What Is Visitor Management Software?

Visitor management software tracks and manages visitors’ entering, exiting, or staying at your premises. With gate pass system, e-badge, biometric, face recognition, RFID and other functionalities, the software ensures your security and outstanding visitors' experience.

Visitor management systems have many features like maintaining digital logbooks, visitors’ screening, tracking their visit history, sending arrival notifications, document management, etc. Some Visitor management solutions also offer self-sign-in for visitors by allowing them to choose the floor/person they want to meet, the purpose of visit, and preferred time slot. It creates a seamless experience for visitors and helps organizations manage their flow better.

Visitor gate pass software can be used to digitally record visitor information & monitor their movement through the premises. It makes the visitor registration process easier, efficient & accurate by removing the need for manual data collection. Overall, visitor management system increases your office security and ensures that your assets & employees are safe.

Visitor management software is more than simply a digital logbook.  It ensures surveillance, access control, visitor management, and provides a single platform to conduct front-end operations efficiently and securely.

Who Uses Visitor Management Software

Any organization with visitors like clients, customers, patients, parents, and so on are potential users of the visitor management system. Some common examples are given below:

• Hospitals & Clinics: Visitor pass or gate pass management software allows healthcare providers to control visitors' entry locations, gathering of patients' families, monitor building security. It restricts the entry of unauthorized personnel in sensitive areas.
  
  Visitor Management Software also provides hospitals the ability to authorize, track and log access for employees, consultant doctors, maintenance personnel's, etc.
   
• Educational Institution: Visitor management software for schools, colleges, and other educational institutions allows them to control and track parents and other visitors into offices or classrooms. It's an integral part of the security system in schools and colleges. A digital record of all visitors who enter the premises is maintained, which is very important from the student's security point of view.
   
• Government Organizations: Government organizations use visitor management system software to provide a way to separate visitors from employees within buildings. It manages to control the flow of people in a government office and give them proper authorization. Besides, it also informs or notifies the respective employee of any meeting with the visitor. It also provides a solution for managing access to secure areas and protecting sensitive information.
   
• Housing Societies: Housing societies use the software to show a list of all visitors who have entered and exited the premises. The visitor’s record includes a digital entry of entry & exit timings, frequency, and the host. It helps them prevent intrusion and ensures a better security of the society and its members.
   
• Corporates Offices: Corporate offices use a visitor registration system to manage the access and control of employees, clients, customers, and other visitors. Corporates can also keep a record of all visitors who enter the premises through their identification badges. It helps speed up the meeting process by informing the host or employee about a client's arrival and the purpose of the visit.
   
• Amusement Parks, Museums, and Monuments: Public places use Visitor Management Software to keep a list of all guests who have entered or exited the premises at a particular time. It enables them to track the number of people present inside the premises, the stay time of each visitor, and prevent intrusion or things getting out of hand. Besides, the reports are also used to tally the revenue.
  
  There are other practical uses of visitor management apps like in hotels to manage the movement of paying guests and visitors.

Why You Must Use Visitor Management System

• Premise Security: Probably the most important reason to install a visitor management system in your organization or building is security. It helps organizations ensure safety from unauthorized access. It helps control visitor flow to ensure that the excess number of people is not present inside the premises. All this leads to a systematic way of visits, meet-ups, and servicing, which safeguards organizational assets and compliance with rules and regulations
• Time Management: Time management becomes critical when you are providing customer service or managing many visitors. It's challenging to track the number of people waiting in the lobby for a meeting, interview, visit, or repairs. Visitor management software ensures coordination between employees and visitors with real-time notification and an estimated waiting time. Also, with the self-service visitor app, visitors can pick the preferred timing and reason for the visit.
• Safeguarding Organizational Assets: Organizations need to safeguard the organizational assets from imposters and unauthorized personnel. Damage to company property, assets, or data leak is a severe threat to any business entity these days. Visitor pass management system ensures that visitors have appropriate authorization and reason to get inside the premises.
• Governmental Compliances: Visitor Management Software helps in fulfilling governmental compliances. It provides a way to maintain logbooks. It ensures proper security tracking as per the governmental regulations for schools, colleges, and public places.
• Digital Tracking of Visitors: Organizations need more than a simple logbook to check the number of people entering and exiting their premises. A contactless visitor management system keeps information through automated visitor tracking, making it easier for employees to handle guests efficiently. It also- maintains a digital database of visitors' IDs and their purpose of visit.
• Crowd Management: Amusement parks, monuments, and other public places should control the number of people inside the premises. Entry beyond limit can lead to chaos and security violations. Visitor management software gives real-time information on the number of people inside the building /premises and helps regulate their movement.

