TAPIN

TAPOUT
SwipedOn’s in-depth guide
to Visitor Management
WHAT IS VISITOR
MANAGEMENT?
Visitor management is the process of welcoming In this eBook we’ll explore the following questions to
visitors into your premises. The sign-in part is only help inform a thorough introduction to visitor
a small percentage of the process; there’s all the management and what you can expect from
other elements to consider as well including visitor transforming your sign-in processes:
safety and security, evacuation management,
notifying employees that a visitor has arrived for
them, all the while ensuring your visitor is willing to Why a visitor management system?
comply with entry agreements which are unique to
your company or facility. How to create the best visitor experience in the world?
How does a visitor management system contribute to
While visitor management has been predominantly visitor safety and security?
handled via manual processes in the past - How can a visitor management system help manage
including a paper visitor book, and the receptionist employee movements?
running to inform the employee a guest has arrived What should you consider when choosing a visitor
for them - it’s now easy to manage all of these management system?
parts of the process in one place. And it’s called a
visitor management system. Also referred to as a We’ll delve into these subjects to give you an in-depth
visitor management solution or visitor insight of the purpose a visitor management system
management software, all you’re required to do is will serve. Plus, we’ll provide you with five action
download an app and install it into an iPad to keep points to help you find the visitor management system
at your front desk. that best fits the needs of your business.
YOUR JOURNEY
THROUGH THIS EBOOK

01 02 03 04
Why a visitor Your reception area is How a digital sign-in Communicate that
management system? the face of your brand system can help your office is an office
of the future

05 06 07
How a VMS Let’s talk data How a VMS helps
contributes to visitor privacy and GDPR manage employee
safety & security visits

08 09 10
The contactless sign What now? Action Final thoughts
in experience for points to consider
employees
01 WHY A VISITOR
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?

01 02
Modernize your reception Enhance company branding

There’s something inherently inviting and It’s important that your company branding
professional about a contemporary reception; is represented across all aspects of
it communicates a forward-thinking company, business. And your reception is no
projects positive first impressions for your exception. A digital visitor management
brand and helps streamline processes. A solution offers something that the paper
visitor management software is hosted on an visitor book just couldn’t offer - an easily
iPad tablet, which offers both contactless sign customizable home screen. Load your own
in and touchscreen usability, ensuring that logo, create a screensaver roll with your
those initial interactions your visitors or clients own brand imagery and use brand colours
have with your business are modern, for accent elements.
professional and safe.
03 04
Notify your staff quickly Security & data privacy
When a visitor signs in using the automated To ensure your sensitive visitor information is kept private,
process of a visitor management system, remove the viewability of your visitor’s names by storing your
an instant notification can be sent by email information digitally in a management system. A paper visitor
and text message to the host, meaning that book offers the opportunity for any visiting guests to snoop
guests are not left waiting and your through the records and see other visitors or clients who have
receptionist is not required to run around attended the business prior to them. This information is not
the building looking for staff to let them only sensitive but due to data privacy regulations (including
know a guest has arrived. If your reception GDPR, Data Privacy Act, CT-PAT) it’s a legal requirement. With
is unmanned, it makes sense that staff a visitor management system, only your elected company
would be notified of a guest’s arrival and admins will have access to this data – meaning your visitor
can attend to them quickly. information is kept private and stored safely.

05
Health and safety tool

According to TMCnet.com columnist Paula Bernier: "The digital workplace reshapes the
employee experience. Routine tasks can be automated and completed faster with tools
that provide contextual information to help employees make better decisions. The ability
to work anytime, anywhere becomes a reality. Teams can collaborate and share best
practices, to feel more engaged and part of the bigger picture. This leaves employees
feeling more satisfied." A digital in-out board supports this idea and can bolster a positive
employee experience. Having the option to ask employee screening questions is crucial
to ensure your own employees do not pose a risk to your business.
A VISITOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CAN
HELP YOU CREATE THE BEST VISITOR
EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD

Seriously. Here’s how...

 02
YOUR RECEPTION AREA IS
THE FACE OF YOUR BRAND
When welcoming visitors or clients into the
reception area of your workplace, it’s crucial
to make a great first impression.

Some studies suggest you have 7 seconds to make a good first

impression upon an initial meeting with someone. And you should
treat your reception area the same. Just as you would make a first
impression in person, the space you welcome visitors and clients
into also needs to have an immediate warm, welcoming, wow factor.

