If you’re assessing the way guests enter your building, you’re likely considering implementing (or upgrading) a visitor management system (VMS). A VMS is a process for handling and tracking all guests who visit your organization. Your VMS should include how guests are greeted, how their host is notified, and when they depart. Depending on your needs, it could also take into account safety, security, compliance, and reporting.
Digital VMS solutions can save you time, make a great impression with customers and guests, and help secure your workplace. If you’re considering a digital VMS solution, you may have a few questions. Check out these five visitor management FAQs that we hear all the time.
A: In most cases, yes, they really are. Research indicates that customers are increasingly comfortable with and often prefer self-service. And in the wake of Covid-19, being able to check in with a touchless system like Greetly’s is even more desirable.
Having a digital receptionist available helps ensure guests don’t have to wait for an employee to finish up a phone call or conversation; they can get right down to business checking themselves in. Making an employee available at the front desk, or with the click of a button, is critical, though, as visitors may have questions that require the finesse of a human to answer.
A: It’s up to you, but rather than removing a staff member, it’s more likely that a visitor management system can effectively add more coverage to your front desk for a fraction of the cost of a new employee. That will free up your existing reception staff to manage a more diverse set of responsibilities. The phrase “will you cover the front desk for me?” is likely to become a thing of the past for your staff once you employ an app like Greetly that can handle arrivals and deliveries when an employee has stepped away.
A: All types of companies, from small businesses to enterprise organizations, are finding value in visitor management systems. Greetly, for example, works with tech companies, finance firms, creative industries, government organizations, coworking spaces, staffing agencies, and many other types of businesses — from Weight Watchers to DHL to the City of Tallahassee.
A: Absolutely. A visitor management system can act as a real-life firewall for your office. Having guests check-in digitally, and provide information and credentials, if necessary, before they are allowed in helps keep your building safer. Additionally, you’ll have a digital visitor log to maintain records of anyone who was on site, with data stored securely as Fort Knox. Some systems, like Greetly’s, can take a photo of your guest and print out name tags to help identify them to staff. And with Greetly, anyone who has checked in and hasn’t checked out can be notified with the click of a button in the event of an evacuation or emergency.
A: Not all visitor management systems offer integrations, but many do, allowing you to streamline visitor check-in and data collection with dozens of existing processes. You can sync your VMS to your customer relationship management (CRM) system, scheduling apps, communications systems, and more. If you use Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google products, Essensys, or other tools, there’s likely a Greetly integration. Plus, Greetly offers dozens of additional integrations and automations that you can customize through the Zapier platform.
Take a VMS Tour The best way to understand a visitor management system is to see it in action. Take a tour with a Greetly rep and they’ll show you how it can work for your business.