Visitor management plays a critical role in modern businesses by enhancing security, safety, and operational efficiency. A visitor management system (VMS) allows organisations to monitor and control the flow of visitors, ensuring a seamless experience while maintaining security protocols.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at what visitor management systems are in more detail and the best practices for your business.
What is Visitor Management?
A visitor management system is a set of processes and technologies used to manage the entry, tracking, and exit of visitors to a business or facility. It automates many aspects of the visitor experience, from check-in to notifying hosts, while ensuring that only authorised individuals enter the premises.
With the rise of digital tools, modern VMS solutions also integrate with security systems, providing a comprehensive way to secure both visitors and employees.
What is the Purpose of a Visitor Management System?
The primary purpose of a visitor management system is to enhance security, ensuring that every visitor is accounted for and follows the business’s safety protocols. Additionally, a well-designed VMS improves visitor experience by simplifying entry processes and reducing confusion.
For businesses in regulated industries, a VMS is also key for ensuring compliance with health, safety, and legal regulations, providing digital records that can be referenced during audits.
8 Best Visitor Management Practices for Businesses
1. Implement Health Declarations
Health declarations are an essential tool for protecting both visitors and employees. By requiring visitors to confirm their health status before entry, businesses can reduce the risk of illness spreading within the workplace. This step is especially important in industries where health and safety regulations are a top priority.
2. Pre-register Visitors to Streamline the Process
Pre-registration is one of the simplest ways to improve the visitor experience. By allowing visitors to complete forms or answer questions before arrival, businesses can reduce waiting times and make check-ins more efficient.
This practice also helps hosts prepare for their arrival, ensuring smoother interactions.
3. Utilise Capacity Management Features
Managing building capacity is crucial for businesses with limited space or strict health and safety protocols. A visitor management system like DMS’ can help you monitor occupancy in real time, sending alerts when capacity limits are reached, exceeded, or return to normal.
This feature helps maintain a safe and compliant environment, particularly in high-traffic areas.
4. Use Host Ready Notifications
Host ready notifications instantly alert staff when their visitor arrives, enhancing communication and professionalism.
This reduces delays, ensures visitors are greeted promptly, and allows hosts to manage their time efficiently, improving the overall visitor experience.
5. Enhance Security through Integration
By integrating your visitor management system with door access systems, you can ensure that only authorised individuals gain entry to your premises.
This enhances security by restricting access to sensitive areas, preventing unauthorised visitors, and logging entry and exit times for better oversight.
6. Send Welcome Emails to Inform Visitors
Welcome emails sent upon visitor check-in provide essential information such as site policies, health, and safety guidelines.
This ensures visitors are well-informed before entering your facility, reducing confusion and ensuring compliance with your business protocols.
7. Collect Visitor Feedback
Gathering feedback from visitors helps you improve their experience and address any potential issues. DMS’ visitor management system makes this process easy by automatically sending feedback forms after visits, allowing you to collect valuable insights and make adjustments where needed.
8. Ensure Compliance with Legal and Health Protocols
Visitor management systems play a key role in ensuring compliance with industry-specific health, safety, and legal regulations.
By informing visitors of these requirements and collecting their acknowledgment before entry, businesses can avoid legal complications and create a safer environment for everyone.
Visitor Management Strategies for Different Business Needs
Small vs Large Businesses
The visitor management process varies significantly between small and large businesses. Smaller companies often have fewer visitors, making manual processes more manageable.
However, as a business grows, so does its need for a more structured and automated system. Larger organisations benefit from comprehensive visitor management systems that offer features like capacity management, security integrations, and advanced reporting.
Tailoring the system to the company’s size ensures efficient visitor handling, without overwhelming resources.
Industry-Specific Visitor Management
Different industries have varying visitor management requirements. For example, healthcare facilities prioritise health checks and compliance with strict safety protocols, while corporate environments focus on security and professionalism.
Educational institutions may need systems that integrate with existing school management software, while construction sites prioritise safety training and compliance with legal standards.
Customising visitor management strategies based on industry needs ensures the system addresses specific challenges effectively.
Visitor Management FAQs
What is the purpose of a visitor management system?
The purpose of a visitor management system is to streamline the process of tracking, managing, and securing visitors entering a business.
It ensures efficient check-ins, enhances security, and helps businesses comply with legal and safety regulations.
How does a visitor management system improve security?
A security visitor management system improves security by controlling access to the premises, verifying visitor identity, and integrating with access control systems.
This prevents unauthorised access and ensures that only approved visitors enter sensitive areas.
What are the benefits of integrating visitor management with access control systems?
Integrating visitor management with access control systems enhances overall security by automating the entry process and ensuring that visitors can only access authorised areas.
It also provides detailed records of who entered and when, improving accountability.
How can visitor management systems help with legal compliance?
Visitor management systems ensure compliance by automatically informing visitors of health, safety, and legal protocols upon entry.
These systems can also log visitor details and require visitors to acknowledge and adhere to relevant regulations, creating a digital trail for audits and compliance checks.
What visitor management techniques can improve the visitor experience?
Techniques like pre-registration, welcome emails, and host notifications enhance the visitor experience by reducing wait times and ensuring a seamless entry process.
Customisable check-in processes also allow visitors to feel informed and guided throughout their visit.
