blurry people in lobby

Spearhead Organizational Security with Visitor Management

Risk mitigation and optimizing safety are top of mind for organizations across all industries. Although you probably won’t read it in a company’s mission statement, the most reputable ones understand that safety and security should be at the heart of all operations. Regardless of status or title, whether you’re an employee, contractor or VIP customer, people deserve to feel safe, comfortable and confident knowing that their well-being is a priority. One important aspect of security in the workplace stems from the hiring of qualified security staff. In addition, with the right visitor management systems and processes, managing visitor traffic can be even more effective and less intimidating.

Visitor Management to Optimize Security

In general, visitor management is a longstanding method proven to mitigate risk and aims to align internal processes with external introductions. Regardless of how long an entity has been in business, how great its size, profitability and so forth, there is usually some sort of visitor management procedure in place. Maybe it’s as simple as tending to the register at the sound of the entrance bell or asking employees to greet expected guests in the lobby. Regardless of complexity, these simple efforts are made to help keep the business and its employees safe while providing a pleasant experience for guests. For organizations looking to truly scale and ensure that their security practices are among the best, visitor management practices can quickly convert from a “nice-to-have” asset to a mitigation necessity.

What Is a Visitor Management System?

Fundamentally, a visitor management system is a set of practices followed by a company to safeguard its people and assets while keeping track of the different identities coming and going. In today’s world, there are a multitude of visitor management systems offered, but most follow a common theme. More formally, it is the intricate process of tracking everyone who enters your office or building, typically done so by leveraging technology. Identities referred to as “guests" or “visitors” in this context can range from a customer, employee, interviewee, contractor, high-profile politician, or even the CEO’s husband bringing her lunch. Essentially, anyone who is not an administrator is considered a visitor or guest, and we care to keep record and control access of spaces they may go. Yes, even a full-time employee is considered a visitor and can benefit from the perks that a visitor management system offers.

One of the greatest benefits of having the right visitor management system in place (in addition to tightened security) is increased efficiency for everyone involved when a visitor comes on site. When guests know what to expect upon arrival, receptionists can scan an ID or QR code to quickly process check-ins, and hosts are notified when their guest arrives, everyone is able to avoid the stress, frustration and waste of time that might happen otherwise. The right visitor management system for your company will result in less idle time and should not sacrifice security or the quality of visitor data.

Keep in mind, visitor management systems are designed to be benefit-based for organizational processes, tracking, and risk mitigation. Correspondingly, these practices allow for peace of mind for everyone involved, allowing them to remain focused on their roles within the organization.

How Does Visitor Management Help an Organization?

Overall, visitor management systems such as those designed by HID offer a progressive approach to “people management” in the workplace. With the prevalent hybrid workplace model, companies may want to know who is going on-site, who is connecting remotely, and ultimately that they can run reports on this information (and more) at the touch of a button. Here are other critical ways a visitor management system can help your organization:

  • Leverage unique identifiers to make visitor tracking easy, (i.e., email addresses). Reduce the risk of mixing similar names up when backlogging so there will be no gaps regarding who someone is and their visiting intentions.
  • Pre-registration allows the receptionist or security personnel to prepare ahead of time. You can significantly lower your risk of staffing gaps (being understaffed on heavy days), influence faster check-in times and prepare visitor escorts/badges in advance, plus there will be no ambiguity about who you expect to show up.
  • Streamlining daily operations and accentuating visitor satisfaction, visitor management helps your security team maintain posture by enabling them to be aware of who is in the building and for what purpose. Mitigation of security threats is a priority for every organization, and visitor management is proven to help fill high-traffic voids.
  • Modernize the security processes in your business. With the introduction of things like check-in stations, kiosks, tablets, and ID scanners, visitor management raises the standards of your security practices as well as instills the notion that you are innovative, adaptable and worthy of doing business with.

How Can HID Visitor Management Enhance Your Organization’s Security?

With a real-time dashboard and automated reports that can be distributed at your cadence. You can also tailor visitor check-in workflows and approvals per location or visitor type, as well as issue the right access for every visitor, every time. In summary, HID’s visitor management portfolio of solutions was designed around what organizations value the most: the ability to mitigate risk, error-free visitor tracking, and a compliant system with the capability to scale as they do.

That said, there is no denying that having a strong, data-backed understanding of who comes through your office doors has many benefits, from tracking to tightened security. What makes it better is knowing that your visitor management system was designed with safety, security, and seamlessness in mind. The features in HID’s visitor management systems make it easy to leave lasting impressions visitors while enabling you, your receptionist(s) and your security team to move forward with readiness and confidence.

Ally Smyczek is the Product Marketing Manager for two of HID's Visitor Management solutions — on-premises EasyLobby and cloud-based WorkforceID Visitor Manager. Ally collaborates with product, sales, marketing, and communications teams to coordinate successful go to market programs for the product suite. She graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a bachelor's degree in marketing, emphasis on professional selling and minor in Spanish. Her experience varies from non-profit projects both local and global, marketing, sales, logistics, and visitor management.