Different Types of Visitor Management Software

There are different types of Visitor Management Software based on the user. Let's get a closer look at them:

• Staff Administrated visitor management: This method enforces the staff to handle all security tasks like validating documents, capturing the details, and controlling visitors who enter the office premises.
• Self Service Visitor Management: Self-service is a new concept and comes with an easy-to-use visitor management app. Visitors can view the visit timings, submit personal details and generate a token after the verification. It helps in speeding up the visit process and saves time.

Visitor Management System Features

• Centralized Database: As mentioned above, the visitor management system comes with a centralized database that stores all visitor data. It’s easy to access (for you) and comes with search function which allows you to find historical visitor data.
• Visitor Tracking: From the moment a visitor enters their details into the system & until they leave the premises, the software tracks their movement through & through. Information such as entry and exit time, duration of visit, purpose, etc. is stored by the system for tracking.
• Reports Generation: Visitor data that are stored by the software is used for report generation. It also helps assess attendance, visitor density, visitor experience, and other important factors.
• ID Card Generation: The software can generate unique tags for visitor ID cards for easy tracking. It can print out name tags for visitors, which helps them move through the building and meet the right people. Customized tags for important visitors or event attendees can also be printed out with this software. Badges with QR code, barcodes and similar distinguishable tags are generated by the software.
• Visitor Self Check-In: VMS can be used in self-service kiosks where visitors can register themselves using a smartphone or tablet. The software will then assign tags, generate IDs and reduce front desk hassle while making the process smoother. The VMS can also be customized to include company logos & emblems.
• Pre-Registration: Certain VMS solutions come with this module, which sends emails to guests before a scheduled visit. Such emails comprise details such as date, time, parking details, directions, map location, person to meet and other useful information that help visitors reach their appointments quickly.
• Host Notification: The visitor management system sends notifications to hosts when a visitor arrives & registers themselves at the front desk. Notifications are sent in the form of SMS, email, push notifications etc, and hosts are informed of visitor’s current status (waiting at lobby, by the front desk, etc.). Certain visitor management software also allows hosts to respond on visitor’s arrival and send updates to guests.
• Multi-Language Support: Not every visitor would be well-versed in English, which is why visitor management software supports multiple languages. You can add vernacular options at self-service registration kiosks and visitors can register themselves using the language they’re comfortable with.
• Contractor Management: There are many people who come to your office premises periodically to perform specific jobs for a limited time. Construction workers, repairmen, plumbers, electricians, postmen, technicians etc. are some examples of these. Visitor management software can assign temporary badges & IDs for such visitor & register their details. On subsequent visits, the software pulls the data from the server and creates ID, saving registration time for such visitors.
• Employee Tracking: Visitor management system software can also work as an attendance manager by tracking your employees’ movement in & out of the office.
• Digital Compliance: On an individual level, not every visitor’s actions inside office premises can be pre-emptively known. In case a visitor causes harm or creates an unsafe environment, it can be a security nightmare for you to manage. To counter it, you can as visitors to sign NDAs, compliance and, terms & conditions that inform them of their visit rights and limitations. Visitor management system software can be used to define such policies and the software can be programmed to ask every visitor to consent to such policies.
• Document Management: The document management feature allows you to maintain a database of important visitor-related documents. Digital copies of their identification (voter card, PAN card, Aadhar, driving license etc) can be stored in the software’s memory. For legal & compliance reasons, this is an important feature to have.
• Visitor Screening: Some VMS can screen guests against local & federal watch lists. For example, schools, child care centers, and daycares can utilize this software to check visitors and assess if they’re registered, se x offenders.

Why Do You Need Visitor Management Software?

With a visitor management system, companies can register & manage visitors, track their movement through office premises, restrict access & improve the visitor experience. It can be used in self-service kiosks wherein, visitors can register themselves by entering relevant information such as name, address, purpose of visit, time, etc. Visitor management software also helps ascertain the purpose of visit & in some cases, check against the watch list for enhanced security.

Additionally, the software is used to issue & manage ID cards & keys provided to visitors. Unique ID tags can be attached to such permits, which allows security personnel to track visitors & minimize theft/loss. Certain visitor management software come with the capability to inform staff members of a guest’s arrival.