Your reception area is the face of your brand; if the space is bleak,
tired and uninspiring, this can convey that your brand or business is
the same (even if it’s not!) and it could be the clincher between the
deal or no deal with new clients. If you’ve made the space interesting,
sleek and included details that relate to the positive aspects of your
brand, not only will you communicate a positive first impression, but
it may be the catalyst for a conversation starter before you get down
to real business. Subsequently, leaving clients, visitors or potential
employees with a positive first impression of your workplace.
 HOW A DIGITAL SIGN-IN
SYSTEM CAN HELP
Sometimes the little things make a big difference. Adding your
branding to the digital home screen, and throughout the sign-in
process, using brand accent colours is a small but significant

03
feature; allowing you to communicate your brand every step of
the way and fully immersing your visitor in what you do and who
you are from the moment they enter your world.

Signing in with a paper visitor book might seem like a small task
to ask your visitors but can feel laborious, particularly for clients
and potential clients. In the modern age of data privacy and
automated offices, it makes sense to meet and exceed
expectations around visitor management when you have guests.
With a smart visitor management system such as SwipedOn,
your visitors or clients can efficiently sign in using their
smartphones for a contactless experience. At the end of the sign
in flow, guests are presented with a message informing them that
an instant notification has been sent to their host. They know
their data is secure and their safety is taken care of should there
be an emergency evacuation of the building.
04 COMMUNICATE THAT YOUR OFFICE
IS AN ‘OFFICE OF THE FUTURE’

The ‘office of the future' aka ‘paperless office’ is a You’re doing business at the
term that’s been kicking around since the 1960s.
speed of uh...paper?
But, what does an ‘office of the future’ actually
look like? Fast forward to 2020 and our paper
trays are overflowing, businesses are paying Manually digging out documents from the
hefty document storage fees and paper cuts are archives, dealing to printer woes, waiting for
still a frequent occurrence. Here are four solid documents to print - these are all things that
indications that it’s time to ditch the paper are robbing you of your precious time and
processes. If your business identifies with at hurting productivity. Converting your
least one of the following, it’s time to save the documents to digital files allows you to spend
expenses you’d usually spend on paper less time fumbling with paper and more time
processes and invest in office automation. focusing on the things that matter.
Your document security is Your administrative overheads
being compromised are at an all time high

Documents containing sensitive information are How much money does your business spend on
everywhere. Whether it’s your desk, left sitting on paper, filing cabinets, printer ink and postage each
the printer tray, easily accessible in a filing cabinet year? Not to mention paper destruction services!
or lying on the floor of your car, all that information These ongoing expenses can add up very quickly.
is currently at risk of being exposed. By keeping Adopting paperless alternatives will eliminate most
information in a digital database, this allows you to of these costs, helping you raise your bottom line.
have more control over the privacy & security of
sensitive information. As well as help aid GDPR
efforts for those of you in the EU.

You want to paint your office green

Okay, so, you don’t actually want to slap a coat of green paint on your office walls… rather you’d like to show people
that your business takes sustainability seriously. Implementing paperless processes into your office will help you to
establish a brand that puts emphasis on green operations and being environmentally-conscious. Winning.
HOW A VMS CONTRIBUTES TO
VISITOR SAFETY & SECURITY
05
When it comes to employee and guest safety and A visitor management system mandates visitors to
security in the workplace, numbers speak louder log in and out as they enter and exit your premises.
than words. According to the Occupational Safety It can record photos and track a guest’s movement
and Health Administration (OSHA) “of the 5,147 around your property. For anyone with malicious
fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United intent, knowing that their identity can be easily
States in 2017, 458 were cases of intentional injury traced will discourage them from trying to enter your
by another person.” premises. These, combined with the key features of
a visitor management system, detailed below, can
Ideally, the lobby and/or reception area serves as significantly boost your office’s security and safety.
your first line of defense for site security. Yet, it’s
one that often gets overlooked. It’s easy to be Instant Notifications
complacent about the front-of-house when security Instant notifications allow you to receive visitor
cameras and alarm systems are already installed. alerts via email or SMS when a guest arrives. So,
However, to maximize your security and safety whether you’re on-site or away from the office, you
efforts, these standard measures can be combined will know when someone shows up and you can
with a visitor management system. take the appropriate action.
Efficiently Monitor Multiple Entry and Exit Points Evacuation Management
When there are multiple entrances and exits, it’s In spite of businesses, yours included, making a
easy for visitors to slip in and out of your premises conscious effort to ensure the safety and security
undetected. It’s not just your own property and of the site, emergencies happen. In these cases,
employees that you have to worry about in these ensuring your employees and visitors are all
scenarios. Remember, you’re responsible for the accounted for is a priority. A visitor management
safety and security of guests who enter your site as system shows you exactly who’s on-site at all times.
well. Your ability to do this is hinged on being able
to monitor all entry and exit points from one ID Badge Printing
system, with a streamlined dashboard for visitor Automating the process of creating an ID badge via a
tracking and management throughout the building. visitor management platform ensures every visitor in
your premises is properly identified and only given
Digital Agreement Compliance access to specific areas. Additionally, it lets you
Do you require visitors to sign any type of form or collect key information from guests and quickly
agreement? The best visitor management systems identify them if needed.
allow you to present visitors with digital
agreements, while storing the information in a safe Employee Monitoring
and secure platform. From a safety and security A visitor management system does more than
perspective, digital agreements provide another monitor your guests. It’s also an efficient way to
point of contact with each visitor. Furthermore, if monitor employee movements. An advanced visitor
you ask for personal information - such as name, management system can act as a digital in-out board,
phone number, and employer - it can help deter a allowing employees to move in and out of the office
safety or security breach. with better transparency and ensuring security for
both your premises and your team members. The
SwipedOn Pocket app has been developed specifically
for your employees to sign in via a contactless sign in
experience (see page 17).
LET’S TALK DATA
PRIVACY & GDPR

