The more we embrace hybrid remote work settings, the more we need to care about who's in and out of our hybrid offices to ensure a safe and secure work environment for all!

That's why visitor management is so important. 

It's the way to ensure safety and compliance and to leave a good impression on those invited to your headquarters, whether clients, contractors, or remote employees.

So, what exactly is visitor management? And how can we streamline the visitor registration and welcoming process to fit our new workplace arrangement?

You'll have your answers right after reading this comprehensive guide. 

I'll also highlight what's new and exciting in visitor management and suggest some leading modern systems that can help you improve your current procedures.

Let’s get started!

What is Visitor Management?

Simply put, visitor management is how you keep things running smoothly when someone comes to your offices while ensuring your organization's safety, security, and compliance standards.

For example, people often need to check in with the receptionist when they enter a company to meet with clients, receive a visitor badge, and be guided to the conference room.

However, proper visitor management involves more than just keeping a log and notifying hosts, as many might think. 

It includes, but is not limited to, the following key components:

Pre-Registration

• Registering visitors in advance to speed up the check-in time with prepared workflow and ensure facility reservations.
• Sharing necessary information and instructions with visitors before they arrive to let them know what to expect and do, making their visit more enjoyable.

Upon Guest Arrivals

• Ensuring visitors submit necessary details and sign required documents if needed. 
• Issuing badges and facility accesses (like door access or Wifi password) to visitors.
• Notifying hosts when their guests arrive for on-time pickups and reduced lobby wait time.

During and After the Visit

• Keeping a detailed check-in/check-out log to accurately monitor the duration of each visit and ensure proper documentation.
• Utilizing integrated technologies such as access control systems and security cameras to continuously monitor and maintain a secure environment.
• Maintaining precise reports and logs for compliance purposes, enabling accurate record-keeping, audit readiness, and efficient emergency management.

Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all visitor management procedure.

Small businesses with low visitor traffic might manage it manually with a simple, few-step process. However, potential error issues and security lapses remain to be watched out for, urging more companies to turn to modern, technology-driven systems for their hybrid office.

Visitor management systems help organizations streamline processes and enhance them through technological integration. They also offer efficient and time-saving features like self-service kiosks, mobile applications, automated notifications, customized check-in sequences, insightful reporting, and more.

For a deep-dive, check out our full guide on What is Visitor Management?

According to the Markets and Markets report, the global market for visitor management systems is projected to grow from $1.6 billion in 2023 to $3 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 13.7%.

Types of Visitors in Hybrid Offices

Each type of visitor to your office has a different need and expectation from their visit. Recognizing and understanding these nuances allows you to tailor the visitor management system for the best possible visiting experience.

Here are some common visitor types and tips for managing their visits:

• Business Partners: These include investors, current customers, prospective clients, and other professional contacts. You might want to ensure a swift and comfortable for your business partners, as it reflects on your business relationship and brand image.
• Job Candidates: Job seekers coming for interviews are often nervous and observant of their surroundings. A seamless check-in process and a welcoming environment can leave a positive impression, encouraging a better interview session and supporting a good candidate experience.
• Contractors and Freelancers: I understand that it’s more common to work with these project-based employees remotely through virtual meetings and briefs. However, there will be opportunities where you may want to invite them to the office for important milestone reviews or relationship building. In such cases, providing them with pre-registered passes and all necessary information ahead of time can make their visit more efficient.
• Vendors: Responsible for daily operational supplies like food, office snacks, or technical equipment, vendors require a straightforward process for quick deliveries. Automated check-in systems that remember returning vendors can expedite their access and reduce reception workload. 
• Special service providers, such as routine maintenance workers and event catering staff, might need different levels of access and instruction when at your office.
• Personal Guests of Employees: Family and friends visiting the office don't need access to sensitive areas but should still comply with visitor policies. A simple sign-in process and visitor badge will suffice for these casual visits.

Customizing visitor experience enhances security and ensures that each visitor leaves with a positive impression of your company.

Many visitor management platforms make it easy to personalize the process for different types of visitors. You can categorize your guests into groups and set up specific requirements and communications for each. 

