What is Visitor Management: Everything You Need to Know

Successful businesses are built on relationships. From key accounts to your regular FedEx courier, the people interacting with you on-site are the foundation of everything good that goes on for your organization.

With all these people coming and going, it’d be easy for something to go wrong. That’s why visitor management systems are considered mission-critical by many. Keeping track of everyone who comes and goes is a challenge that the old-school pen-and-paper approach can no longer meet.

However, implementing a digital visitor management system requires careful thought and planning. A bad digital system is no better for you than a dog-eared logbook.

So, let’s look at the details of visitor management: definitions, importance, key components, different approaches, and how acre Visitor Management fits into the picture.

What is visitor management?

Visitor management is your process for recording, monitoring, and managing anyone who enters your premises and isn’t an employee.

Most commonly, this is suppliers or vendors attending meetings, couriers and deliveries, or customers attending appointments.

Visitor management starts with the initial sign-in and ends with sign-out and departure. The process exists to protect the safety and security of your premises and personnel. It also creates a smooth and positive experience for your visitors.

Why visitor management is so essential for businesses

You want every visitor to leave with a positive impression of your business, but it’s not all about warm handshakes and cups of coffee. Visitor management is an essential part of your business’s security.

Workplace Safety and Security

If anyone from the street can walk into your business and start doing as they please, it’s not safe for you, your staff, or anyone else on-site.

A robust visitor management system helps you control who is on your premises, reducing unauthorized access, security threats and risks to your employees and assets.

Authorized Access to Facilities

Even if you’re happy for certain people to be visiting your premises, there are still areas that are to be kept private or present dangers to them.

By verifying their identity, granting case-by-case access, and tracking their movements, your visitor management process will reduce the risk of someone ending up in the wrong place.

Regulatory Compliance

Depending on your industry, organizations have a duty to comply with regulations like GDPR (for handling visitor personal data in the EU) or HIPAA (for healthcare facilities managing patient visitor information).

A good visitor management system helps you stay compliant with data collection, storage, and access. Some systems even include the ability to sign NDAs or security waivers.

A Pleasant and Professional Experience

A modern visitor management system is the first step in making a good first impression. Digital check-in processes are faster and more professional than manual logbooks, making the process seamless and on-brand.

There are lots of other fine margin improvements they offer, including connecting maps and access guides to a visitor’s phone.

Audits and Emergencies

If something happens that requires an evacuation or lockdown, a digital visitor log will give you an accessible and accurate record of who is on-site.

This information can be crucial for investigations and emergency response. It’s the sort of feature that is easy to overlook until you need it.

Core features of a great visitor management system

An effective visitor management system should have several key features:

• Digital check-In and check-Out Process

Replace paper logbooks or digital spreadsheets with digital interfaces on tablets or kiosks. Contactless check-in options are now widely preferred for both hygiene and convenience, offering a safer and more seamless experience for visitors.

• Visitor ID Verification and Badge Printing

Verify a visitor’s ID and print a visitor badge for them, enhancing security and making it easy to identify guests moving about the premises. Identify repeat visitors and process their arrival accordingly. 

• Pre-Registration

Allow employees to pre-register their expected visitors, saving time on arrival and enabling smoother check-in. You may even include screening questionnaires or other data gathering for health or safety reasons. 

• Host Notifications and Real-Time Alerts

Get an automatic notification when your visitor arrives. In case of unexpected or unapproved visitors, real-time alerts improve communication and security response times.

• Record Keeping, Reporting, and Analytics

Automatically maintain visitor logs, gathering valuable data for audits and compliance. Analyze visitor traffic patterns to reduce queues, optimize staffing, and manage availability of resources like meeting rooms or the canteen.

• Security Enhancements

Manage different visitors according to type (contractors, deliveries, interviewees) with tailored workflows and outcomes. Digital systems cross-check visitor IDs against internal watchlists or external databases to make sure each person is approved and safe to have on the premises.

Types of visitor management systems

You can choose from a range of visitor management systems, so to narrow it down a little, we’ll operate with a few assumptions from this point on:

1. You’re going digital, not manual. Digital systems are more reliable, secure, and efficient. They aren’t perfect, but they’re better than pen and paper.
2. You’ll have to decide whether your system will be cloud-based (using third party servers) or on-premise (all handled on servers that you own).
   Cloud systems are cheaper to start with and require less management. On-premise systems can be more flexible and secure.