06
Believe it or not, asking your office visitors to sign your paper logbook
can cost you hefty fines — up to 20 million GBP to be exact. Businesses
were caught scrambling to comply with the GDPR (the shorthand for
General Data Protection Regulation) when it was implemented in May
2018.

However, a new study has revealed that many UK small business owners
are still confused by the rules around data protection and privacy
regulations. Of 1,000 surveyed, 86% admitted they do not dispose of
paper visitor books securely and confidentially - leaving the personal data
of millions of employees and customers at risk. While many businesses
are GDPR aware, few are ready and almost half don’t believe they will be
fined for non-compliance.
When putting GDPR procedures in place, it’s very Consent for Personal Data & Visitor Agreements
likely that many organisations did so with one big There is a common misconception surrounding
misconception — that the new law only affects data GDPR that explicit consent needs to be given from
collected online. It doesn’t. The GDPR is every visitor upon sign in. When in fact, the GDPR
technology-agnostic. It applies to all acts of gives guidance that you do not have to ask for
personal data collection and processing, no matter consent in every situation when collecting personal
how and where it takes place. Visitor data = data. It is indeed possible where it represents the
personal data. Period. legitimate interest of the data controller (without
unjustified adverse effects on the individuals
So, your paper visitors’ book is no exception. A concerned). Therefore, implementing a digital visitor
paperless visitor management system has a number management system gives you legitimate grounds
of benefits and GDPR / Data Privacy compliance has for collecting data, particularly as they facilitate:
become one of them.

Right to be forgotten Physical security procedures

An advanced visitor management system solves this Data security procedures
predicament. Since visitor data is electronically Health and Safety procedures
collected and stored in the cloud, it is easy to search Making use of the visitor agreement feature allows
for a specific person’s information and delete it you to provide your visitors with a statement as to
when such a request comes in. This upholds the how and why you are collecting their data, as well
spirit of the law requiring you to erase personal data as asking them to provide consent by digitally
without undue delay. signing the document
Security and Data Recoverability
There is nothing confidential and secure about a
traditional visitors’ book.

If one logbook page can accommodate 20 entries, your

20th visitor for that day can easily see and pry on the
personal data of the 19 visitors that came before
him/her. This is a far cry from what the GDPR requires:
“Personal data should be processed in a manner that
ensures appropriate security and confidentiality of the
personal data, including for preventing unauthorised
access to or use of personal data and the equipment
used for the processing.” Paper logbooks cannot be
encrypted nor can they be password protected.
HOW A VMS HELPS MANAGE
EMPLOYEE MOVEMENTS
95% of organisations agree that a digital Encourage your employees to clock in and out using
workplace is important and, the good news is, the a contactless sign in app
transformation starts here with a digital employee Clocking in and out for contractors is covered in the
in-out board and dedicated employee sign in app. visitor management process, but clocking in and out
A visitor management system will not only help for employees is a feature you’ll need to enable to
propel your business into a smarter, streamlined really get the most from your visitor management
future by reinventing your business' welcome with a system. With SwipedOn, it’s all part of the package;
contactless sign in experience, but it has invaluable you won’t be paying extra for enabling employee
benefits around employee management too. The in-out and use of SwipedOn Pocket (see section 8).
digitisation of this process goes beyond keeping
tabs on your employees; boosting productivity by Utilise your VMS for health and safety purposes
enhancing the employee experience, streamlining Knowing which employees are in or out of the
health and safety procedures and digitising the building allows you to have a holistic view over
all-important employee in-out process are all part those who are in and those who are out. When it
of the deal. comes to a routine evacuation drill or an actual
emergency evacuation, you have a safety record of
exactly who is in the building and needs to be
accounted for.
THE CONTACTLESS
SIGN IN EXPERIENCE
FOR EMPLOYEES
SwipedOn Pocket enables your employees to sign into your
workplace using their smartphones and offers the following
benefits, all aimed at keeping your employees safe at work:

