Implementing a visitor management software may require 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 may require a financial investment and cooperation from the people who will use it. So it makes sense to talk to those internal stakeholders first to allow the system you choose will have features that truly help them do their jobs better.
Here are a few of the people you may want to talk to to as you explore visitor management solutions:
Suppose your visitor management software was chosen to help enhance workplace safety. Your security manager might 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 may be able to 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.
Putting a system in place to collect waivers, screening information, non-disclosure agreements, etc. may help make their jobs easier. However, it may be beneficial if 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 may need to back any significant tech investment since they can be key players in implementing new software and communicating with backend support from the vendor. They may also have the most insight into how a visitor management system integrates with your company’s existing technology stack.
IT professionals may have questions for the vendor directly, and they’ll need information about security certifications, managing permissions, integration with the cloud, etc.
A visitor management companies 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, guests may be there at the invitation of your sales and/or marketing departments. Their goal will be to allow for 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 beneficial to enable the employees who most commonly receive visitors understand that a modern, digital visitor management system can help improve their guest’s experience by reducing the likelihood of paperwork and making policies clearer up front, which can help 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 can 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 may need their buy-in early on in the process. They may 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 software can help worksites become safer and more efficient. So, the system you choose 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 may not be enough. It can be extremely useful 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.
