What is a Visitor Management System?
Many different types of businesses get a lot of foot traffic on a daily basis in the form of job candidates, delivery personnel, contractors, consultants, and more.
Yet, not every business has an employee sitting at the front desk. And even if they do, that person may have other responsibilities they must attend to away from the lobby.
Either way, this can leave visitors feeling confused about where to go or how to find the person they are there to see.
A visitor management system solves this problem (among others). When visitors arrive, they’re greeted by the check-in kiosk, which instructs them to sign in. Admin users are able to customize the system to collect as much or as little information about the visitor as they need.
Once the visitor has input their information, the software then alerts their host contact typically in several different ways: SMS, email, Slack, or Microsoft Teams.
Many visitor check-in systems also print badges through a connected printer, have visitors sign NDAs or other similar legal agreements, and store all of this information in a cloud-based visitor log.
Changing Roles
Receptionists. Office administrators. Administrative assistants. Whatever name they go by in your office, there’s no denying their roles have changed drastically over the last 10 years.
With the new prevalence of hybrid or remote work, shared office spaces, and the use of technology to perform tasks previously only done by humans, the role of the receptionist looks nothing like it did before.
Sure, they still answer phones, greet visitors, and receive and sort mail and deliveries, but more and more, they are being tasked with other important responsibilities.
Many companies see value in reimagining the role of the receptionist or administrative assistant since they tend to be asked to step in and help in so many areas of the business.
Some people in these roles are leveling up their skills to become executive assistants, where they serve as a conduit across departmental functions and teams in the day-to-day operations of the business.
Because of the way in-office business life itself is changing and how roles like the receptionist are shifting, many business leaders are looking to technology to supplement their front desk experience to ensure a smooth visitor experience.
Why Use a VMS?
A visitor management system isn’t just a flashy bit of technology. Its functionality and ease of use make it integral to any office operations. It’s meant to automate the more mundane, burdensome workflows that take up valuable time that could be better spent on other matters.
At The Receptionist, we often say that if certain tasks in your job make you feel like a robot, they can probably be done by one. And that’s what a comprehensive and robust visitor management system should do.
Without a visitor management system, manual front desk operations are likely not optimal. With a visitor management system, however, you’ll gain invaluable benefits – and get some time back in your day.
Checking in visitors
Managing front desk resources
Setting visitor expectations
Handling deliveries
Creating ID badges
Collecting agreement signatures
Features & Benefits
Safety & Security
When office safety and security are top of mind, a visitor management system can act as a sentry stationed near the entrance with different features intended to weed out bad actors who pose a threat to the data security and bodily safety of your business and the people who work there.
In many different scenarios, the visitor management system will help you keep what matters under lock and key.
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