Ask screening questions to ensure your employees do not

pose a health risk to the business

Available on Android and iOS meaning that all employees

have access to download the app on their smartphone

Employees have the option to add custom status and return

time upon sign out

Employee movements are all logged and time stamped in the

web dashboard, giving you a full oversight of who is in your
building at any one time; visitors and employees included.
Invest in instant notifications Empower a more positive employee experience
If you've got visitors, you've got hosts. Know which At the touch of a button, employees can enter into
hosts are in the building and send them instant the visitor management system and enjoy instant
notifications via email and SMS text message to notifications when visitors arrive, helping them feel
alert them that their visitor has arrived in reception. more engaged and part of the bigger picture.

Enjoy full transparency & visibility

Think of a visitor management system - and
subsequent digital in-out board - as a pair of X-Ray
specs. Not only are you fully equipped in the case
of an emergency evacuation, but you also have full
transparency on who is in the building - both
employees and visitors.
WHAT NOW? ACTION POINTS:
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN
09
CHOOSING A VMS

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, choosing a

visitor management system for your business
01
or facility can be daunting. How do you choose Choose features that help
which tools to prioritize? How do you find the streamline the guest
right visitor management system to fulfil your management process
requirements? To help you out, we’ve
highlighted five key features to consider when
Visitor management processes can do a
choosing a visitor management system.
whole lot more than just check visitors in.
Robust systems are designed to fully
automate the check-in process with minimal
supervision from staff. SwipedOn, for example,
can facilitate the printing of photo ID badges
for visitors, present policy and allow
evacuation management with quick access to
offline roll call.
02 03
Choose features that guarantee Ensure the VMS has features
better security, safety & privacy that comply with government
for your organization regulations & requirements

Keep in mind that when visitors arrive at your If you’re going to implement a digital visitor
premises, you’re responsible for their safety. Any management system, make sure that it’s GDPR
data that they provide as part of your visitor policy (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant.
should also be kept safe and secure. Cloud-based
platforms ensure that your visitor management A GDPR compliant visitor management system
platform is engineered for redundancy, with enables businesses to comply with core principles
secure data encryption at all times. of the regulation by prioritizing transparency,
ensuring that clear consent is given and providing
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to adequate security for information collected and
offer contactless sign in and visitor screening stored in the system.
questions is a crucial consideration for added
safety measures to reduce risk of the virus
entering the workplace.
04 05
Look for features that gather Choose a VMS with features that are
data & generate useful reports easily scalable to support growing
business needs
Reports can deliver analytics, metrics, as well as
qualitative and quantitative data. Organizations Any technology that you invest in now should be able to
can gain insight that can help streamline company scale with you as your business grows. If your current
processes and policies. For instance, you can visitor management software is only being used for one
obtain more information on how visitors interact entrance, but you recently expanded and now have
with the system, or how long it normally takes for several entry points, you’ll need a system that facilitates
guests to check-in at the front desk. You can also that growth. The best visitor management software can
check the frequency of visits, and assess what easily expand to meet growing visitor traffic needs and
time you get the most guests. This allows you to facility layout. Tablet-based platforms like SwipedOn only
easily adjust processes and manpower at the front require additional devices to easily manage multiple
desk to accommodate it. entry-points.
FINAL
THOUGHTS

10
The key to finding the best platform for your business, is to first
understand your organization’s unique needs to ensure the suitable
features are implemented. Additionally, the ability to reach out to a
reliable customer service team for support should always be an
important consideration before making your selection. The ideal visitor
management system should be simple and user-friendly, for visitors as
well as for the business implementing them. That said, it is inevitable
that you will need to reach out to the vendor regarding troubleshooting
certain features or questions about your subscription renewal. Whatever
the case, a reliable and available customer support team is important for
a successful implementation.
Are you ready to revolutionize your front
desk with a smart, contactless solution?

www.swipedon.com