This makes things smoother for your guests and saves you from repetitive administrative tasks.

Why Are Visitor Management Systems Essential?

Manual paper logbooks fall short of providing the flexibility, efficiency, and security required to manage the fluid nature of employees and visitors in a more flexible workplace setting.

A smart visitor management system streamlines everything, making a big difference in workspace management by boosting security, ensuring compliance, improving operations, and enhancing the visitor experience.

Notable benefits of a digital visitor management system include:

Enhanced Security

Visitor management systems take your security to the next level by ensuring only the right people get in. 

These systems are adept at pre-screening guests, automating customized check-in workflows, and controlling facility access through integrated other workspace technologies to ensure high security.

Additionally, proactive visitor identification through scanning against custom and third-party watchlists helps prevent unwanted persons from entering facilities, thus maintaining a secure environment.

For example, you can specify which entry points can be unlocked and set time restrictions for when and how long visitors can access the premises.

Operational Efficiency and Better Visitor Experience

With a sound visitor management system, your visitor check-in process can be much quicker and more effective with an intelligent digital experience.

Automating check-ins reduces wait times and administrative tasks while ensuring better control over who is on-site at any given time for compliance purposes. 

Features like pre-registrations, QR code check-ins, real-time notifications, and wayfinding assistance facilitate a seamless and enjoyable visiting experience.

Long-Term Cost Savings

Switching to a modern visitor management system can pay off in terms of cost savings and operational efficiency in the long run.

Think about it: automating visitor check-in procedures and enhancing data management means less need for manual labor and fewer administrative errors. This not only saves money on staffing but also frees up your office administrators to focus on more critical tasks.

Plus, storing visitor data digitally helps you stay compliant with regulations by securely managing information and protecting against unauthorized access, thereby reducing the risk of costly legal issues from data breaches.

Streamlined Compliance Management

Many companies, especially those in high-value and sensitive IP environments like tech, finance, healthcare, and legal sectors, have to know who is on-site at all times and be able to export logs of all visitors for compliance reasons and the safety of their teams and guests.

Visitor management systems facilitate more streamlined processes that meet your organization’s compliance requirements. They automate collecting and storing visitor information, ensuring all necessary data is captured accurately and securely. 

With digital record-keeping, complying with data protection laws and other industry-specific requirements is much easier. 

Examples of Visitor Management Flows

An excellent visitor management system ensures security and efficiency and creates a seamless experience for different types of visitors. 

With a modern visitor management system, you can create common types of visitors based on previous visitor management data and prepare a customized check-in process for each.

Here are a few examples of tailored visitor management in action with a digital visitor management system:

Job Applicant

Once given access, HR can register candidates with their information and interview details.

• Upon arrival, they can check in at a self-service kiosk or the front desk.
• The system then notifies the hiring manager (and also HR, depending on your settings) that their interviewee has arrived. 
• The visitor receives instructions on whether to wait in the lobby or lounge.
• Meanwhile, a meeting room has been reserved for the interview and is prepared in advance. 
• The hiring manager meets the interviewee and guides them to the meeting room. 

This entire process can be coordinated automatically through the visitor management system so your team doesn't need to handle each step manually while still ensuring a smooth and professional experience.

Walk-In Visit (No Pre-Registration) 

Walk-in visitors can include anyone from clients, delivery personnel, or unexpected guests. Handling these visits efficiently is crucial for maintaining security and order. 

When visitors approach, you can ask for their information and the purpose of their visit to register them in the system. 

You can request them to sign an NDA or other necessary compliance documents, issue a visitor badge for identification, and alert appropriate team members to pick them up and guide their visit.

Registered information will be stored in the system, saving time in the check-in process for their next arrival.

Recurring Visitor

It would quickly become annoying to be asked for the same information repeatedly! Recurring visitors, such as contractors, regular clients, or service providers, need a streamlined process to ensure quick and easy access. 

With a visitor management system, they only need to enter details once for multiple visits.

