There are those among us who love paper. We love the way it feels, and the way a good pen glides across it. And in certain instances, such as e-books vs. actual books, many would argue that paper is objectively superior to digital.
But when it comes to workplace visitor logs, and many other office functions like bookkeeping and word processing, digital beats paper hands down.
Let’s explore why your digital visitor logbook crushes the paper competition.
What is the first impression you are making to your visitors when you present them with a visitor log? While a paper logbook has a sense of formality, like a guest book at a wedding, it can leave much to be desired.
Unlike paper, a digital visitor log tells your visitors that you’ve moved into the modern era. Visual appeal is incredibly important for a positive first impression. The clean lines of a tablet or kiosk starts that process on the right foot.
Of far more weight than first impressions, the security of private information entered in a log should be top on people’s minds. Some of the information you may be required to collect from visitors might be sensitive.
With a paper log sitting on a desk, anyone can simply look at previous log entries and retrieve this information. A digital log stores it privately and securely.
What do you do with a paper logbook after someone has signed in? Here are some possibilities:
Given that 80% of paper files are never accessed again, imagine what it could mean to improve the efficiency on the front of this process.
A digital visitor registration system does exactly that. There is no filing or retyping necessary, as guests enter their information directly into the database. Digital storage space is inexpensive. Unlike physical space, it is easy to access from any computer.
Even more importantly, retrieval is far more efficient and effortless. This is best illustrated by a hypothetical scenario.
The local police are investigating a crime, and specifically, they are trying to track the actions (not just the movements) of a local salesperson who frequented the organization. They want to know the specific dates and times this person visited the organization and who they met with over eight weeks time.
Another labor-saving feature of digital logbooks is the way they can seamlessly integrate other aspects of the visitor experience and add value for the organization.
When a visitor signs in, their information could be immediately transferred into the organization’s CRM. This saves an employee from manually doing so, and provides immense value in the ability of the organization to follow up with visitors.
Certain workplaces require all guests to sign waivers or non-disclosure agreements. These and other documents requiring a signature can be presented digitally to the visitor upon checking in. This prevents a human employee from forgetting to provide the form for signature. Since it is all done digitally, there is no paper to file or lose.
Lastly, some digital visitor registration apps have other useful features, like the ability to contact a visitor’s host automatically. This is convenient for guests, for hosts and for organizations since a person is not required to make that contact happen.