Why Visitors Management Systems should be part of your Security and Risk Management Strategy
Our heartfelt condolences go out to those who have lost loved ones during the 14 Riverside Drive, Nairobi attack and our prayers go out to the families and friends of those affected. This tragedy has once again raised an issue regarding security risk management and value that data and analytics can play in supporting existing security system and mitigating risks.
In any business, there is potential for incidents, and improving safety means having an optimized visitor management strategy. Visitor management needs to consist of more than a simple pen-and-paper log book. Traditionally, visitor management has involved customers signing their name, writing the date, and sometimes mentioning who they’re visiting in an offline log book or a simple digital system—but these outdated methods do not measure up to modern safety, security, and surveillance standards.
There are numerous safety, financial, and reputational risks associated with old, outdated, and disconnected visitor management systems. It’s time to make visitor management software a priority. In case you’re still unsure of the benefits, we’ve outlined some of the major risks of utilizing a poor visitor management system below and detailed how updating your system can minimize these risks—or even eliminate them completely.
5 Reasons You Need A Visitor Management System
- Proactivity
Security and surveillance teams have often dealt with incidents in reactive ways—an undesirable person enters the facility and causes an incident, and then surveillance teams check the logbooks retroactively (if the books still exist or information contained therein is complete or correct). But if you could prevent an incident from occurring in the first place, wouldn’t you?
With the right visitor management software, surveillance teams can know who’s coming into the facility before they even set foot on site. By collecting important data, a visitor management system allows you to spot patterns: Why is this gentleman coming in every Tuesday at 3pm? Who are they visiting? Or, why is this employee leaving at 3pm every Tuesday? Where are they going, and what are the risks associated with that person? Using visitor trends analysis, surveillance teams can gain insight and take proactive measures.
- Compliance
There’s not a lot of leeway when it comes to safety and compliance. So how do you make sure you’re staying compliant with rules and government regulations? Whether you’re leveraging a visitor management database to alert you when a banned or trespassed person tries to enter the facility, or you need it to trace back visitors in case of a lawsuit, the system is essential for remaining compliant with rules and government regulations.
- Reduced costs
A pen-and-paper visitor management system may seem to save you money in the short-term, but it drains your profits in the long run. Without an effective visitor management system, your business is left open to compliance and reputational risks—and the costs of shutting the business down or eliminating those risks is exorbitant. That’s why surveillance teams have to know: who is coming to the facility, and are they allowed in?
Having the capability to track suspicious patterns, ensure compliance, and prevent incidents contributes to reduced costs. By reducing the frequency of incidents, compliance risks, and lawsuits, you can significantly boost your ROI.
- Communication
Open communication between surveillance team members and other staff is essential to spotting trends and preventing incidents across departments and areas. If an individual is added to a banned list, front desk employees need to be notified so they can identify that person if they try to enter the building, for example. An effective, comprehensive visitor management system provides this capability.
Visitor management should extend beyond residents as well. A visitor is a visitor. How do you confirm the identity of delivery people? Surveillance needs to know who they are, which company they represent, and have an audit trail associated with each delivery. Communication is one key to maintaining that knowledge.
Furthermore, in the event of lockdowns, active shooters, or evacuations, a visitor management system provides you with the capability to send mass notifications through email or SMS to all personnel and active visitors. This is a key safety measure that is impossible without modern visitor management software.
- Integration
A visitor management system that integrates with communication, risk management, incident management, and other security tools allow surveillance to collect as much information as possible in the event of an incident. Effectively tracking a person’s visits and activities reduces the potential of losing a lawsuit or letting an incident fall through the cracks.
Integration with optional facial and license plate recognition add-on modules enables instant notification when a banned or suspicious person enters the building—whether they stop at the front desk to sign in or not.
The Bottom Line
Maybe your organization hasn’t yet experienced compliance issues or incidents due to an outdated visitor management system. Regardless, visitor management software is a safety and compliance requirement for any surveillance team. Without it, the business is left open to risks.
Visitor management needs to be more than a logbook. Rather, it should provide visibility, enable compliance, and facilitate communication with front desk employees and security staff. Add a visitor management system to your compliance, risk, and incident management playbook to protect your business more effectively.
At Identigate We take risk seriously that’s why we keep innovating and developing solutions that address visitors management security risks and concerns. Our Flagship Visitors Management System (Soja) is a great way to get rid of your physical visitors book.
Get in touch today to book a demo.
