This post is in continuation to last week’s post about electronic visitor management. Below are some more items and options you need to consider before purchasing a solution for your organization. Not every option is right for every business or school, so consider each of these carefully before making a decision.
Printed Visitor Badges
Labels are by far the most used badge in visitor systems. However, I do not like labels. They tend to fall off, be worn under a jacket, and generally are not that visible. A good option is to put the label on a reusable backer that is on a visible lanyard. You will be requiring the return of the badge, so you simply peel the label and re-use the backer again and again. I like the use or a red VISITOR lanyard. It makes visitors easily recognizable.
Time-expiring Visitor Labels
A good option are time-expiring labels that bleed through with VOID after 24 hours. This prevents a visitor from returning the next day. If you do not want to pay the extra money for time-expiring, you can print the valid visit day on the label.
Visitor Label Printers
Most visitor systems come with a direct thermal label printer. These are compact and inexpensive. No ribbon or toner are needed. The only downside is they only print in black. There are some small color label printers available for those that want to print color photos or color code the badges.
Door Access Control Integration
Some systems can integrate with door access control systems. You may want to issue a card that can electronically open doors. An example is a repair person that needs access to one area. First, you register the visitor using the visitor software. Then, you assign a generic proximity card to the visitor. The proximity card can only access the given room for a given time.
Kiosk Visitor Registration Systems
Visitor systems are usually PC-based and are operated by front desk personnel. However, there are also kiosk based visitor systems available. The intent of a kiosk system is to allow for self-check-in to reduce the time required by your personnel. However, this typically reduces the security that a visitor management system brings, as it doesn’t validate the person’s identity before checking them in the way an employee would by checking an ID and eliminating the ability to have an accurate barred list.
Furthermore, many facilities mention that front desk personnel end up spending a lot of time walking guests and visitors through the check in process anyway, or having to assist them with issues and questions, eventually causing the process to take even more time than an operated system would have. As facilities are considering systems for security, but maybe keeping health and hygiene top of mind as well, systems that involve heavy guest interaction and lots of contact may not be ideal.
What About the Cost?
You only have a certain budget to spend, and there is probably no need to go with the most expensive. An electronic visitor management system with the features listed in this article should be very affordable.
Local Support for the System
Do you want to spend time trying to install and learn the system? What happens if the system malfunctions? The system makes a vital first impression of your organization. It cannot be down for very long. Having a local dealer perform the installation and training is faster, easier and better. And, having local support that can remote in to diagnose and fix, or even come on-site, is an important thing to consider.
The ISG Can Help
Talk to your local ISG expert about your specific electronic visitor management needs and how they pair with the solutions we offer. From door access control to mobile credentials, employee IDs to video surveillance, the ISG has the solutions that your staff can use to protect everything and everyone important to your organization.
