ticks by, while we stand at the front desk, watching a confused front desk executive trying to reach the person concerned, while also having to attend the constantly ringing phones and trying to complete a long paper-based check-in process for multiple visitors.
The Solution
One of the best features of a visitor management system is that it provides smart functionalities that can help companies to avoid lengthy paper-based check-in procedures. Superfast self-service check-in via an iPad or even smartphone registrations for frequent visitors can make the process easy and efficient. As a result, the receptionist will actually have the time to guide guests on other matters. The system can even manually create visitor entries right from the dashboard, giving VIP guests a red-carpet welcome to your premises.
Situation #3: Friends or Family Members Denied Entry
We all invite our friends and family to our office premises from time to time, for various reasons. An embarrassing situation that could even be hurtful in case of an aged family member, is when they are denied entry to the premises by security officials. Most of the times, they are kept waiting, till the employee can be contacted for approval. While this procedure is necessary to maintain security at the premises, it can be handled in a much better way.
The Solution
A web-based app for employees can help them manage their visitor invitations and profiles. This gets automatically updated to a central dashboard, which is accessed by all security officials (a read-only version for security and admin). With the help of this visitor tracking system, they can also keep track of who is going where and can immediately usher in guests to the respective floors. As a result, no unnecessary wait periods for invitees to your premises.
Situation #4: Managing Large Turnouts for Interviews
The HR department has set up a walk-in hiring process for the day. The number of candidates who have turned up is higher than expected, which has led to long check-in times. The whole reception area is full of prospective employees, who are already anxious about the job interview. Add to that, there are other guests who have turned up for meetings and appointments in the same area. The result is a packed and cluttered reception area, which creates a bad impression on visitors.
The Solution
It is possible to create customized work-flows on smart visitor management systems, based on categories of visitors. In case there is an ongoing hiring process in your office, candidates can be notified in bulk, through customized invites. They can be send QR codes, which they can just punch in or scan at the reception. An ID badge containing their photo will immediately be generated by the system, so that they can proceed for the interview to the respective floor or wing of a building. An interview schedule shouldn’t make your office reception look like a college canteen.
Situation #5: Foreign Delegates Visiting your Office
Some foreign delegation arrives at the office reception. The next 15 to 20 minutes are wasted in trying to understand their purpose of visit. They are tired and some of them even jet-lagged; which is making them irritable. By the time they are ushered to the meeting room, they have already made a mental note of how inefficient your company is.
The Solution
Visitor management system provides immediate notification upon their arrival, the visitor tracking software can transmit all information regarding the arrival of guests, and such problems could be avoided. Guests can simply log-in and enter their credentials, without having to explain their purpose of visit.
The smart features of a visitor management system let companies optimize time and resources to manage multiple admin functions. The front desk staff becomes less-burdened and remains free to welcome guests warmly and efficiently. The visitors, on the other hand, get a unique brand experience, right from your doorstep, with a visitor management system that can be customized with your company branding and message.
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