Do you know how many people visited your office premises today? What about yesterday? Need to go through a physical logbook and manually count the number? What about the visitors’ information? Can you access it easily? Is personal data accurate?
If you are finding it difficult to answer such questions, your premises need a visitor management system (VMS). Smart visitor management software not only gives you the means to offer a memorable visitor experience, but it also streamlines front desk processes, while enhancing security manifold.
The problem is that there has been a sudden mushrooming of various types of visitor management systems in India, how do you choose one that perfectly suits your specific needs? Here’s a look at some key questions you should seek answers to while choosing the perfect VMS for your organization.
1. Is the Visitor Management System Cloud-Based?
With overcrowded receptions, especially in multi-tenant buildings, adding more infrastructure and hardware can be difficult. Plus, with your additional hardware, you become responsible for maintaining the infrastructure, as well as the security of the data stored on the hardware. Would you want to take on such ongoing costs?
On the other hand, when the VMS is cloud-based, you don’t need any ongoing investments. The data is stored on the cloud, where authorized personnel can access it at any time and from anywhere. No need for extensive record-keeping at your end or fear of data loss if the computer crashes. What the admin and security teams get is a highly customizable dashboard, from where they can even track visitor flow in real-time.
2. Is the VMS Adaptable and Customizable?
How are visitors greeted at your organization? Does the valued guest have to stand in the queue as the food vendor to gain access? Are they faced by an overworked or confused receptionist, who fails to contact the person they are here to see or tell them how long they need to wait?
You need a VMS that allows you to customize the entire visitor check-in process, choosing the information you require from them and allowing you to provide a complete brand experience. Now, if this software easily integrates with existing third-party apps, adapts to varying types of visitor flow and is scalable, you’re all set.
3. Can the VMS Track Guest Departure?
Guests overstaying their welcome can pose a major security concern. While most organizations have put in place a means to track people who enter the premises, very few are equipped to ensure that everyone who enters also leaves when their job is done. There is no way of knowing whether a delivery person has decided to check out the premises, rather than leaving as soon as his package was accepted.
Firstly, a smart visitor check-in system will verify the information provided by the visitor, sending an OTP to the mobile number they have entered. Then, the system uses facial recognition based check-out to keep track who exited the premises. If anyone fails to leave at the end of their permitted time in the building, the system will generate an Overstay Alert, so that security personnel can immediately act upon it.
4. Does the VMS Generate Automated, Customized Reports?
Going back to the questions asked right at the beginning, customized & automated reports, can be incredibly useful. For instance, the reports could highlight times during the day when your business is likely to see the maximum visitors and times when visitor flow is almost non-existent. You can then decide on when and where you would like more security personnel and times when the front desk need not be manned by a receptionist at all.
With all the visitor data stored securely on the cloud, you also get to know about repeat visitors, for whom you could simply allot a QR code, which they can use on the smart check-in system to enter the premises, rather than having to enter all their details each time. The reports also help immensely with compliance audits.
5. Can the VMS Assist During Crisis Situations?
What if there is a fire or an earthquake? Do you have a system that tells you who is present in the building and who needs to be evacuated? Does it allow you to notify everyone quickly? During times of emergency, the accuracy and speed with which you evacuate the premises could mean the difference between life and death.
Now, let’s look at a smart visitor management system that allows you to create firelists. The VMS has records of everyone present within the premises at every point in time. It can automatically send out evacuation notices to the mobile phones of visitors and employees, ensuring quick evacuation. In addition, people can mark themselves as safe, so that you know who all have been successfully evacuated and whom the first responders should focus on.
Another area where such a system can help in raising red flags regarding specific visitors. Any visitors deemed as a security threat to the organization can then be blacklisted. Once someone is part of the blacklist, they cannot check into your premises via the VMS or have visitor badges printed. So, no amount of bribing, coercion or personal relationships need come in the way of protecting your organization and its physical and intellectual property.
Your visitor management software is the first touch point for guests. It should allow you to reflect your brand identity while streamlining and easing the entire process for all stakeholders. Smart visitor management systems like Veris that require minimal effort on your part to deploy within the organization can help you streamline footfall within your premises, whether it is employees or guests. In addition, it allows you to manage multiple locations via a single dashboard, easing the process for admin and security. So, next time, you consider digitizing your visitor process, use these questions and choose the one that is your VMS match made in heaven.
.avif)
.avif)
.avif)
