Overview

• Faster records retrieval
• Disseminate roll call not only to visitors but with the whole company
• Printed badge for identification
• Provides efficiency in workflow

A traditional visitor management system (VMS) may seem cheaper than the automated VMS, given the fact that it only needs a logbook and pen and can function without a power source. However, the price should not blind us. We should not sacrifice security and efficiency for quantity.

When it comes to security, there are a lot of incidents that could have been stopped by an automated visitor management system, and these are some of the few based on Buildings. (2006). Why Your Facility Needs a Visitor Management System.

• A suspect walked into an FBI office and fatally shot three agents. A jury, determining the facility should have had a better visitor sign-in system, awarded $1.7 million to the husband of a victim.
• Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, reportedly conducted walkthroughs of the building’s ground floor before the attack.

Security on-premise. A company or organization should be able to identify all individuals who visit their facility for security and accountability. The problem is due to sloppy handwriting. It is hard to determine the guest information that the logbook indicates. There are also some instances when the data provided in the logbook are illegible or fabricated thus, and it creates an inaccurate record of visitors.

An automated visitor management system can put an end to this dilemma as it has a scanner that can scrape the data on the visitor’s identification card. Guests can also key in their personal information instead of writing it down.

In addition, an incident investigation is quickened due to faster records retrieval of those who come in and out of the premises and the frequency of their visits, eliminating the time it takes to create a report.

Emergency roll-call. One of the constant things in this world is an emergency. Thus, it is important to determine how your organization will respond in case of an emergency. An electronic visitor management system can disseminate notice as well as roll call not only to visitors but to the whole company via SMS or email.

Printed badge. Traditional VMS issues badge on their visits to recognize them easily. The setback is guests can be able to keep the badges if they don’t sign out. Guests with unreturned badges can later infiltrate facilities and gain access to employees, restricted areas or proprietary data. Automated VMS, on the other hand, issues a unique badge for each visitor so that it cannot be reused.

Electronic VMS is not just for security as it also provides efficiency in workflow. As the conventional process goes from guest logging in, receptionist confirming with the host and then asking the guest to wait in the lobby, the electronic visitor management system enabled pre-registration on the phone, receiving a QR code for confirmation then scanning that QR code upon arrival. The host was then notified of his guest’s arrival.

Users’ experience in this system will be exceptional as they won’t experience the hustle of undergoing the conventional process. Traditional VMS may be inexpensive but if we get to think of the features of electronic VMS we get to see that investing in one will be worthwhile in the long run.

To know more about Qbasis VMS’ features, click here.