Implementing a visitor management software requires buy-in from various staff, which can be a daunting task if you aren't sure who should to include in the decision-making process. A visitor management system requires a financial investment and cooperation from the people who will use it. So it makes sense to talk to those internal stakeholders first to ensure that the system you choose will have features that truly help them do their jobs better.
Here are the people you should be talking to as you explore visitor management solutions:
Suppose your visitor management software is designed to eliminate potential threats and protect data and employees. Your security manager will be able to provide insights into the tools that would make their jobs easier. Do they need a fast and reliable way to track visitors, deliver emergency notices to guests in real-time, or detect unwanted visitors? Or will these features add cumbersome tasks that have no real payoff?
Even if your company already has sophisticated tools such as facial recognition in place, security managers will be able to tell you how well it works, whether new visitor management features will duplicate current efforts, and whether tying this technology into a comprehensive software strategy will make site management easier on them.
Your legal department and any other compliance officers you employ will have the most insight into how your visitor management platform should parse visitors. They can let you know what areas of your worksite should be off-limits and to whom, what kind of documentation is needed from visitors, and how the data you collect is kept private.
It’s likely that putting a system in place to collect waivers, screening information, non-disclosure agreements, etc. will make their jobs easier. However, your legal and compliance officers should have a say in the best ways of collecting, displaying, and storing the data, as well as making sure you don’t pay for features you don’t need or skip features they require.
Your information technology (IT) department should back any significant tech investment since they're the ones who will be responsible for implementing new software and communicating with backend support from the vendor. They will also have the most insight into how a visitor management system integrates with your company’s existing technology stack.
IT professionals will have questions for the vendor directly, and they’ll need information about security certifications, managing permissions, integration with the cloud, etc.
A visitor management vendor’s ability and willingness to answer technical questions from IT will give you a good sense of how easy it will be to work with them.
Depending on the kind of business you do, the majority of your guests may be there at the invitation of your sales and/or marketing departments. Their goal will be to ensure a smooth entrance and warm reception for visitors, so there’s a chance you’ll encounter some pushback if the visitor management tools appear too cumbersome or invasive.
It’s crucial to ensure that the employees who most commonly receive visitors understand that a modern, digital visitor management system will likely improve their guest’s experience by cutting down on paperwork and making policies clear up front, which helps boost overall brand perception.
A modern visitor management system doesn’t replace your reception staff – it augments it. Theoretically, visitor management technology should take the most burden off your front office staff. It should allow them to get more done with fewer interruptions and greet people warmly rather than with a clipboard and stack of paperwork.
But there may be concerns that visitor management software will replace reception staff. That should be addressed before implementation so that all employees feel invested in making the system work.
They will likely want to know what types of tasks the visitor management platform can take off their plate, how intuitive the interface is (that is, whether it will be a burden to help people use the technology), and how they can interact with the system themselves to keep track of visitors.
The idea for a modern visitor management system may come from senior management. But if it does not, you will undoubtedly need their buy-in early on in the process. They will likely want to know how the technology will complement existing staff (and what efforts may be duplicated), how it will save money in the short and long terms, the expected ROI, and how the system will affect the company image.
Senior management will need to advocate for any new system, so researching how it will improve business should be a primary concern.
Visitor management systems are often used for employees as well, producing badges for easy entrance and giving them (or preventing) access to specific areas on site. But initially, it may appear like an extra burden, or they may be concerned about being tracked at work, so explaining the security and productivity features will be of the utmost importance.
To a large extent, a visitor management platform helps protect employees (whether it’s their safety or their time). It lets them know who to expect and when, and ideally makes their jobs easier by reducing distractions. So you’ll need to be ready with an explanation as to how the visitor management system will benefit them rather than add to their workload.
Visitor management software is designed to make worksites safer and more efficient. It should benefit both employees and visitors by collecting information in advance, reducing any friction at reception, and making movement around a site straightforward.
In other words, knowing the ROI on your visitor management solution isn’t enough. It’s vital to get the whole team on board with this technology so you know it’ll be used properly and do the work it needs to do to simplify people’s jobs and streamline their workplace experience.
