Running a business is a herculean task, be it managing an office, school, store, or any other commercial structure. Several factors need to be in place to have a fully-functional organization, which includes security. On a daily basis, you entertain several individuals from all walks of life in your office, some of whom you have no background knowledge. This is where the visitor management system comes into play. Having a system can help you provide your visitors with the best experience. Having their details stored can provide you with in-sights about their identities and how best to meet their needs. Aside from giving them the best business experience, you need to be wary of those with ulterior motives as well. A poor management system can pose a significant risk to your organization and your team members. For this reason, you need to beef up your security.

What Is Visitor Management?

Visitor management involves the process of keeping track of individuals who enter and exit your premises. A secure business environment is fully equipped with a visitor management system, regardless of whether or not there is a front desk receptionist. Besides enhancing security, a management system can improve your brand awareness. With the business world becoming more customer-centric, having a system in place exceeds beyond managing your visitors; it focuses on providing them with a unique experience anytime they walk in and out of your organization.

Depending on the business you run, the visitors you encounter may include one or more of the following:

• Contractors or vendors
• Job interview candidates
• Business conference participants
• Unexpected drop-ins
• Messengers or delivery people
• Professionals like auditors and other regulatory officials.

Visitors are not limited to individuals. Even your employees without their cards can be visitors, as long as they do not have the right credentials to access the business premises. These individuals can be registered as visitors for that day and can be accounted for if any emergency arises.

What Is A Visitor Management System (VMS)?

Almost everyone has attended one business meeting or another in an organization before. You may have even dropped something off for a friend at his or her workplace. If not, how about the last job interview you attended? Regardless of what the purpose was, what truly mattered was the warm reception you received during your stay at the firm. In all likelihood, a management system was implemented to ensure that you had a memorable time.

A visitor management system constitutes the practices and processes an individual or an organization implements to effectively manage the inflow and outflow of visitors to provide the best visitor experience. So, what is a visitor experience? This term is frequently used in the B2C (Business-to-Consumer) world. It refers to the response of a visitor to external settings, activities, and events; in other words, how well they respond to an environment.

A visitor can have either a good or bad visitor experience. Here are some examples of bad visitor experience:

• A visitor who is kept waiting for hours against his wish before attending to, against his wish.
• A company that uses an old visitor management system like a paper sign-in sheet.

Most people believe that VMS is only implemented by giant corporations as they are expensive. This belief lacks credibility. When it boils down to visitor management, both small- and large-scale businesses can implement this system. Another plus to the use of this system is its versatility. A click here for visitor management  cuts across all industries and professions – from Aerospace & Defense to Transportation.

Types Of Visitor Management System

The 21st century has given rise to a tremendous evolution in the business world; many organizational departments have witnessed changes in administration. Even the role of a front desk officer is no longer the same. If this is the case, then why do most organizations still stick to the archaic form of management – using the dreaded pen and paper? Let us take a look at the three types of visitor management systems.

Manual Visitor Management System

The manual visitor management system is also known as the pen and paper management system. This process features  a paper logbook and a pen. As easy and convenient as this system looks, it can damage the reputation of your business over time. Also, it is a flawed system as there are several errors that can be encountered when managing visitors’ information and records. In some cases, visitors may decide not to provide their real information, or it may be difficult to read their handwriting. In the worse-case scenario, an organization’s logbook may end up missing. Besides, depending on a paper logbook is an inefficient form of management. Having an endless queue at the reception as a result of your paper-based sign-in system can lead to unproductivity. Last but not least, visitors may not feel safe documenting their information with such a crude system, as anyone can have access to it at any time. For this reason, a manual visitor management system is not ideal for the growth of your business.

On-Site Visitor Management System

The first step to take in stepping up your current system is to implement an electronic logbook. For some business organizations, old legacy software may be the way out. However, there are some factors you need to consider before implementing such software in your organization.

• Installing server-side software, hardware, patch applications, storage devices and antivirus cost a lot of money. Depending on the size of your company, you may spend from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• You will have to constantly pay for software maintenance, upgrades, and purchase hardware maintenance components.
• Installing a legacy software takes up space. For example, you may have to dedicate a space in your office as the server room.

Another downside to consider is the ability to move your electronic components in the case of an emergency.

Cloud-Based Visitor Management System

This type of management system features an interface which is linked to the cloud where visitors’ information is stored and then displayed on the front-end of the system – a dashboard. This is the easiest, safest, and convenient way to manage all records of every visitor. To get the best management system for your visitors, you need a cloud-based SaaS solution. Implementing this system puts you in control of your business. An effective system makes life easy for everyone in an organization. You can go about your daily activities with the assurance that your management system is equal to the task. One benefit of having this type of system is that it runs continuously without the need for rest, cooling, or bathroom breaks, unlike other systems. There are cloud applications you can try for free before making any purchase.