Upon arrival, the visitor scans a QR code at the entrance, automatically logging their visit and notifying the relevant host. 

The visitor then receives temporary access credentials to specific parts of the building via their mobile phone, allowing them to unlock doors without assistance.

Top Trends in Visitor Management Systems in 2024

As how we design and run the office keep changing, the technologies that manage it needs to evolve and adapt to the needs. Here are the top trends shaping visitor management systems play:

Touchless QR Code Check-In for Enhanced Safety

Visitor management systems are embracing touchless technologies to enhance safety and efficiency. 

Visitors can check in and out using QR codes without touching shared devices like iPads. They simply scan a QR code with their smartphone, accessing the same functionality they would on a kiosk. 

This method minimizes health risks and integrates seamlessly with door access systems, ensuring compliance with safety regulations.

More Focus on Visitor Experience

Modern visitor management solutions are placing a greater emphasis on creating a smooth and enjoyable experience for visitors while offering robust features and data tracking for administrators.

These systems streamline processes for both visitors and employees, incorporating features like WiFi integration, personalized guidance, and seamless communication with hosts. 

Visitors can receive the necessary information and navigate the building effortlessly, reducing the need for front desk assistance. 

This focus on user experience is coupled with detailed logs of visitor activity to enhance security and compliance, addressing the main reasons companies invest in a streamlined, automated system: efficiency and improved visitor handling.

Catering to Hybrid Workplace

As how we run and use offices continues to change, visitor management systems are catching up with thoughtful features to manage better those visiting the offices. 

For example, by creating distinct visitor types within the system, businesses can tailor the check-in process to each group's needs, ensuring a more personalized and efficient experience.

Just a few years ago, hybrid work schedules were not really a thing, but now we even have remote team members who only visit the office a few times a year for special meetings and gatherings.

A visitor management system with synced team directories can recognize your employees and work in harmony with desk booking software and room scheduling software for seamless workspace management.

This enhancement reflects the growing complexity of workplace dynamics and the need for flexible visitor management solutions.

Integration with the Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT devices are becoming integral to visitor management systems, providing real-time tracking and managing access for visitors.

Smart locks, cameras, and sensors integrate seamlessly with these platforms, improving access control and monitoring facility conditions. 

This technology connectivity is especially essential for organizations with multiple locations or those with many factory and inventory sites with strict control rules.

For more details, check out my guide on Visitor Management Systems Trends

Visitor Management Systems to Consider in 2024

If you’re considering investing in a visitor management system, here are some great choices to explore:

Archie

Archie is a cutting-edge solution designed with a modern, hybrid office environment in mind. 

It emphasizes a seamless and intuitive user experience, offering a rich feature set to streamline the visitor check-in and management process in an all-in-one and competitive pricing plan.

Archie stands out for its robust customization capabilities, allowing you to tailor the system to your organization's specific compliance and safety requirements. 

Check out my detailed review of Archie hybrid office management solution.

Envoy

Envoy is a well-established player in the visitor management space, known for its comprehensive suite of workspace management solutions. 

It has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and scalable features that cater to businesses of all sizes. 

Envoy excels in handling single and group visits, providing insightful analytics on visitor patterns to feed your office metrics and help ensure compliance with security protocols.

SwipedOn

SwipedOn is another excellent option, particularly well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses that can opt for a lower plan with only the essential features they need.

SwipedOn offers features like contactless sign-in, pre-registration, and instant notifications to hosts when their guests arrive.

The priority for a smooth visitor experience and good customer support makes SwipedOn a popular choice for those looking to enhance their front desk operations.

For more options, explore our top Visitor Management Systems picks in 2024.

Wrapping it Up

And that's a wrap on all you need to know about visitor management systems!

Adopting a sound visitor management system isn't just about streamlining operations; it's a strategic move to protect your organization's assets, boost your brand reputation, and stay compliant with privacy regulations.

Looking ahead, technological advancements promise to refine these processes even further, freeing your team from repetitive administrative tasks. 

This will lead to a more enjoyable, secure, and efficient office experience for your guests, employees, and those who manage office operations!

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