The reasons why you should invest in visitor management software are:

• Minimize Interruptions: Every time a visitor approaches the front desk, it takes valuable minutes off your receptionist’s work. As per a study, if a person is interrupted during a task, it takes nearly 25 minutes for the said person to get back to that task again. Multiply this with the number of visitors that visit an organization daily and you’ll realize the massive negative impact that’s happening to your business. With visitor management software, you can automate the visitor's handling process. This ensures that your reception staff’s time isn’t wasted, and their productivity increases.
• Premise Security: Uncontrolled entry & exit of visitors is a security liability, as visitors can forge important documents & information. Additionally, visitors can pose a security threat if they enter with the intent to damage/hurt. With visitor gate pass software in India, you can regulate access of all visitors and restrict their movement to relevant zones of the office. This ensures that your premises are secure, and privacy is maintained.
• Visitor Database: Maintaining a digital repository of visitors is important for security, legal, financial & compliance reasons. It lets you assess at a moment’s notice, the people walking in & out from your premises on a daily, weekly, monthly & yearly basis. You can access details of specific visitors and track the date & time they were at your office premises.

Advantages of Visitor Management Software

• Enhanced Security: Visitor gate pass software streamlines the guest registration process & helps maintain the security of your premises. By ensuring that every individual entering & exiting the process registers themselves, the software creates an accountable visitor management system.
• Improved Employee Productivity: Visitor gate pass management software reduces the workload of your front desk, admin & security staff. With self-service kiosks, visitor management software frees up your different teams from lengthy manual registration and check-in processes. Your employees can instead work on improving the visitor experience.
• Faster Registration: Visitor gate pass management software’s automation & streamlining capabilities fasten the registration process. Visitor registration forms come with dropdowns and auto-fill capability, which speeds up the entry process.
• Dependable System in Case of an Emergency: Visitor management software can inform visitors & employees to evacuate in case of emergencies or hazards in the building premises. The software sends notifications to everyone with special instructions on how to evacuate and where to move from.
• Flexible and Scalable Solution: Visitor management software can be scaled up as your business grows. When you move office locations or expand to a bigger space, the software can be programmed for efficient adjustments & response to its new environment.
• Improve the Visitor Experience: Visitor gate pass software can create a truly visceral visitor experience. Self-registration simplifies the process & makes it easier for visitors to register & get acquainted with the premise’s requirement. Features such as pre-& post-meeting notifications, multi-language support, ID card generator etc, helps in making the visitor experience count.
• Real-Time Reporting & Analytics: Visitor gate pass management software gives you access to all visitor data with a unified centralized dashboard. You can use it to generate reports that highlight visit patterns, lets you correlate visitor information with business activities & compare visits at other branches & offices. Companies can use this software to make an informed decisions about their visitor management practices and find ways to improve it.
• Instant Notifications: Your employees & front desk staff will always know what’s happening at the front desk, no matter where you are. Through SMS, emails, push notifications etc., you can stay aware of visitors’ in & out time.
• Digital Visitor Log: Instead of spending time in maintaining physical records, visitor gate pass management software maintains digital logs of data. These logs can be accessed as per hourly, daily, weekly, monthly basis.
• Third Party Integration: Visitor management software can be integrated with existing attendance & security management solutions to make the process smoother, efficient and more accountable.
• Maintain Security & Legal Compliance: The software allows you to achieve a secure, compliant & cost-effective visitor management process. From issuing customized NDA agreements to defining visitor policies, the software helps companies adhere to compliance norms. Visitor data & identification information can be stored for future audits.
• Phone Number Verification: You can use this software to successfully verify the visitor’s phone number using OTP. The software creates a record of the same which can be used to contact the visitor for any reason.

Follow Steps Before Buying Visitor Gate Pass Software Online

• Customized Registration Process: Different visitors will have a varying purpose of visit. Make sure to go for a solution that lets you customize the registration process according to the visitor type. Details such as name, email, address, phone number, etc. are important for visitors who’ve come for business reasons.  Opt for a visitor management solution which lets you customize the check-in process for better visitor experience.
• Two-Way Communication Capability: When guests arrive, your employees should not only be notified but also have the capability to respond to the same. If your employee is busy or must delay the meeting, he/she should be able to respond to the visitor using the software. Two-way communication is important to look for when buying a visitor management system software.
• Compliance: Visitor management software in India should help you adhere to your compliance requirements. This is important for security, legal, & compliance audits in the future.
• Generate ID Badges and Passes: The software of you choose should be capable of auto-generating ID cards, badges & passes to visitors upon successful registration. This will help you save time when a visitor checks in. The software should generate ID badges with the visitor’s photo.
• Digital Visitor Data Log: Go for software that records visitor information and can store it for the future use. You can use this information to check visitor data & assess the volume of people coming & leaving regularly.
   

