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Most organizations are now doing their best to prepare for a return to in-person work. And when the doors reopen – in stages or all at once – employees won't be the only ones walking through them.
The Covid-19 pandemic made protecting the health and safety of on-site staff and visitors an urgent priority. As organisations around the world scramble to develop protocols to limit transmission and exposure, they found that effectively doing so requires visibility into and control over who is onsite, when, and how they use the space. Unsurprisingly the most effective place to start was right at the front door.
Every stakeholder now has a vested interest in how the relationship between the building, the employees, and visitors is managed. That's why a visitor Management strategy has become critical to preserving the value of in-person interactions. And in the process, a visitor Management solution (VMS) has become a business-critical solution.
What is a Visitor Management Solution?
A visitor management solution automates and simplifies every step of the visitor experience and process. In doing so, it ensures a positive, safe and convenient experience throughout the visitor journey, from pre-registration through to arrival, check-in, collection, meeting, check-out, and post-visit analytics.
Here's how it works:
Your Visitor management solution automates visitor booking and sends confirmations to the host and visitor. The visitor (or host) is able to pre-register the visitor details, book specific visitor requests (such as parking), and view on-arrival instructions and turn-by-turn directions for the specific meeting.
On arrival, visitors can manage their own check-in using a modern and quick self check-in kiosk, which certifies their identity and access privileges - including self-certifications that they are in compliance with existing health and safety protocols.
Their host is automatically notified and the kiosk can automatically print a badge. Further automations with Guest Wi-Fi and access-control can be enabled into the building as well.
While all this is happening, authorized users can use real-time dashboards to see visitors movements. They also have access to a real-time record of which visitors are in which areas of the office, which includes detailed information on health and safety and space utilization metrics.
If this sounds like a luxury automation that can be managed just as effectively by reception staff and hosting employees, read on. Because it’s possible that was once true. But now, the global context combined with the modern software capabilities makes the value much clearer.
What it comes down to is that any organization without a proper visitor management solution must acknowledge that they’re unusually comfortable with not only operational inefficiencies, but also taking risks related to safety and security, data compliance, and brand reputation.
Let’s explore how a modern visitor management solution can benefit an organization in these key areas:
1. Save Time and Money
One of the most obvious and long-term benefits of deploying a visitor management solution is that it reduces the amount of time and effort required from all parties involved in the visitor experience. It automates tasks that take place in every visitor interaction, but aren’t routine for any of the participants. In doing so, it guarantees everyone has the information they need when they need it, all the little details are executed correctly, and everyone can focus on delivering value elsewhere.
2. More Consistent Protocol Compliance
Visitor management software offers a lot more value than what it delivers from a simple time and money equation. These systems are also designed to improve health and safety legal compliance and reduce business risk by automating protocol enforcement. The COVID-19 example details this benefit clearly.
Visitors can complete their COVID-19 assessment before arrival and can scan a QR code on arrival for quick and touchless check-in. This reduces business risk of any potentially infected visitor coming into the office. It also helps the organization adhere to government regulations. Plus, should any visitor have any undesired COVID-19 screening results or have a temperature reading above a certain threshold, the system can automatically send an email and SMS notification to key personnel including the company’s COVID-19 committee, risk departments, and security and/or health officers.
3. Increase Security
Protecting the business and office extends well beyond the series of predictable events that deserve established protocols. Visitor management software allows a proactive approach to managing other security risks - both physical and informational. It blocks unwanted visitors and records all visitor information digitally and securely.
4. Data Privacy Improvements
Protecting business data extends to protecting the data of the individual you collect - and making sure visitors know that. Not only does protecting visitor data insulate the business from embarrassing leaks, it’s also a matter of conforming to GDPR, CCPA and other international data protection regulations. Plus, it proves to visitors that they are a priority.
Any system - manual or digital - must give visitors the option to authorize the storage of their personal information. Beyond that, they must have the ability to edit or delete that data in the future. Without this approval, the business isn’t in compliance with global privacy laws. It’s far easier to comply with these regulations when the software manages everything.
5. Brand Image
There’s only one opportunity to make a great first impression. That impression starts to develop well before the visitor meets their host, and extends beyond the time the meeting ends. That’s why it’s so important to have a system in place that delivers a consistently convenient and secure experience at each touch point. All of these convenience, compliance, security and privacy improvements support and maintain a strong brand image.
A frictionless digital system does not do away with the “personal touch”. Instead, it removes chances for confusion and lets everyone involved focus on the relationship and the important work at hand.
How To Find The Right Visitor Management Solution
The visitor management solution you choose should enable you to handle every expected and unexpected visitor interaction with ease and speed. It should enable a superior visitor experience that solves your compliance risks and reduces your security risk, while also improving your organization’s brand — regardless of how much or how quickly your policies change.
With FMS:Visitor, a leading global visitor management solution from FM:Systems, you can manage every part of the visitor lifecycle while also enjoying seamless integrations with some of the most robust and intuitive workplace management, employee experience and workplace analytics solutions on the market.
FMS:Visitor enables a superior visitor experience that reduces your compliance and security risk while improving your organization’s brand. With intuitive check-in kiosks and a variety of options including parcel management, FMS:Visitor allows you to create a safe and seamless experience for all occupants from invitation to departure.
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