A clearly laid out visitor entry procedure is essential to organization, security, and visitor experience within the workplace. Now with COVID-19, safety is also something to think about when it comes to visitor entry procedures. Many are now thinking about how their facilities can manage the flow of visitors who come and go, while also keeping them safe.
The specific procedures that you choose to implement will of course differ based on your industry. Regardless, you will want to be prepared for general visitor issues that are known to arise. Let’s explore!
If you have hired contractors or employees that you can trust, or clients that you know are honest, then why should visitor management matter?
The ability to manage visitors in the workplace matters for a few reasons. The first is the safety and security of the workplace you provide. When you have knowledge on who has entered your facility and that they are supposed to be there, you already have a more secure workplace. No one is able to come in and wander and security is kept top of mind.
Managing your visitors also provides them with a great experience as they aren’t left guessing where to go, and know they are in good hands. The way you go about managing visitors reflects the broader public perception of your organization as a whole.
Getting ahead of visitor management is also a great way to keep visitors organized and avoid a burdensome administrative backlog.
So now that you are aware of why visitor management is important no matter what industry you’re in, it will be essential to explore the benefits of a visitor entry procedure and policy. What reasons make it worth it to have these business processes in place?
As organisations grow, it can be difficult to ensure that everyone is educated on the standard processes for managing visitors. Having a policy in place means this process is structured, recorded and accessible to all employees. No one is left in the dark and processes are clear.
Visitor entry procedures and policies will also force managers to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities in their security systems. This then helps them to find solutions to these vulnerabilities and ensure that everyone understands the associated risks. They will also have a better understanding of the steps to take to prevent them.
When consistent procedures are put in place, it creates a consistent experience for everyone who visits your site. It also gives a clear reference and standard to which you and your staff can be held accountable.
Lastly, visitor entry procedures and policies mean that everyone will be clear on exactly who will be allowed to enter the workplace. This is done through authorization for different types of visitors and helps to establish who will be held responsible for supervising visitors when they are on-site.
Making an effective visitor entry procedure requires a lot more than telling your staff to be careful when it comes to security and organization. Here are some of the key considerations to make.
Think about who will be allowed to enter your facility – at what times, and under whose supervision.
Not everyone should be allowed everywhere within your facility. Consider what areas you want protected and how you can limit these areas to certain people.
Find a way to keep track of who walks in and out of your doors. This is an essential element to being able to refer back to records.
This could include a visible badge or any necessary personal protection equipment (PPE) such as high-visibility vests. Identification can help staff to be certain that visitors are supposed to be in the building or on-site.
Consider what areas visitors will be allowed to be left alone, where they must be supervised, and areas that they cannot go.
Depending on the type of visitor, your policy may apply differently.
What facilities will visitors have access to? This includes things such as washrooms or your wi-fi credentials.
Think about how you will ensure staff are aware of your policies and how you can help them to understand and apply them.
How will you measure the efficacy of the plan? Think about what success looks like and how you will make adjustments to your plan in order to reach it.
It’s no secret that COVID-19 has made changes to our everyday way of doing things. This applies especially to facility visitor entry procedures.
In order to best manage COVID-19, it is best to find ways to complete visitor management with as little contact as possible. In order to avoid contact, facilities can use touchless sign-in processes with the use of smartphones.
Screening is also now an important part of the visitor entry process as it helps to prevent the spread of germs and potential illness on site. Sine provides a pre-screening questionnaire that visitors can complete before even arriving on site. You can also use Sine to clearly communicate your policy for COVID-19 and discover any possible exposure to cases.
On-site screening is imperative as temperatures can be taken in order to discover any visitors who may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
The risks associated with this new way of living are greatly reduced with the proper policies and implementation.
These key considerations may feel challenging or even overwhelming to think about. There is a lot to implement when it comes to your visitors. This is especially true with the new addition of COVID-19 and the extreme changes it has brought about.
Sine’s robust visitor management system can help to relieve those overwhelming feelings. Our systems work to automate much of the administrative burden that goes along with applying a visitor management policy.
These automation options include a full suite of COVID-19 focussed features which enable contactless office tasks and effective screening of visitors. Sine is an incredibly simple system that can be customized to fit a variety of operational requirements across a myriad of industries.
We can say with confidence that you won’t be left questioning if the system will fit your specific needs.
Sine also allows you to integrate your visitor management system with other business systems throughout the workplace. This means avoiding the need to manage multiple systems at one time and makes your day to day tasks seamless.