Challenges with the Successful Use of Visitor Management Software 

Visitor management software is a great innovation. However, the successful usage of any vistor management system is not free from challenges. They come in the form of:

• Budget constraints: Visitor management software comes at a cost. Getting a license, buying hardware, and training your staff are not affordable for many organizations. However, there are many visitor management software solutions that charge you according to the number of visitors, which could significantly lower the initial cost.
• Expertise Required: Some visitor management software is developed to be user-friendly, but some require training and hands-on experience to be effective. Not having appropriate expertise is a challenge many organizations face during the successful use of visitor management software.
• Hassle for Visitors: Most companies try best to give their customers, clients, and guests a pleasant visiting experience. Sometimes, going through multiple checks, documentations, and rigid protocols might negatively impact your customers. The visitor management system must be simple and hassle-free for successful implementation.

Key Visitor Management Software Trends

• Smart Devices: Smart devices such as electronic bracelets, smart cards, and QR tokens are gaining popularity. Touchless visitor management systems are used for easy entry, role-based authorizations, and quick checkout by scanning the device, card, or QR code. The most practical use can be seen in Disneyland, where an electronic bracelet is given to visitors, which provides access to different parts and areas of visit depending on the ticket subscription, age, and timing.
• One to One Messaging: Visitor management software allows real-time communication between the host and guests directly, through instant messages and notifications. The visitor can get a notification if the host is not available or delayed and vice versa.
• Self Service: Self-service is an advantageous modern trait. A contactless visitor management system allows users to register themselves through mobile apps and web portals. As a result, the management gets notifications of the timing, details, and purpose of the visitor.
• Queuing: Queuing is trending among customer service provider companies. Nowadays, visitor management software helps track the number of people in a queue and schedule the visit for customers, which helps provide quick service. Also, the visitor can use the app to find an appropriate slot and reach the destination as per their requirement.

Popular Deployment Options for Visitor Management Software

• Cloud-Based visitor management system: This type of software is hosted on the internet and can be accessed from anywhere through the web. It allows the security staff to keep a tab on visitors entering your workplace easily. It's useful for organizations having multiple branches, as they can manage visitors across all location through a single platform.
• On-premises visitor management solution: You need to install on-premise visitor management solution on a server. The main benefit of using this software is that it doesn't require an internet connection to function. This software is used when data privacy is of prime importance and the organization has a single operation location. For example, hospitals, schools, housing societies
• Hybrid visitor management system: It is a combination of both cloud-Based and on-premise visitor management system. A private cloud is created, which can be accessed through multiple locations. It is used by organizations having multiple locations but centralized operations. For example, customer care, workshops, etc. of large corporates

Considerations While You Choose the Best Visitor Management System

Here are a few aspects that might help you choose the best visitor management system to fit your requirement. 

• Budget: The first thing to consider is budgeting for the software. There are many high-end visitor management systems available in the market with various features, which might not be necessary for your organization. So, it is essential to understand your needs and then choose accordingly
   
• Embedded Features: If the visitor managing software does not have some features, you might need to buy additional plugins for that feature. So, it is crucial to choose a visitor management system that has everything built-in. It reduces the cost and time spent on buying additional plugins or modules that are required externally.
   
• Integration with Other Systems: In large organizations, there might be multiple systems. So, it is essential to choose a visitor management system software that can integrate easily with biometric devices, meeting management software, and more.
   
• Customization: Since every organization has its unique requirements and the software you choose should be easily customizable as per your needs. If it cannot be easily customized, then your employees will spend more time on these changes, and it might not be as effective as it should be.
   
• User Interface: No organization would like to spend a lot of time in training their employees to operate a software. Therefore, you should choose the visitor pass system that is easy for your employees and your visitors to use.
   
• Reporting: Organizations must record and report the flow of visitors for analytical and legal procedures. So, the system you choose must provide enough visibility into daily operations, trails, and records.
   
• Support: For any organization choosing new software, it might be challenging to get your head around all the features available in the system and its implementation. So, if you choose software that provides enough support on-time by their expert team members, this might help you get the desired output out of the system.
  
  It is essential to consider all these aspects appropriately so that you can find the best visitor management software that will suit your needs.

Visitor Management Software Solution Cost

Most of the visitor management system vendors in the Indian market are price their product on a basis of per user, per month, yearly and can be divided into three pricing plans basic, advanced and premium. Here are a few of Visitor Management Software which are available at the price mentioned in the table:

• Vizitor app
• Veris Visitor Management Software
• Biotech Visitor Management Software

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