Why visitor management is needed now more than ever

18.09.2020

Blog

As a result of the covid-19 pandemic, every company and facility receiving visitors has been forced to rethink their practices. The change may have been small or big, depending on how well visitor management has been taken into account prior to the pandemic.

The responsibility for the safety of visitors as well as staff is a cogent reason why it is high time for every company to implement solutions which enable a safe and effective way of managing visitor traffic, while still offering the best possible visitor experience for your visitors.

Our bullet points:

  1. Use of paper and pen poses a risk to both safety and health
  2. A well-planned and smooth visit reduces unnecessary contact
  3. Electronic visitor management makes it easier to screen your visitors
  4. Access control also for visitors
  5. Information on the visitors in case of an occurring COVID-19 infection
  6. Statistics enable planning and anticipating
  7. Do not forget about the visitor experience

Use of paper and pen poses a risk to both safety and health

Even if we had never witnessed the coronavirus outbreak this spring, not a single visitor should still be signing in using paper and pen. Guest books and forms are susceptible to damage and misuse, and they do not fulfill the current GDPR requirements. This is why electronic management of visitor data is the only way of ensuring appropriate data protection. In the midst of a pandemic, removing papers and pens from the equation makes even more sense, as it also immediately reduces the risk of infection and the need to touch.

A well-planned and smooth visit reduces unnecessary contact

When visits are managed electronically, the invitation of a visitor initiates a visit path where both the visitor and host can benefit from various automatic functions, such as pre-arrival messages, touchless sign-in and automatic notifications. This creates time savings, minimises rush and reduces unnecessary traffic on the premises. A pre-announced visit will also make transactions quicker with any front-desk personnel, and thus reduce exposure risks.

Electronic visitor management makes it easier to screen your visitors

In order to ensure the safety of your visitors and staff, it may be necessary to provide instructions and set conditions for the visits already before visitors arrive. Electronic visitor management enables this in various different methods, for example, by providing information on the conditions applying to the visit or utilising more extensive questionnaires for surveying the health status of the arriving visitor.

Access control also for visitors

In addition to the visitor management system allowing us to obtain comprehensive information on visits and visitors, it can be used for managing a visitor’s movement inside the company’s premises in many different ways. A visitor card or the visitor’s phone can function as a means to access only specific areas. The host of the visit can also provide access rights to a visitor in real time or direct the visitor to only using a specific lift or floor.

Information on the visitors in case of an occurring COVID-19 infectio

If a member of the staff or a visitor in the facility is confirmed having a COVID-19 infection, it will be important for the purpose of determining who have been exposed to the virus to know who have moved about in the premises and when. Such a task will be significantly easier, when all arrived visitors, their hosts and their movements have been recorded in the visitor management system.

Statistics enable planning and anticipating

Comprehensive visitor data and statistics help in determining, for example, sufficient resources for the front desk, but also in monitoring the volume of visitor traffic and taking action to ensure safe numbers of people at any given time.

Do not forget about the visitor experience

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed and reduced visits in person, but is has not eliminated their importance. Your arriving visitor will still consider it important to arrive in a manner which feels easy, fluent and pleasant, and this will ensure that your meeting will start on a good note and that you are able to give a good first impression that will last.


Read more about our Systam Visit visitor management solution

Get in touch with us and we can find just the right solutions for you! Contact us sales@systam.fi or +358 10 470 3600.