Kiosk or tablet-based check-ins vs. mobile apps

Kiosks or tablets in reception areas are a common sight. For simple registrations and self-check-ins, these can be a great choice.

Mobile apps offer a more complete process, including pre-registration, contactless check-in, and contact methods. This can reduce time spent processing visitors during busy periods and enhances visitor experience.

In healthcare settings, reducing contact points reduces the risk of spreading infections.

Integrated systems vs. standalone tools

Standalone visitor management systems focus solely on visitor tracking – they exist on their own and do their one job well.

Integrated systems connect with other security and building management systems (like access control, employee calendars, and CCTV), for an efficient and user-friendly experience.

Industry-specific visitor management setups

Some industries (e.g., healthcare or government) have specific requirements for visitors. These settings need visitors to complete waivers, screening questionnaires, and NDAs.

There are visitor management systems and technologies that are designed specifically for these environments, but many providers can add in custom features like these.

How to choose the right visitor management system for your business

There isn’t a single ‘right’ or ‘best’ system for managing visitors, because needs vary wildly from business to business.

If you have dozens of external meetings each week, a slick and well-branded system might be your priority.

If you handle regular, daily deliveries and have secure areas of your premises, a more technical and integrated solution might be more important.

Use the following principles to guide your decision, but know that it’s ultimately down to what you and your business needs.

Priorities

You need to start by looking at how visitors interact with your business already. What matters most: your regulatory requirements, your risk profile, the number of visitors, visitor experience, or something else?

Once you know this, you’ll naturally narrow your search.

Integration with existing systems

Consider how the visitor management system integrates with your current access control, security cameras, HR systems, calendar apps, building management systems, and even CRM.

Smooth integrations enhance efficiency and give you a unified security overview.

Data privacy and security

Make sure your chosen system meets any privacy regulations that apply to your business, region, or industry (e.g. CCPA).

If it can’t gather, process, and store visitor data compliantly, it’s a non-starter.

Pricing, support, and scalability

Evaluate the cost, considering software fees, hardware, and support. As we mentioned earlier, cloud-based systems can have lower upfront costs, but there are merits to on-premise management.

It’s worth planning for the future, too. If your organization doubles in size, will the system you’ve chosen be able to handle a similar increase in visitors? Similarly, if you halve your visitor numbers, can you scale the system back without incurring breakage fees?

User-friendliness for both staff and visitors

The system should be intuitive for the employees using it and simple for visitors. Your visitor management system is one of the first impressions your visitors will have of your business – don’t let it be a negative one.

The Transition from Traditional to Digital Systems

Back in the day, visitor management happened in a logbook with a pen. All manual entry and self-reporting.

Paper logbooks are insecure, inefficient, and often illegible. Managing the data for audits or emergencies is time-consuming. Spreadsheets, while digital, lack the specific features and security of dedicated visitor management software. They’re liable to human error and often lack compliance.

Digital systems offer efficiency, enhanced security, improved data accuracy and reporting capabilities, and an all-around improved visitor experience.

How acre Visitor Management Can Help

We can provide a full range of security solutions, including intuitive visitor management systems that make it simple for your organization to handle guests. Trusted by organizations like DHL, Coca-Cola, and Mastercard, we’re helping some of the largest businesses in the world keep their assets, people, and premises secure.

An acre Visitor Management system integrates with your existing security infrastructure, minimizing disruption and maximizing efficiency. You can enjoy features like digital check-in and check-out, badge printing, pre-registration, and host notifications. We’re also built to grow with you, scaling up or down to meet your needs now and in the future.

Learn more about our visitor management solutions.

A Must-Have Made Simple

Effective visitor management is a crucial component of modern organizational security and efficiency.

We’re moving beyond outdated manual processes and embracing digital solutions that enhance safety, security, compliance, and - importantly - visitor experience.

Once you’ve got a handle on the core principles of visitor management, essential features to look for, and how to differentiate between systems, you’ll be well-positioned to choose a winning approach for your organization.

If an acre Visitor Management system sounds like the answer you’re searching for, we’d love to help you out. It all starts with a simple conversation – no pressure, no rush to sell. We want to understand your business and what you need, so get in touch and tell us all about it.